One of the things that makes nachos special, is that you can make them any way you like. You can add chicken, beef, BBQ pulled pork, sausage or chorizo and beans. Absolutely anyway you like. Today, these nachos will be made with ground beef and black beans.
There are other ways to help make your life easier to take advantage of, because usually, we are so busy with life that we don't always have the extra time to be our own prep cooks before making dinner. So, you can purchase diced onions and peppers and keep them as a staple in your freezer. You can buy a container of chopped garlic to dish out as needed when you cook - now, please understand that the flavor and freshness does not replace the use of fresh garlic, but it definitely helps to make things easier.
For this recipe, I use several other things that make cooking these nachos easy. I buy the guacamole in individual servings, there are several makers that offer their guac product this way. For the seasoning, I pre-make a batch of "taco mix" and store it in a mason jar. I do this with my blackening seasonings and my BBQ rub as well. Lately, I have been purchasing this newish item by gourmet garden = lightly dried fresh herbs. They are a little pricey when compared to buying the fresh bunches of herbs, but you have all of the work done for you without the waste. I love having this product as an option. For this recipe, I use their chopped cilantro, but I also keep basil and chives as permanent staples in my fridge too.
When making the meat for my nachos, tacos or enchiladas, I usually almost always add salsa or pico to the meat once it has been cooked. I do not usually make these myself, because I like easy, but I don't use jarred from the chip aisle salsa either. Most of the time, I go to the On The Border restaurant, but I also buy from Zona Fresca and the local Tacoria, depending who I am closer to. Buying from these restaurants offer fresh delicious salsa options. Today, I have pico de gallo and roasted tomato salsa.
Before I begin to brown the beef, I line a sheet tray with foil to help with the clean-up afterwards. I basically line everything with foil if I am using the oven. And, then I lay the chips for the nacho foundation.
Next, I add the black beans and set the tray to the side. The black beans that I use for my nachos is a black bean dip. My first choice black bean dip is by Desert Pepper, but the are a bit pricey too, so I don't buy that brand all of the time. If you have a Wegman's grocery store near you, they have a Wegman's brand that is pretty darn good and this is what I am using today.
Time to cook the ground beef. This is the most important part of your nachos. The flavor from your meat is the maker or breaker and you want to put love and effort into cooking it.
Before you add the meat to the pan, please make sure your pan is hot. Always make sure your pan is hot when cooking on the stove. I cook on medium heat, using the large eye of the stove. While you're at it, preheat your oven to 365 degrees.
I do not add the seasonings straight away because I do not want the heat from the hot pan to "burn" the seasonings before being able to chop and cook the other ingredients.
Once the ground beef, onions and peppers are cooked, turn down the heat before adding the garlic, "taco" seasonings and cilantro. Mix everything together well. The smells coming from your pan should be making your mouth water with anticipation.
Speaking of water, I now add a little bit, maybe 1/8 of a cup directly in with the beef.
Why the heck am I adding water? Because I need taco meat juice to get on some of those nacho chips and give another layer to the taste and texture. I call this the juice juice.
The last step I take when cooking the ground beef is adding salsa. If I don't have salsa, then I will use pico. But, because I have both, I am only adding salsa to the pan this time. I will save the pico as a topping.
Now that you have cooked the beef and made the juice juice, it's time to add the beef and cheese to the chips and beans and place them in the oven until the cheese turns golden brown on the edges.
Special note *For me personally, you can never use enough cheese for nachos, and I load on as much as I can.
Once out of the oven, carefully transfer your nachos to your plate and add the toppings of your choice; I use sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo salsa. But, you can add jalenpenos, additional cilantro or so many other things I can't think of.
Once plated and topped, the last thing you need to do is open up a cold cervesa and enjoy your easy nachos.
** Please note that you can easily convert this recipe when using chicken breast, ground chicken or fajita style sliced peppers and onions with zucchini or squash for a vegetarian option. You can change the beans, delete the beans, add chorizo or combine several options. The choices are limitless and the process is basically the same.
Ingredients:
• 1 lb. ground beef - 90%/10% was used for this recipe.
*If you use 80%/20%, please drain grease after cooking BEFORE adding water and salsa.
• 2 TBS diced onions
• 2 TBS diced green peppers
• 1 TBS chopped garlic
• 1 TBS chopped cilantro
• 2 TBS "Taco" Seasonings - see below
• 1/8 C water
• 1/4 C Salsa
• 1/2 C Black bean dip
• 1 Bag tortilla chips (or less)
• 1C to 2C Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
Toppings (Optional):
• Guacamole
• Sour Cream
• Pico de Gallo
• Jalenpenos
• Cilantro
Equipment:
• Sheet tray / cookie sheet
• Aluminum foil
• Spatula
• Skillet
Taco Seasoning:
1.5 TBS Chili powder
1.5 TBS Cumin
1 TBS Paprika
1.5 TBS Onion powder
1 TBS Pepper
1 TBS Garlic Powder
1 TPS Cayenne Pepper (Optional)
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