Description
You won’t miss the meat with these loaded vegetarian nachos. They’re easy to make on a sheet pan in the oven. Topped with seasoned beans, lots of cheese, salsa fresca, and drizzled with a creamy chipotle crema.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- Sturdy tortilla chips, enough to cover the sheet pan in an even single layer
- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated medium cheddar cheese (or Colby Jack)
- 1 cup canned pinto beans or black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- A pinch of salt
- Salsa fresca, for topping (recipe below)
- 1/3 cup chipotle crema, for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped for garnishing
Salsa Fresca
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
- 1/4 cup white onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced (or serrano pepper)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Optional Garnish Suggestions
- Diced avocado
- Sliced fresh or pickled jalapeños
- Pickled banana peppers
- Pickled red onions
- Thinly sliced green onion (scallions)
- Sliced black olives
Optional Serving Suggestions
- Chipotle crema
- Pico de Gallo
- Sour cream
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Refried beans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I use 18 inches by 13 inches half-size sheet pan). Place the tortilla chips on the baking sheet and spread them into an even single layer.
- Make the salsa fresca. In a medium bowl, add the diced tomatoes, onion, jalapeño peppers (or serrano peppers), chopped cilantro, and salt. Stir until everything is combined.
- Make the bean mixture. Add the beans, chill powder, cumin, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Bake the nachos, Sprinkle half of the cheese on the tortilla chips, followed by the bean mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the beans, making sure that every chip has some cheese on it. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 5-10 minutes.
- Add the toppings and serve. Use a slotted spoon to top the nachos evenly with the salsa fresca. A slotted spoon will prevent transferring too much liquid from the tomatoes to the nachos. Drizzle the chipotle crema over the nachos, then sprinkle the fresh chopped cilantro on top. You can add any of the optional garnishes if desired. Serve hot with the extra chipotle crema or your favorite salsa.
Notes
- Make-ahead instructions: Nachos taste best immediately after they’ve been baked to prevent the nachos from getting soggy. You can make the salsa fresca, chipotle crema, seasoned beans, and grate the cheese up to 1 day in advance. Keep everything stored separately in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
- If you make my homemade chipotle crema, you’ll have leftover sauce. Use leftovers as a dip for your nachos or to eat with sweet potato fries, tacos, burritos, on a hamburger, or with other Tex-Mex meals.
- When handling jalapeño or serrano peppers, avoid touching your eyes and wash your hands thoroughly afterward.
- Make it gluten-free by using certified gluten-free tortilla chips.
- Nachos are not meant to be healthy, so I won’t even bother adding the nutrition information. Just enjoy! 🙂
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mexican