The first thing I want to say about these Veggie Black Bean Nachos is that frying up your own chips turns nacho night into a gourmet treat. Even still, it's not necessary. Purchase some good quality tortilla chips and get on with things, if you prefer.
But, if you're at all open to the idea of making freshly fried chips - I truly hope you will. Homemade tortilla chips will only take you about 15 minutes, and you will not believe how much better they are than the packaged variety.
Also, homemade chips are nice and thick, standing up well under the weight of all those veggies and black beans.
The second thing I want to say about these Veggie Black Bean Nachos is that a freshly squeezed Orange Margarita is the perfect accompaniment.
Crank up the music, mix up a batch of margaritas, sip one while frying up some homemade tortilla chips, and pretend you're on vacation. Because, with nachos and margaritas, you practically are.
About the Black Beans
You have a choice to make about the black beans in these nachos that basically amounts to this: easy or easiest?
Top your nachos with Slow Simmered Black Beans or canned Black Beans. Totally up to you. Cooking black beans in a slow cooker takes about 5 minutes of prep work, then you just let them cook on low for about 6 hours. But, if you'd rather skip that step, go right ahead and use a can or two of black beans.
One bonus to cooking a batch of dried beans (besides the flavor) is that this recipe makes way more beans than you'll need for these nachos. This is GREAT because they freeze really well.
Add them in 1-cup portions to freezer bags and pop them in the freezer for the next time a recipe calls for black beans. Cooking dried beans is a great example of spending less money for better, tastier food that requires a minimal amount of extra effort.
The other veggies in the recipe ingredient list are all optional. They can easily be swapped out for whatever strikes your fancy.
The last thing I want to tell you about these yummy nachos, is that the cheese really can be optional.
I know it sounds crazy, and cheese lovers everywhere are gasping for breath at the very suggestion, but if you are trying to cut back calories, or simply not eating cheese, just pile on the black beans and veggies, and you'll never miss the cheese.
This recipe was originally published on alittleandalot.com. For more detailed instructions, please see the original recipe ---> Veggie Black Bean Nachos
At least 12-16 corn tortillas
About 1 ½ cups corn oil
Kosher or coarse ground sea salt
For the nachos:
2-3 cups grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, or a combination of the two
Approximately 2 cups of black beans
2 red peppers, sliced and sautéed (Alternatively, dice them and serve them raw.)
1 yellow onion, peeled, sliced and sautéed (Alternatively, dice a red onion and serve it raw.)
12 radishes, washed, trimmed and sliced very thin
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced - OR 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, served whole or cut in half
2 ripe avocados, peeled, seed removed, and sliced thin
A jar of pickled jalapeños
Purchase salsa or pico de gallo
One bunch of scallions, white parts only sliced thin
One bunch of cilantro, approximately 1 cup, chopped
Instructions
Make the chips:
Add the oil to a large, deep saucepan or frying pan and place over high heat. You want to heat the oil until a small piece of tortilla placed in the oil begins to sizzle immediately, about 350°F. Be careful to not allow the oil to get so hot that it smokes. If that happens, move the pan off the heat immediately and allow to cool down slightly before placing it back over the heat. Adjust the burner heat as necessary to maintain the temperature.
While the oil is heating, cut each tortilla into 4 triangle shaped wedges.
Line a baking sheet with a couple of layers of paper towels and have a small dish of salt near by.
When the oil is hot, add a handful of tortilla wedges - enough to cover the bottom of the pan, but not so many that they are laying on top of each other. Fry the chips for 2-4 minutes, until they are a deep golden brown.
Using tongs, quickly remove the chips from the oil and onto the paper towel lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with some salt. Repeat with the remaining tortilla wedges.
Make the Nachos:
You have a couple of options here.
The first is to lay all the ingredients out and let each person assemble their own plate of nachos: Add some chips to a microwave safe plate and top with a handful of cheese, black beans, and sautéed red peppers and onions. Heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes to melt the cheese and heat the beans and vegetables. Top with whatever other ingredients you like.
The second option is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay all the chips out on a baking sheet in an even layer. Top with cheese, black beans, and sautéed red peppers and onions. Cook the tray of nachos in the oven until the cheese is completely melted. Remove from the oven and let each person add some to their plates before topping with additional ingredients.
+ Check out Let's Get Lost, my Substack newsletter for more new and exclusive recipes in your in-box every month! As a full time traveler, living, working, cooking, and baking from a 5th wheel RV, it's also where I share our experiences of life on the road.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Most Popular
Comments / 0