I was not planning on posting the recipe for these Loaded Nachos. I made them for New Years and they were so delicious that I thought I should definitely share it for those of you who love nachos as much as I do. I know it looks a bit like a mess on a plate, but boy is this a delicious version. It has the usual corn chips, cheese and salsa, with quacamole and sour cream on the side. But I’ve layered it with green peppers, chillies, sweet corn and black beans as well. And used a whole rainbow of exotic/heirloom tomatoes and red onions for the fresh salsa topping.
Strictly speaking nachos would not necessarily be deemed healthy. And if you focus on the sour cream and cheese I guess they wouldn’t be. But if you break it down, the corn chips I use are gluten and preservative free, I use very little cheese since using a vintage cheddar provides all the flavour (the stronger the cheese the less you need to use). And while you can’t really omit the cheese since it’s the glue that holds everything together, you can leave off the sour cream, or replace it with greek yoghurt. Feel free to substitute both the cheese and sour cream for dairy free options for a vegan alternative.
The guacamole is literally, just avo, lemon, salt and pepper. So a great healthy fat option. And adding the black beans and extra veggies to the dish elevates it to a much more nutrient dense meal. Besides, the more colourful a dish, the healthier, right?
As with most of my recipes, these Loaded Nachos have my three favourite elements in one dish. Flavour, colour and texture. And while there are quite a few ingredients, you don’t need much of each. The bonus, it only takes 5 to ten minutes to prep and only ten minutes in the oven. A super quick and delicious feast. Feel free to adjust the spice level according to your preference.
If you like this type of dish, do check out my Bean Chili and my Taco Bowls.
Loaded Nachos
Ingredients
Loaded Nachos
- 250 grams 1 bag lightly salted or plain corn (nacho) chips
- ½ cup Vintage/very mature cheddar* Grated
- ½ cup Tinned black beans Drained
- ½ cup Sweet Corn Kernels
- 1 Green Bell Pepper De-seeded and finely chopped
- 1 Red or green jalapeno chilli (Optional) De-seeded and finely chopped
- 1 Jar of Salsa Sauce (mild or hot)
- Enchilada spice/mild mexican spice mix Optional
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional Toppings
- Mashed and seasoned avocado / guacamole for serving
- Sour cream / Crème fraîche / Greek yoghurt*
- Fresh Tomato Salsa
- Fresh coriander or parsley for garnish Finely chopped
Instructions
Loaded Nachos
- Preheat the oven to 180°C
- Prepare your ingredients
- Place some baking paper on a baking tray, then add half the corn chips/nachos in an even layer. Dollop half the jar of salsa onto the chips, trying to get a bit on all. Then sprinkle over half the green peppers, and some of the chopped chillies if using, half the sweet corn kernels and half the black beans. Season with salt, pepper and mexican spice mix
- Sprinkle over half the grated cheese, then repeat with a second layer of the remaining ingredients
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese has melted
- While the nachos are in the oven you can prepare the toppings
Optional Toppings
- For the guacamole, mash 1 avocado and season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice
- For the salsa, you will need an equal amount of both chopped fresh tomatoes and chopped red onion. The quantity will depend on the amount you want and the size and type of tomatoes you use. My end product yielded around ½ – ¾ cup of fresh salsa. After combining the chopped tomatoes and onion, season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Then mix through some of the fresh chopped coriander or parsley. Reserve the rest to sprinkle over the nachos when removed from the oven
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