Loaded Veggie Nachos

We’ve been going on and on about the deconstructed meal concept lately. We can’t get enough of it, because it totally works!

The deconstructed meal allows families to eat the SAME meal together. It means parents don’t have to be short order cooks. It allows kids to build their confidence in trying new foods with zero pressure.

So what is it?

It’s a recipe or a meal that can be built from a bunch of different components. Think salad bar. Think make-your-own sandwich, pizza or pasta.

Think NACHOS!!!

This complete recipe for nachos is the bomb dot com, but for a full happy-family experience, we’d recommend making a half batch constructed as shown and leaving the remaining ingredients for kids (or other selective eaters) in your family to pick and choose the ingredients they would like.

This shows kids that you respect their likes and dislikes, while avoiding the preparation of a whole separate meal. Win-Win right? We call it being considerate without catering.

This is also one of those meals you can get your kids involved in the kitchen and gaining exposure to new foods beyond the dinner table. We showed you how we do this with our own kiddos in one of our Live Facebook video this week where we made fajitas with 3 kids under 5! It was messy and delicious and you can totally do it!

We’ve never met a messy plate of nachos we didn’t like and with kids involved, it’s bound to be messy!

Erin & Dara

Loaded Veggie Nachos

Print recipe

Serves	6-8
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	25 minutes
Total time	35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 10 pack, small whole wheat tortillas
• 1/4 cup canola oil (divided)
• 1 teaspoon salt (divided)
• 2 portobello mushroom caps (chopped)
• 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 Small white or yellow onion (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon cumin (divided)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (divided)
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 200g)
• lettuce, cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese and sliced radishes (for topping)

Note

Cut out a step and make this a 15 minute meal by substituting homemade tortillas with store bought corn chips.

Directions

1.	Preheat oven to 400F. Stack tortillas and slice into 8 even sections. Spread over 2 large baking sheets. Brush tortilla pieces with 2 Tbsp canola oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Bake for 6-8 minutes until edges begin to brown. Remove from oven to cool slightly.
2.	Meanwhile, in a sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat remaining canola oil. Add mushrooms, pepper, onion, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, remaining salt and lime juice. Sauté until vegetables soften and liquid is evaporated, about 7-9 minutes.
3.	In a small bowl combine beans with remaining cumin and chili powder.
4.	Transfer all tortilla chips on to one large, lined baking sheet so they are slightly overlapping. If making a half batch, this can be done in a cast iron skillet or smaller oven-safe dish. Top chips with half the cheese followed by all of the mushroom mixture and beans. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake an additional 6-7 minutes until cheese is melted.
5.	Top with lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese and radishes or any topping of choice. Serve immediately.