September 3, 2010

Grilled Nachos


When I first saw this recipe at the Williams Sonoma store, I immediately felt happy. Why? Because I love nachos, and also love grilling. Who wants to turn on the oven in August?  I've grilled just about everything, but never really thought to throw some cheesy nachos on the grates.

So, this is my first attempt at this delicious appetizer. You'll need to have a metal grill pan, or a sturdy, disposable aluminum pan.
You can layer your nachos with anything you'd like. Some suggestions would be: black beans, scallions, jalapenos, ground beef, chicken, or completely vegetarian....you get the picture. You can also top yours with guacamole, sour cream or salsa. I decided to use what I had in the cupboards, but feel free personalize your own!

Grilled Nachos
serves 6-8
(print)
1 package of tortilla chips (at least 8 oz)
3 links of spicy turkey sausage
1 medium onion, sliced
3 sweet peppers, sliced
2 hungarian hot peppers, sliced
2 cups freshly diced tomatoes
1 cup refried beans (vegetarian)
2 cups colby jack cheddar
olive oil
salt/pepper

If you choose to use refried beans in this recipe, which I highly recommend, you can either buy the canned version, or make your own using pinto beans. If purchasing the canned version, make sure you buy "vegetarian". I didn't know that regular, refried beans contain animal fat. It's much healthier to omit that. If you want to try making them from scratch, there's usually a good recipe on the back of the package. Now, get out your chopping board....

Slice up the peppers and tomatoes, mix them together and set them aside.
Slice up the onion, salt and pepper to taste, then saute it in a bit of olive oil for about 3 minutes.
Spoon the sauteed onion onto a small plate. Keep your skillet warm. If using turkey sausage, be sure it's nice and pink. You meat should always look and smell as fresh as possible.
Take the outside casing off each link and crumble the sausage into the skillet and brown. Add the onion back into the pan and mix well. Remove from heat.
Line your grill pan with foil, then lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Finally, the fun begins!  Place a layer of tortilla chips on the bottom of the pan. Using a teaspoon, plop a few spoonfuls of refried beans over the chips.
Cover this layer with the sausage and onion,
now the veggies...
and the best part of all....cheese!
One more time, right over the top of what you have...



A layer of chips....




a few spoonfuls of refried beans...




spicy turkey and sweet onions...





your sliced veggies....






and the cheese!




Preheat your outdoor grill to 400 degrees. When hot, turn off one side of the grill, and place your pan over the indirect heat. You just want to melt the cheese, so keep it off the flame side.
Loosely cover the nachos with foil. Close the top and grill the nachos for about 12 minutes. Uncover, give it a check, and then grill until cheese is bubbly. Remove the pan from the grill. Using oven mitts, carefully pick up the sides of the foil and transfer the nachos to a large plate (leave the nachos on the foil).
Serve with some good friends, good music, and awesome beverages!

3 comments:

Libby@CookingWithLibby said...

Yummmm!! I love it! What a great dish to make for a get together :) Gotta definitely try this one :)

"Vanilla and Thyme" said...

Thanks Libby! Hope you had a great summer-

blackbookkitchendiaries said...

that looks so good! i love this recipes.. would be great for this weekend.