In the spirit of living thriftily, which I know so many of us are trying to do at the moment (hello, mortgage interest hikes and inflated childcare costs), we’re trying to cut down on takeaways. But come the weekend, I still want something that feels suited to a Friday night.
Cue these homemade nachos. The base is a kidney bean chilli, of sorts, that’s made all in one tray in the oven – as hands-off as you could hope for, given its depth of flavour. Double up on the chilli and you’ll have excellent leftovers to eat with rice or a jacket potato the next day.
I swapped the traditional salty tortilla chips – a favourite in those plastic cheese-laden cinema nachos I love so much – for wholemeal tortilla wraps, crisped in the oven. I added lime-pickled red onions, oozy cheese and soured cream topping, avocado and some fiery jarred jalapeños. I hope you like the result, which is hearty and indulgent without the post-takeaway bloat – and the hit to your bank balance.
Healthy-ish nachos
1 large red onion
1 lime
1 tsp caster sugar
2 red peppers, roughly chopped into 2cm pieces
4 fat cloves garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tin red kidney beans, drained
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp chipotle chilli paste
4 wholemeal tortilla wraps
6 tbsp soured cream
Small bunch fresh coriander
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp jarred jalapenos or serranos
A good grating cheddar
1 avocado, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180C fan. Cut half the onion into thin slices and add to a bowl with the lime juice, sugar and 1 tsp salt. Scrunch with your fingers and set aside.
Roughly chop the remaining onion into 2cm pieces. Arrange on a large roasting tray with the garlic (leave the skins on) and spices. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until the vegetables have broken down. Add the beans, chopped tomatoes and chipotle paste and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the tortilla wraps into triangles. Arrange in one layer on a flat baking sheet (you may need to work in a couple of batches) and bake for 5-10 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and crisp. Keep an eye on them as they burn quite easily.
When the chilli is ready, squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins and stir in, discarding the skins. Taste to check the seasoning and spice levels.
To assemble the nachos, arrange half the tortillas on the baking sheet you baked them on followed by half the chilli. Spoon over 3 tbsp soured cream over any spaces you can see. Layer up with half the fresh coriander, spring onions, jalapeños and a grating of cheddar. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, chilli, soured cream, coriander, spring onions and jalapeños, finishing with cheddar.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheddar is bubbling. When you’re ready to serve, cut the avocado and scatter on top followed by the pickled red onions.
The baby step
Don’t add the chipotle paste in step 2. Once the chilli is ready, take out a couple of spoonfuls for your little one, stirring in the paste to the remaining chilli after this. Layer up with some tortilla chips, spring onions, soured cream and cheddar in a small dish and bake for 5 minutes. For younger babies who need a softer texture, serve the chilli with some soft wraps on the side.
Switch it up
Add sweet potatoes or butternut squash to the chilli at the same time as the pepper to bulk it up.
Swap the kidney beans for canned lentils, black beans or a mixture.
For a vegan version, skip the cheddar and use a plant-based crème fraîche.
Use it up
Serve leftover chilli with rice, jacket potatoes or in tacos, or double up the recipe to freeze a portion for another day.
The lime-pickled onions are bring welcome tang to salads and sandwiches. Try with diced grapefruit, thinly sliced fennel and avocado.
PS This week I’m loving…
I’m yet to find a better jarred chilli for tacos, nachos and fajitas than these from Gran Luchito. They have the perfect balance of fruitiness and heat.