This Not Your Basic Nacho recipe has a couple of unexpected twists that set it apart from the traditional pub favourite. The flavour comes from cumin not chilies and it is layered like a lasagna allowing the cheeses to melt through – adding to the gooey cheesy texture!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Jump to Recipe
At the time of writing this blog post, Ontario, the Province I live in was in the 2nd lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was also Super Bowl LV weekend. It was the perfect time to try this Not Your Basic Nacho recipe – and it didn’t disappoint!
My husband and I love to cook, are passionate about making food from scratch and love altering recipes to make them our own. In 2021, we have a goal be more intentional with planning “date” nights in, where we make a special meal, pair it with a special wine or craft beer, eat it at the dining table (instead at the kitchen island), light some candles and put on something other then sweats!
The first week we started this new tradition we wanted to recreate a pub favourite. We made Nachos, but wanted to change things up and make it more hearty (also side note – I have an allergy to bell peppers and chili peppers so we kind of have no choice but to find other ways to enjoy many foods). Oh and it was – we were pleasantly surprised at how filling this Not Your Basic Nachos recipe was, that we skipped dinner. We paired it with our favourite brews from our local Craft Brewery, Great Lakes Brewing, Co (GLB).
How to Make Not Your Basic Nachos
Recommended Tools:
- Lodge LCC3 Logic Pre-Seasoned Combo Cooker (Black)
- LE REGALO Stoneware Rectangular Baking Dish, 11”x8”x2”, White
Ingredients:
- Tortilla chips (we like the Kirkland brand)
- 1 lb ground meat (pork or beef but tofu ground also works well)
- ½ tsp salt
- A few cracks black pepper
- 1 tbsp cumin
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- 2 cups shredded cheese of choice (we like smoked gouda and smoked mozzarella)
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- On medium heat cook ground meat for a few minutes.
- Add cumin, garlic powder, salt and black pepper, stir to incorporate.
- Stir often until meat in fully cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
- While meat is cooking, shred the cheeses. I used 3 cheeses this time, smoked mozzarella, smoked Gouda and some farmers market cheddar. This is basically what I had on hand.
- In a square casserole dish, place a layer of tortilla chips.
- Add a layer of the cooked ground meat.
- Top with a layer of cheese.
- Repeat the three steps until you have used up all the ingredients.
- Bake in oven for 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly just before it browns.
- Take the Nachos out of oven and enjoy – careful it will be hot!
- Not Your Basic Nachos pairs great with garlic sour cream. Add garlic powder and cracked black pepper to your plain sour cream and stir. Let it sit in the fridge for a few to give the flavours a chance to evolve.
Not Your Basic Pub Nachos
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet
- Square casserole dish
Materials
- 1 bag tortilla chips
- 1 lb ground beef, pork or tofu
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp salt
- A few cracks black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheeses of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- On medium heat cook ground meat.
- Add cumin, garlic powder salt and pepper, stir to incorporate.
- Stir often until meat is fully cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium sized casserole dish, place a layer of tortilla chips.
- Add a layer of the cooked ground meat.
- Top with a layer of cheese.
- Repeat steps 5 – 7 until you have used up all the ingredients.
- Bake in oven for 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly – just before it browns.
- Take out of oven and enjoy –careful it will be hot!
- Goes great with garlic and black pepper spiced sour cream, guacamole or fresh salsa.
Save it for later!
Other posts I think you will love!
