If your looking to improve your nachos beyond a scatter of tri-angled-shaped corn chips on a plate with store bought salsa and some cheese wiz, then you’ve come to the right place. A good plate of nachos can be a hit at any time, but a great plate of nachos can put you on a foodie pedestal. Whether it’s Super Bowl Sunday, Cinco de Mayo or just your average TV-binge-watching night, few things are more satisfying than digging into a heaping pile of flavorful oozy goodness.
Let’s look at the beginning for a second – an urban legend (or, according to Saveur) has it the a man named Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya created the binge-worthy dish for a group of U.S. Army wives in the border town of Piedras Negras, Mexico, just across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. Maybe it’s true, but I’m still not naming my kids “Nacho”.
Nachos aren’t subtle, and they’re also not fussy. They’re multicultural, so go ahead and mix it up a bit (South American, Asian, or go two all-beef-patties-special-sauce-lettuce-cheese-pickles American style).
But with all those potential contrasting flavors and ideas, there’s an inescapable common denominator: a flavorful crunchy base (tortilla chips, fried wontons, baked pita chips etc.), some protein (meat, fish, tofu, etc.), maybe some veggie (beans, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower?), a sauce, and cheese (or a vegan substitute). In these recipes, we’re showing some variations that we’ve done in the recently that show off some of the Serious Foodie products.
TexMex Nachos
We go right to the standard-bearer, with a Serious Foodie twist. Our version uses Hatch Chile Sauce, a salsa verde, instead of a tomato-based salsa.
Ingredients
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1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
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1 large onion, chopped
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1 lb.ground beef
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2 garlic cloves, minced
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2 tbsp. Serious Foodie TexMex seasoning
- 1 jar Serious Foodie Hatch Chile sauce
- Kosher salt, to taste
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1 large bag tortilla chips (our favorite: Late July Organic Sea Salt, or Chia/Quinoa chips)
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2 cups shredded cheddar
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2 c. Shredded Monterey jack
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1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained
- Optional: 1/2 cup pickled jalapenos (if you can find them, try the Texas Pepper Works Krisp Jalapenos)
- Optional: green onion, cut into rounds
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425º and line a large baking sheet with foil. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes, then add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, 6 minutes more. Drain fat.
- Add garlic, TexMex seasoning, Serious Foodie Hatch Chile sauce, and season with salt to taste. Cook until meat is well browned and slightly crispy, 5 minutes more.
- Add a layer of tortilla chips and top with beef mixture, black beans, the pickled jalapeños, green onions, and the cheese. (If you’re feeding a larger crowd, or if you feel a bit of a nacho binge coming on, you can repeat with one or more layers).
- Bake until cheese is melty, 15 minutes or less.
Hawaiian Mango Chicken Nachos
This recipes uses our easy to make pulled chicken with Mango Sauce, but would work equally as well with pulled pork, or with our Peruvian Blood Orange Sauce. If you use the Chipotle Better Chip, then this version will be plenty spicy – but you can always add some extra hot sauce to really pump up the heat.
Ingredients
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1 lbs. of Mango Pulled Chicken (click HERE for the recipe).
- Kosher salt, to taste
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1 large bag tortilla chips (for this recipe, our favorite is the Chipotle by Better Chip)
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2 cups shredded cheddar
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2 c. Shredded Monterey jack
- Optional: 1/2 cup diced sweet red pepper
- Optional: green onion, sliced
- Preheat oven to 425º and line a large baking sheet with foil.
- On a baking sheet, spread out the chips evenly. Place the shredded chicken, sweet red peppers, green onions, and a drizzle of the Serious Foodie Mango Sauce. Sprinkle with the cheese.
- Bake until cheese is melty, 15 minutes or less.
Mexican Mole Nachos
This recipes uses our easy to make pulled chicken with Mango Sauce, but would work equally as well with pulled pork, or with our Peruvian Blood Orange Sauce. If you use the Chipotle Better Chip, then this version will be plenty spicy – but you can always add some extra hot sauce to really pump up the heat.
Ingredients
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1 lbs. of Mole Pulled Pork (click HERE for the recipe).
- Kosher salt, to taste
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1 large bag tortilla chips (our favorite: Late July Organic Sea Salt, or Chia/Quinoa chips)
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2 cups shredded cheddar
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1 cup crumbled Cotija cheese (can sub crumbled feta)
- 1 cup cooked corn (preferably fresh, taken off the cob)
- Optional: 1/2 cup diced jalapeno peppers
- Optional: green onion, sliced
- Preheat oven to 425º and line a large baking sheet with foil.
- On a baking sheet, spread out the chips evenly. Place the shredded pork, corn, peppers, green onions, and a drizzle of the Serious Foodie Mole Sauce. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
- Bake until cheese is melty, 15 minutes or less.
- Sprinkle with Cotilja, and serve.
Brazilian Nachos
This recipes uses our easy to make meat chili – but substitute the Brazilian Smoky Jalapeno Sauce instead of the Hatch Chile Sauce. Use any hearty chip – but we like the Late July Chia and Quinoa Chips.
Ingredients
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1 lbs. of Serious Foodie Meat Chili (click HERE for the recipe).
- Kosher salt, to taste
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1 large bag tortilla chips
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2 cups shredded cheddar
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1 cup fresh guacamole
- Optional: Sour cream or Mexican crema
- Optional: 1/2 cup diced jalapeno peppers
- Optional: green onion, sliced
- Preheat oven to 425º and line a large baking sheet with foil.
- On a baking sheet, spread out the chips evenly. Place the chili, peppers, green onions, and a drizzle of the Serious Foodie Brazilian Sauce. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
- Bake until cheese is melty, 15 minutes or less.
- Add guacamole and sour cream, and serve.
And Now For Something Completely Different…
Here are some recipes that we found that are just cool, intriguing concepts for nachos.
Try these Ahi Tuna Poke Wonton Nachos recipe from Lena’s Kitchen – truly outstanding!
Get the Grilled Sweet Potato Nachos recipe from Pinch of Yum
Looking for nachos on the healthy-ish side? Try Loaded Greek Goddess Chickpea and Quinoa Pita Chip Nachos recipe from Half Baked Harvest
Another healthy-ish idea from The Wicked Noodle: Buffalo Ranch Roasted Cauliflower Nachos recipe
Want some other up-grade ideas? Check out this article on Food 52. Here’s a synopsis:
- Ditch the canned beans and make your own.
- Try an unconventional cheese for maximum melt.
- Pickle some things, and then pile ’em on.
- Go wild with market veggies.
- Spice up your sour cream.
