Gluten Free Nacho Alternatives: Totchos & Frito Pie

By Melissa Massello, October 16, 2013

Down here in Longhorn country, one thing is for certain: Football is no longer just a game, and weekends are no longer just for brunch. I’m surrounded by Burnt Orange in every direction and the TVs are all tuned to game day coverage — NFL, college, and high school games. (Hook ‘em!)

Tailgating in Texas is an art form, and I’ve got to up my ante, which is why I finally got around to sharing my totchos — aka tater tot nachos — recipe over on Boston.com a few weeks ago, right after we’d started to unpack and settle in. Grab the recipe for this affordable, crowd-pleasing, GLUTEN FREE dish over on DIY Boston.

Another Southern staple I’d completely forgotten about — but which seems to have gotten popular recently with even chefs, food editors, and The Smithsonian — is the deliciousness known as Frito Pie. Basically just another version of nachos using Fritos instead of tortilla chips, Frito pie is a plate of Fritos piled high with chili and cheddar cheese then topped with sour cream and scallions. Also GLUTEN FREE. Hallelujah. Check out this video from two Southern editors over on PopSugar for the lowdown on how to make this low brow yet highly delicious game day dish.

What’s your favorite game day dish? How do YOU feed a crowd on a budget? Love to hear from you — especially if you have another nacho alternative I should know about!