Abundant Vegetable Nachos
A festive dish that is easy to customize. Use whatever canned beans and vegetables you have on hand, substitute purchased salsa for the easy Pico de Gallo here, choose the cheese you like best; I especially like Manchego Anejo and Trader Joe's Unexpected Cheddar. To make this even heartier, sauté sausage or Trader Joe's soy chorizo before adding beans to the skillet.
Ingredients
Pico de Gallo
- 1 large tomato, cut in half then juices squeezed out
- ⅓ cup chopped red onion
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ serrano chile, seeded and minced
- 1 small lime or lemon, grated zest and juice
- 1½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder or other chile powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 15.5 ounce can pinto beans, with liquid
- 1 15.5 ounce can red kidney beans, with liquid
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano
Sautéed Vegetables
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large poblano chile, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut in to 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Assembly
- 12 ounces (about) tortilla chips
- 7 to 8 ounces (about 2½ cups) grated cheese, such as Manchego anejo, Trader Joe's Unexpected Cheddar, sharp cheddar, Mexican blend
- Add ons (optional) such as Greek yogurt, diced avocado, thinly sliced cabbage, sliced olives, sliced radishes, pickled peppers
Instructions
Pico de Gallo
- Chop the tomato and place in a bowl. Add the onion, cilantro, chile, lime zest and juice. Mix gently to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside while preparing the beans and vegetables.
Beans
- Heat the oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chile powder and cumin and stir until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Add both beans with their liquid. Bring to a brisk simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until thickened to a coarse puree, frequently stirring and mashing some of the beans against the side of the pan, about 10 minutes. Stir in the marjoram, and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside while cooking the vegetables. If beans thicken too much, stir in a little water.
Vegetables
- Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat, Add the poblano and red bell pepper and sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes longer.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread tortilla chips in a generous layer over a sheet pan. Sprinkle about 1 cup of shredded cheese over. Spoon beans in dollops over chips and cheese. Spoon vegetables over. Finally sprinkle about 1½ cups cheese over all.
- Bake until the cheese melts, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Using a spatula, transfer the nachos in sections to a large platter. Don't worry if they doesn't transfer in one piece, just arrange sections next to each other to create an attractive presentation. Garnish with add ons of your choice. I like to add spoonfuls of Greek yogurt and top them with avocado, and pass the Pico de Gallo and sliced cabbage separately.