Friday Night Nachos

I don’t know about you, but in my household, Friday nights are for fun finger foods! These Friday Night Nachos are perfect for literally any Friday night occasion, whether you are enjoying these nachos among friends and family, or if you are taking it easy in front of a good movie.

Growing up, nachos were such a treat, and were my favourite after school snack. It makes me shiver a bit reflecting on all the cheddar cheese I used to put on my nachos as a kid. I would be in bed for days now! However, I have found some great alternative for dairy free cheese. Dairy free cheese has come such a long way, and actually tastes good? I know what a concept! Whenever I tell people I prefer the taste of dairy free cheese over cheddar cheese I get lots of dumbfounded looks, to say the least.

A few of my fav shredded dairy free cheese brands are:

This nacho recipe requires a bit of prep, however feel free to use a food processor to cut the time in half. Start by dicing the veggies, and mincing the jalapeno. If you like your nachos on spicier side leave in the seeds of the jalapeno, and mince everything.

After all the veggies have been cut up, brown your ground meat of choice. I tend to be drawn towards ground beef, just because I love the taste of it! However, I have made these nachos with ground sausage meat, ground turkey, pork, chicken, and ground cauliflower – and it was tasty every time! I mean feel free to omit the meat to make it vegan. I’m sure beyond meat would be so yummy. After the ground meat has been browned add half of the minced jalapeno and diced onion to the pan, and cook until the onion is cooked. Once this has been done add the taco seasoning mixture and water until desired thickness has been reached

In a Pyrex dish add a bottom layer of corn tortilla chips and top with tomatoes, corn, onion, jalapenos, bell pepper, and the meat mixture. Top with your shredded vegan cheese. Repeat for the top layer. Before putting the nachos in the oven you could add dollops of refried beans in the corners the Pyrex dish, and cook it with the nachos.

Cook the nachos until the cheese has melted! Sometimes I broil the nachos in the last 2 minutes to give it a golden browned look. Serve the nachos with your desired toppings. I love having refried beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, and vegan sour crème with my nachos, with cilantro and lime wedges as a garnish.

Like any recipe, it always pairs with some good tunes! When am I cooking this recipe, as well as stuffing my face with it, I listen to,

If you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do, please let me know at the bottom!

Friday Night Nachos

4 Servings |Prep time: 15 min| Cook time: 15 min | Total time: 30 min

Ingredients

  • Corn tortilla chips
  • 1 lb of ground meat
  • 1 diced bell pepper
  • 2 diced roma tomatoes
  • 1 cup of cooked corn
  • 1 minced jalapeño
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 bag of Dairy free shredded cheese
  • 2 limes
  • Bunch of cilantro

Seasoning for ground meat

  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • ½  tbsp corn starch
  • ½  tbsp paprika
  • ½  tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • ½  tsp garlic powder
  • ½  tsp onion powder
  • ½  tsp oregano
  • ½  tsp black pepper
  • ½-1 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
  2. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and cook ground meat. When the meat is almost fully cooked put 1/2 of the chopped onions and 1/2 of the minced jalapeños into the pan with the meat, and cook for 5 minutes until onion is translucent.
  3. In a separate dish mix together all the seasonings.
  4. Using 2 tablespoons of the seasoning, toss it in the pan with the ground meat veggie mixture, with ¼ cup of water to thicken the seasoning. Add more water by tablespoon until desired thickness is reached.
  5. In a 9 x 13 inch pyrex dish, place 1 layer of tortilla chips. Cover the tortilla chips with tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeño, onion, corn, and meat mixture. Do not use all the veggies in this step as there are 2 layers to these nachos. Add your desired amount of shredded vegan cheese onto first layer.
  6. Add the remainder of tortilla chips for the top layer, and repeat step 5.
  7. Cook nachos in oven for 20-25 minutes until the cheese has fully melted.
  8. Garnish with cilantro and lime, and enjoy warm!

Notes

  • Store bought taco seasoning also works for this recipe if you’re in a pinch.
  • This recipe can also be used with dairy-full cheese.
  • You can easily substitute cornstarch with tapioca or arrowroot flour.

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