This Enchilada Nachos recipe is a Tex-Mex/Tex-Mex infusion!
I came across a recipe for slow cooker enchilada sloppy joes that was basically ground beef, taco seasoning and a can of enchilada sauce. My mind, of course, translated several ingredients into homemade. I also had a vision of tortilla chips. Tortilla chips? Yes! Nachos! I could serve this as nachos! Perfect!
And that’s what I did. I made my usual taco beef but did a thicker version of the enchilada sauce that did not need to be simmered. Then I added some canned chiles, some tomatoes, and some black beans and let it simmer for a few minutes to meld and thicken. After layering the beef mixture on the chips with cheese, I decided to let the meat mixture melt the cheese.
I then added lettuce, tomato and sour cream to mine simply because that’s what I like on my Enchilada Nachos. Of course, I made way more taco-enchilada meat than either of us could eat, so I had plenty of leftovers which we ate as tacos on flour tortillas.
This Enchilada Nachos turned out to be incredibly satisfying in a number of ways, especially with the contrasting cold and creamy toppings. You get salty, savory, crunchy, creamy, cool, and refreshing, along with a combination of indulgent and healthy. At least that’s the way I see it.
The Best Enchilada Nachos
Ingredients
TO MAKE THE MEAT:
2 pounds ground beef (minced beef) - lean- 2 tablespoons chili powder (chilli powder in British English)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cilantro (coriander)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup water
TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
- 15 ounce Neapolitan Sauce or Pasta sauce Southern Hemisphere (Tomato Sauce in North America)
- 1 tablespoon garlic - minced
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
FOR THE REST OF THE INGREDIENTS:
- 15 ounce black beans - rinsed and drained well
- 10 ounce tomatoes with chiles - drained well
- 4 ounce green chilis (green chilli in British English) - drained well
- 8 ounce cheddar cheese - shredded (2 cups)
- 1 bag tortilla chips - Large bag
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet, cook the ground beef over med-high, stirring and crumbling the meat as it cooks, until most of the pinkness is gone, about 5-7 minutes. Drain away any excess grease, if necessary. Add the chili powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, paprika, coriander, salt, cayenne and water. Stir to mix well and let simmer for about 5 minutes while mixing the sauce.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the tomato sauce, garlic, 2 teaspoons cumin and chipotle chili powder. Stir the sauce into the taco meat and bring to a simmer. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, while getting your toppings ready, about 5-7 minutes.
- To serve: layer tortilla chips in a nearly single layer on each plate, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle it with cheese and top with some of the meat mixtures. Repeat with another layer of chips, cheese, and meat. Top with your favorite toppings.
