Each month, we bring you delicious, nutritious, and eco-friendly recipes that our staff members or followers love! This month’s recipe is Ultimate Nachos from Shadi Henrico, our Conservation K9 expert.

Ultimate Nachos

For the vegetarians: Mexican favourites! Swap the ground beef for soya mince, or add spoon-fulls of fruity salsa for a refreshing twist. Treat this tray of nachos as a blank canvas and let your creative juices flow!

There’s nothing quite like a tray overflowing with nachos for an entertaining and playful appetiser. The base starts with everyone’s favourite – crunchy tortilla chips. The chips then get layered with all the savoury toppings you can imagine – spiced mince,  cheese, beans, pickled jalapenos, avocado chunks, salsa – you name it!

Cook time: 15-20 mins

Ingredients

This recipe is a basic formula for a solid tray of loaded nachos – tortilla chips, meat, cheese, beans, and simple, fresh taco toppings. It may seem like a lot, but once you start adding everything onto the sheet pan, it’s a cinch. Here’s what you’ll need.

• Mince: Beef is my default for a classic nachos recipe. But you can also use chicken or soya if you’re not big on beef.
• Cheese: The key here is to use grated cheese for the perfect melted, gooey texture. But the type of cheese is up to you. I personally like a mix of cheddar and mozzarella.
• Pickled Jalapenos: This is completely optional, but I do find that pickled jalapenos add a deliciously tart and moderately spicy contrast.
• Fresh Toppings: I’m using a combination of diced tomatoes, red onion, avocados, and sour cream.

Instructions

1. Some of the best appetisers don’t require a lot of effort. And this ultimate nachos is one of them. The only cooking you need to do is to saute the mince and refried beans. Then everything else goes into the oven for baking as you prep the fresh toppings. But first, get your oven preheated to 200°C.
2. Cook the mince. Add the mince to a skillet over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the taco seasoning and cook for five extra minutes until it’s browned.
3. Cook the refried beans. Add the refried beans and water to the skillet and stir everything until combined.
4. Layer on a sheet pan. First, spread the tortillas on a rimmed sheet pan and layer on the mince mixture, cheese, and jalapenos. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges of the tortilla chips are golden.
5. Add the toppings. Immediately add the diced tomatoes, onion, avocado, sour cream, and cilantro. Your nachos recipe is ready to serve!