You won’t miss the meat on these loaded veggie nachos! Made with black beans, and tons of veggies all topped with a simple avocado crema. This is the perfect easy appetizer or snack to serve for game day that everyone will love!
Nachos are one of my favorite things. It’s one of those meals that couldn’t be easier to throw together and everyone loves them–appetizer, snack or dinner, it’s always the right time for nachos if you ask me.
More often than not, I like to make vegetarian nachos, not only does it make it easier for a varied crowd (there are always a few vegetarians), but it also means that they are made with pantry staples–beans!
Plus, if you use for corn chips, you’ve got both a gluten-free and vegetarian game day appetizer, check and check!
Why this recipe works
Grab a sheet pan and get layering! Good nachos are all about evenly layered toppings and cheese, and this meatless version is positively loaded with veggies. The trick is to make sure you’re dicing them into small enough pieces so that you get a bit of everything in each bite.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Grab a bag of your favorite sturdy tortilla chips. You don’t want anything that is flimsy because it needs to be able to hold up to the toppings. If you want to keep things gluten-free, make sure you’re using corn chips.
- For the vegetable toppings I love to use red bell pepper, pickled jalapeno and green onions. For protein, I like black beans but you could also use pinto beans if that’s what you have on hand. For the cheese, cheddar works well or you could also use Monterey Jack cheese.
- The avocado crema is what takes these nachos to the next level! You can serve it alongside the nachos or simply spoon some over top of the nachos when they are out of the oven. It’s a combination of avocados, sour cream, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice.
Step by step instructions
- Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper–this makes the cleanup super easy. Add your chips in a single layer, and start by scattering the black beans all over. Add red bell pepper, olives, and pickled jalapenos. Finish by scattering cheese over top of everything.
- Pop in a 400F degree oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and chips are very crisp. Remove from oven and scatter with green onions.
- Meanwhile, in a mini food processor, combine sour cream with avocado, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Add water, a tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency. If you want more of a guacamole-style dip, keep it thick, but if you want more of a sauce to drizzle over top, thin it out with water.
Expert tips
- Sometimes I like to mix a little bit of chili powder and cumin into the grated cheddar before adding to the tortilla chips, I find it adds a little bit of extra flavor that is really delicious.
- If you don’t want to make the avocado crema, you can also serve these simply with sour cream and salsa.
More game day recipes
- Baked buffalo chicken legs are such a crowd-pleaser! More budget-friendly and equally as delicious as wings.
- I always love to serve a couple of different dips, avocado shrimp salsa is a refreshing dip to serve with chips.
Loaded Vegetarian Nachos
Ingredients
For nachos:
- 1 bag of corn chips, 300g / 10 oz
- ½ can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup pickled jalapenos
- ¼ cup sliced black olives
- 2 cups grated cheddar
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
For avocado crema:
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2-3 avocados, peeled and pitted
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro, sliced
- 1 lime, juice only
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arange chips in a single layer. Scatter the black beans evenly all over. Add red bell pepper, olives, and pickled jalapenos. Finish by scattering cheese over top of everything.
- Bake in oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and chips are very crisp. Remove from oven and scatter with green onions.
- While the nachos are in the oven, prepare the avocado crema. To a mini food processor add sour cream, avocado, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Process until pureed. Add water, a tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency.
Notes
- If you want more of a guacamole-style dip, keep the avocado puree on the thicker side, but but if you want more of a sauce to drizzle over top, thin it out with water. The version I have used here had 1 tbsp of water mixed in.
- You can swap out the black beans for pinto beans and the cheese for Monterey Jack cheese if that is what you have on hand.
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