With the gang coming over to watch the big bowl games in January or perhaps cabin fever setting in and you need to get out for a ride or overnight camp, these super easy, “kitchen sink” nachos would be the perfect snack or even a simple dinner. You can make these in an oven or on a grill.
Here in the Cascade foothills of Oregon, the weather has bounced from the teens to high fifties, so we are always prepared for a ride. With these easy to pack ingredients, you can also prepare them on foil in a cast iron skillet on a rack over your camp fire. On the trail, you don’t really need the sour cream but if you serve these at home it adds that extra dimension.
To pack in, prepare all of the spice ingredients in a zip-lock, a few generous shakes of each will do. Ditto the cheeses. This makes a cookie sheet size which is more than enough for two for dinner or four for a snack.
Mucho Nachos
Preheat your oven to 325F or fire up your grill or campfire until all the coals are coated in white ash.
1 large bag tortilla chips (I like the scooper style)
1/4 lb Jack cheese chopped or shredded
1/4 lb cheddar cheese chopped or shredded
1/4 lb American cheese chopped or shredded
cherry tomatoes cut in half or regular tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 bunch green onions diced (white part, too)
chopped black olives (one small can)
1/4 cup diced pickled Jalapeño peppers
1 can chicken black bean and corn chili
Spice ingredients:
chipotle powder
ground cumin
ground Mexican oregano
cayenne pepper powder
ground coriander seed
Toppings:
Sour cream
Salsa and/or tomatillo salsa
1/2 bunch cilantro coarsely chopped
Before you begin, have all of the ingredients chopped and ready to go, this way the chips won’t have time to become soggy. On a foil-lined sheet pan, spread out the chips in an even layer and sprinkle with the powdered spices. Mix the chili fully and put on chips in an even layer. Next place the cheeses on top of the chili. Place the tomatoes, olives, green onions, and jalapenos on top of this layer. Bake or place on your grill and close the lid for 15 minutes or until the cheeses are fully melted. If you want you can broil in the oven for 3-5 minutes to bubble up the cheeses before serving, just be careful not to burn it. If cooking at camp, put your Dutch oven or skillet lid on them. You will not get the top browned but they will still be yummy!
Serve with sides of salsas, cilantro, and sour cream.
