Go Back
Print

Sheet Pan Nachos with Chilli Topping

Tex Mex weekend snacking with the added bonus of a thick hearty chilli mounded over the veggie loaded nachos. Olé!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Keyword chilli, nachos
Prep Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Chilli

  • 1 large yellow or Spanish onion diced small
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 lbs (675 gram) lean ground beef can substitute ground chicken or turkey, or even omit and use cooked green lentils
  • 1/2 red pepper. chopped small
  • 1 tbsp chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp chipotle chilli powder can be replaced with ancho or if you can't find either, just use more of the regular chilli powder
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2- 1 tsp cayenne pepper , optional
  • 2 tbsp crushed tortilla chips , can also use cornmeal
  • 1 14 oz (400 gram) can red kidney beans drained and rinsed, can use black beans instead
  • 1 14 oz (400 gram) can crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 cups beef broth can use chicken broth
  • 1 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp molasses or brown sugar optional, it's there just in case you like your chilli a touch sweet.
  • 1 lime juiced

Nachos

  • 5-6 large handfulls Tortilla Chips you can eyeball the amount based on the amount of people you are feeding
  • 1/2- 3/4 red pepper diced
  • 1/2- 3/4 green pepper diced
  • 1 white red or spanish onion, diced
  • 1/2 jalapeño pepper minced or sliced
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup olives sliced
  • 1 cup Sour cream for serving
  • 1 cup Guacamole for serving
  • 1 cup Salsa for serving
  • 2 Limes for serving
  • 3-4 cups grated cheese you can use Monterey Jack, Cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, or even a combination of all of the above!

Instructions

Chilli

  1. Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and sauté until just turning soft. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
  2. Add the meat and cook, breaking up the meat and browning it evenly, about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the red pepper and cook till just softened, about 5 or 6 minutes.

  4. Add all the ground spices and cook through the meat and veggies, about 2 minutes. Add the cayenne if desired. Add the crushed tortilla chips and stir to coat it throughout. This will help thicken the chilli.

  5. Add the beans and tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir well. Add the stock. Bring to a rolling simmer and then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced, and you are left with a thick glossy chilli. This could take 1 hour or more, depending on how thick you want it, and what heat you are using. Don't stop when it is still too liquidy though, this will make for a soggy nachos.
  6. Season with salt and pepper. Taste to see how you like it, adjust any seasonings now.
  7. You can add the molassses at this point, if you want to add a slight sweetness.
  8. Finish it off with a splash of lime juice.
  9. If not using right away, store in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer. Bring to room temperature before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

Sheet Pan Nachos

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Lay out half of the amount of tortilla chips you want to use. You really want one even layer with no paper showing through. The amount of chips you use will depend on how many you are feeding. I usually find that for the two of us, two or so large handfuls per layer works great.

  3. Sprinkle half of the veggies you have chopped up over the chips. Do the same with the cheese. I probably use a good 1 1/2- 2 cups of cheese per layer. You do you!! Make sure each of the chips gets cheese!

  4. Repeat with a second layer.
  5. Spoon out the chilli over the centre of the loaded nachos. Again, you can use only as much of the chilli as you want to. Sprinkle the chilli with a bit more cheese.

  6. Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and starting to bubble, and the chilli is nice and warm.

  7. Serve it on the sheet pan at the table (even if this means the coffee table!) with the sour cream, guacamole, salsa and limes on the side.

Recipe Notes

You can make the chilli in advance and store in the fridge.  Freeze any unused portions for future Nacho evenings.  Or else feel free to add some more tomatoes etc and flesh it out to make chilli and rice for another evening.