Food
Nachos
Nachos
Nachos are an easy dinner or lunch that goes together quickly, uses up leftovers, and can be made with just about anything you have on hand. Depending on how "loaded" you like your nachos, there is a large range of quantities that are acceptable. A cup or two of leftover (or freshly cooked) meat, half a pound of grated cheese, and some tortilla chips are the only basic ingredient. Add whatever other ingredients you have on hand. Try not to use overly "wet" ingredients, like salsa, as you want the nachos to be crispy. For a well-rounded meal, serve with a salad. Vegetarian possibilities include beans or tofu or other creative additions. We have even made these with corned beef!
Ingredients:
Meat: Leftover (1-2 cups, chopped) or freshly cooked (1/2 to 1 pound), seasoned or not.
Cheese: 1/2 pound grated cheese - cheddar, jack, other cheese of choice.
Tortilla Chips: Any shape, size or style.
Extras: Olives, Bell Peppers, Jalapenos, Onions, Chilies, ?
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Spread Tortilla chips evenly in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Top with choice of toppings, starting with cheese.
In our current oven, perfect cooking means baking nachos on the top rack for 14 minutes - spinning once at about 10 minutes.
Serve with optional salsa, sour cream and chopped avocados.
Here's a couple of samples we have made:
1 pound ground turkey, browned with 2 jalapenos, salt and pepper
1/2 lb Mexican Monterey Jack cheese, grated (Mexican Jack is pulley - like mozarella - great on nachos)
1/4 lb Habanero Cheddar cheese, grated
1 can black olives, sliced
And:
1 cup chopped leftover pork roast, fat removed.
1/2 lb Medium Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated.
1 can black olives, sliced.
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped.