Cheesy Leftover Tater Tot Chowder

I know what you’re saying.  Whoever has tater tots left over?  Well, when I served PADS last week I had made tater tots to go along side Sloppy Joes Sloppy Joes, Broccoli Salad Broccoli Salad, Corn Casserole Creamy Corn Casserole, etc. and I had several left over.  So I decided to make some soup with them.

I didn’t realize how delicious this was going to be when I started out making it.  But the flavor is so good!!

• 3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces
• 1 (28-oz.) bag frozen tater tots (not sure if I had a full bag leftover or not, but close to it) (I made 3 bags that night)
• 1 (15-oz.) can creamed corn
• 2 (15-oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups whole milk
• 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Arrange frozen tater tots in a single layer on an 11″ X 17″ baking sheet.  Cook to a light golden brown about 30 – 35 minutes.

In a large stock pot, brown bacon until crispy.  Remove bacon to paper towel and drain pot.

Return bacon to the pot along with corn, broth and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat and add potatoes.  Simmer 12 to 15 minutes.  Stir to break up tots. Or leave chunks, if you prefer.

Add the cheddar cheese and heat until melted.  Serve.

This makes quite a large batch of soup and is fairly thick, which I like.  If you want a thinner soup, add more broth or milk.  I added more broth and more milk.

I’m not sure what the flavor would be like if you didn’t bake the tots, but I think possibly that’s why the flavor was so good.  May be because the tots got nice and golden brown.  This is even better the next day.

Makes 8 large servings.

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