Quick and Easy Nachos
Quick and Easy Nachos are a weeknight win for everyone in the house. For me, they’re a go to when I don’t have creative inspiration or energy. If there’s some leftover steak, taco meat, or chicken we have a 10-15 minute meal. Nachos can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Pile on a ton of toppings or just throw on some cheese and meat.
We always have tortilla chips on hand. And, I’ve been known to make a meal out of chips and salsa. This is the full meal, adult version of chips and salsa for dinner. It’s easy, quick, and still includes protein and veggies. To add a bit of freshness, serve with a simple salad or on top of shredded lettuce for a great taco salad.
I usually end up with lots of odds and ends of leftovers and I like to use them up creatively. Nachos are a great vehicle for those small amounts of meat or vegetables. A little meat spiced up with sautéed onions, jalapeno, and some black beans is a great base. Of course, I use more cheese than a reasonable person would recommend. Be sure to grate your own cheese, it melts and tastes so much better. Sometimes I add some refried beans to the meat, corn is also a fun pop of flavor. Most important however, good tortilla chips are the keys to success. Thicker chips are best, thinner chips just don’t stand up to all the toppings. Getting a layer of cheese between the chips and other toppings will help to prevent the chips from getting soggy.
After broiling everything so it’s good and melty, I like to add some green onions, tomatoes, sour cream, and cilantro. Serve it up with hot sauce, guacamole, and salsa and it’s dinner time.
Quick & Easy Nachos
Equipment
- Half Sheet pan (18" x 13" rimmed sheet pan)
Ingredients
- ½ bag tortilla chips
- 1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 4oz can diced green chilies or jalapenos
- ½ lb. leftover meat – steak, taco meat, chicken
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- ¼ cup water
- 2 cups cheese – cheddar, pepper jack, or a mix
- 1 tomato, diced
- ½ can black beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 3 green onions, sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro
- pickled jalapenos
- hot sauce or salsa
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to 6-8" below the broiler and heat oven broiler to high
- Pour a generous, even layer of tortilla chips on sheet pan
- Sprinkle about ⅔ of the cheese over chips evenly
- Heat a medium skillet with oil and sauté ½ of the diced onion, add green chilies, meat, taco seasoning, and water, heat thoroughly
- While meat mixture is warming, place sheet pan in the oven under the broiler and melt cheese until it starts to bubble, 2-3 minutes
- Take the pan out of the oven, dollop meat mixture evenly over cheese topped chips and add the rest of the cheese
- Place the pan back in the oven to melt the top layer of cheese until it gets bubbly and edges of the chips start to brown
- Remove from oven, add remaining desired toppings and serve immediately
