Want a fun dinner on a busy night? In our house, nachos are a very rare treat because we consider them more in the junk food area but even so, I seem to find a way to load them up with veggies. This version even has beans, spiced ground beef (you could substitute ground turkey), lots of veggies and real cheese to make it healthier. If you like it spicy, add some slices of jalapeno and 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of chipotle chili powder to the ground beef. Served with Spanish rice and guacamole, you'll have an entire meal!
Ingredients:
1 large bag of nacho chips
1 onion, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
1 (19 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 large sweet red pepper, chopped
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
about 2-3 cups of aged cheddar cheese (more or less, if you need)
chopped fresh cilantro
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Spread the tortilla chips out on a rimmed cookie sheet, sprinkle with cheese, and set aside. In a fry pan, saute the ground beef with onion until cooked through and no longer pink. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, stirring and tasting to correct for seasonings. Stir in the drained black beans and set aside to cool. Set the cookie sheet with the tortilla chips in the oven for a few minutes, watching carefully, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with the cooled beef/bean mixture, diced tomato, diced peppers, and cilantro. You may not need all the beef/bean mixture, so you can put it in the freezer for another day. Or, just load it all up-whatever works for you! Serve with fresh guacamole, salsa, and sour cream to greedily dip into, licking the salty goodness off your fingers.
Serves 4-5
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