Nachos with Mexican-Spiced Vegetarian Lentils or Ground Beef
Mexican-spiced nachos with Mexican oregano, cumin, chipotle and lime. Make it with ground beef or vegan lentil filling.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
Mexican-spiced nachos with oregano, cumin, chipotle chiles and lime.
For spiced ground beef filling:
1 tablespoon flavorless oil (such as canola, vegetable, etc)
1 lb ground beef (85% lean)
1 teaspoon coarse salt such as Diamond Crystal (half this much if using table salt)
1/2 cup diced yellow onions (medium diced)
1 tablespoon Mexican Oregano, crushed in a mortar and pestle or the palm of your hand
1.5 - 2 teaspoons Organic Ground Cumin
1-2 teaspoons Organic Ground Chipotle Chiles
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
About 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
For spiced vegan lentil filling:
2 tablespoons flavorless oil (such as canola, vegetable, etc), divided
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon white miso paste
1/2 cup diced yellow onions (medium dice)
1/4 cup minced cremini mushrooms (very small dice)
1/2 cup red lentils
1 teaspoon coarse salt such as Diamond Crystal (half this much if using table salt)
1 tablespoon Mexican Oregano, crushed in a mortar and pestle or the palm of your hand
1.5 - 2 teaspoons Organic Ground Cumin
1-2 teaspoons Organic Ground Chipotle Chiles
About 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
For nachos and toppings:
1 bag (12 ounces) tortilla chips
1 lb (16 ounces) mild melty cheese such as Colby, Monterey jack or longhorn, grated
3-4 scallions, thinly sliced into rounds
About 1/2 cup minced or torn cilantro leaves
1 avocado, sliced
Instructions:
To make spiced ground beef filling:
1) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces, then add the salt and toss for about 2 minutes. Stir in the onions, partially cover and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the onions are softened and translucent.
2) Stir in the Mexican oregano, cumin and chipotle, then add the tomatoes along with 1/2 cup of water. Stir to combine everything, bring it back to a simmer, then partially cover and cook for about 15 minutes. If the pan begins to dry out during this time, add a splash of water and turn the heat down a bit.
3) When finished, taste and adjust seasonings. Turn off heat and stir in lime juice to taste.
To make spiced vegan lentil filling:
1) Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Separately, whisk the miso paste with 1/4 cup of water to make a slurry. Add the tomatoes and water/miso slurry to the saucepan. Stir to combine, then turn the heat to low and gently simmer, partially covered, for about 10 minutes while you make the lentils.
2) Warm the other tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and simmer for about 5 minutes, partially covered, until they’re soft and the onions are translucent. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the onions from browning.
3) Add the lentils and salt, toss well, then add the Mexican oregano, cumin and chipotle, tossing again to combine. Stir in 1/2 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Partially cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on things, and add a splash of water as needed if the pan begins to dry out.
4) Stir the tomatoes into the lentils and simmer briefly to combine flavors. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, then turn off heat and stir in lime juice to taste.
To assemble and finish the nachos (with either filling):
1) Spread half the chips in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, then spread half the cheese over the chips. Use a large spoon to dribble the filling over the cheese so that it’s evenly distributed, but not completely covering all of the chips. (You may not need all of the filling.) Distribute the rest of the chips over the filling, then cover with the remaining cheese.
2) Slide the pan into the oven to bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is thoroughly melted and the filling is sizzling in the pan. Remove from heat, top with scallions, avocado slices and cilantro. Serve with squeezes of lime.
Notes:
I originally published this recipe to share with our Spice Club LIVE Zoom cooking class in June 2022. Our featured spice was Mexican oregano, and I thought nachos would be a fun way to showcase it.
As an Arizona kid, I grew up eating nachos and they were always made with a ground beef filling like the one in this recipe. But I thought it would be a fun challenge to make a vegan lentil alternative for this recipe - and I’m happy to say, mission accomplished!
The lentil filling is sooo tasty, I can’t decide which one I like better! It’s full of flavor, and has a slightly chunky consistency that’s just what you want on nachos. So you’ll love this recipe either way!