These vegetarian loaded nachos are the perfect share with all Cinco de mayo recipe!
These tubs of loaded nachos combine crispy tortilla chips, spicy beans, melted cheddar and lots of chunky pico de gallo dip.
The spicy red kidney beans have an Indian touch with a little garam masala powder. In fact, you can also make the Indian recipe of rajma masala with a very thick gravy. Add some more guacamole on top and all you need is good company, a drink and lots of conversation for the perfect evening.
If you are living in the US, you would know all about Cinco de Mayo but between all the countries we have lived in, I haven’t been part of any Cinco de Mayo celebration yet. This year, when we got the invite for a potluck party, I wanted to know all about it. Till now, for me, it was just a Mexican festival. I had no clue of the history behind it. Is it the day of the dead like they show in the movie, Coco, or is it the Mexican Independence Day? So I just asked:
What is Cinco de Mayo all about?
Cinco de Mayo is not the day of the dead and neither it is the Mexican Independence Day (which is Sept 16 by the way). Cinco de Mayo or 5th of May is celebrated to commemorate the Mexican Army’s unlikely victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862.
In Mexico, there are military parades as part of the celebration but outside of Mexico, the festival is all about celebrating Mexican food and culture with friends and family!
And we are going to one such celebration at our friend’s home. Each is bringing a platter to share. I am imagining a big table with lots of amazing Cinco de Mayo food to dig into 🙂 My plan is to take these delicious, easy loaded nachos for the table. All I need to do is assemble everything and then bake just before serving.
What do you say? Should I take these or something Indian?
A sharing platter is a great way of presenting the loaded nacho recipe. The last time I made them in a shared platter for a game night meal, I had a few people telling me they didn’t get enough of the nachos as they were over too soon :-o. So now I make individual tubs for each person so that everyone can dig into their own and enjoy as fast or as slow as they want to!
If you like this recipe, come celebrate Cinco de Mayo with us here in Bucharest and also please take a moment to rate it and/or leave your comments at the end of the blog. It will really encourage me to keep exploring, learning and improving.
Vegetarian Loaded Nachos for Cinco de Mayo
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
for the spicy beans
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion , chopped
- 1 green chili , chopped
- 1 tomato , puréed
- 250 gms red kidney beans , soaked overnight and boiled
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder , optional
- 1 tsp paprika , optional
- 2 tsp garam masala powder
- Salt , to taste
Toppings for the loaded nachos
- 250 gms tortilla chips , I used baked chips
- 2 cups cheddar , grated
- 2 cups pico de gallo dip
- 1 cup guacamole , optional
Instructions
Spicy beans recipe:
- Heat oil in a skillet. Add onions, and green chilli. Sauté for 5 minutes till the onions start to soften.
- Drain the boiled red kidney beans and add to the onions.
- Add in all the spices and tomato puree. Mix well and cook covered for 10 mins with occasional stirring in between. Add a little water if required.
To assemble the loaded nachos:
- Preheat oven to 200ºC
- In individual tubs or a big sharing platter, spread a layer of crispy chips, followed by spicy beans, and grated cheese. Add another layer of chips, and beans. Top with some pico de gallo and then the final cheese layer. mmmmm….
- Bake for 10 mins till the cheese melts and everything is just gooey and delicious.
- Take out of oven. Sprinkle pico de gallo generously.
- Dig right in!
Notes
- Add guacamole and/or sour cream as more toppings for loaded nachos.
- Loaded nachos are best when they are hot, straight out of the oven. If you are taking them to a party, make the spicy beans before, assemble the nacho recipe and carry. Bake at your host’s place just before serving.
Are nachos healthy?
I have to confess, this is not the healthiest of snack or main course recipes, but well if you want the tortilla chips, the cheese, the beans, the tortilla chips, the cheese… you get what I’m trying to say. right? 🙂 But there are some ways that you can make “healthier” loaded nachos:
- use baked tortilla chips instead of fried ones,
- use dried kidney beans instead of canned ones,
- use low-fat cheese instead of full fat, and
- skip the meat and always make vegetarian loaded nachos!
Wish you a Happy and Healthy Cinco de Mayo!
Recipe inspired from Cowboy nachos by The Pioneer Woman
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Would love to start a conversation, share recipes, cooking experiences and food stories from India and around the world.
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