Lazy Vegan Nachos Recipe

One of my favorite things to snack on before going vegan was nachos. My siblings and I would come home from school, grab a bag of chips, grab some shredded cheese, bake them together until the cheese was fully melted on top, and BOOM – afternoon snack! As much as I love nachos, I have not made them since going vegan. I’ve had them at vegan restaurants, but never made them at home. So last night I decided to give it a try and instead of looking up a recipe online, I created a recipe myself, which is what I am sharing with you today. My favorite of this dish is the fresh chips. My step-mother introduced me to this 2 ingredient recipe years ago and it has been a favorite since. SO much better than store bought. The guacamole is also a family favorite, and the meat crumbles and cheese sauce taste so real, you wouldn't know they were vegan! I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know how you enjoyed it!

GUACAMOLE

4 avocadoes

1 lime

1 roma tomato (diced)

¼ cup cilantro (chopped)

¼ medium onion (diced)

1/4 teaspoon salt

MEAT CRUMBLES

Oil for sautéing

¼ medium onion (diced)

1 8 oz package of vegan meat (I used 1 package of beyond meat burgers)

1 tablespoon taco seasoning (homemade or store bought)

1 tablespoon water

CHEESE SAUCE

½ cup water

1 package Chao Cheese Slices (or 7 oz of other vegan cheese of choice)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

¼ teaspoon modified corn starch

½ teaspoon hot sauce (I used The Original Louisiana Perfect Hot Sauce)

HOMEMADE CHIPS

1 package corn tortillas

Oil for frying

Salt to taste

ADDITIONAL/OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

Sliced jalapenos

Diced tomatoes

Chopped cilantro

Vegan sour cream

Black olives

Step 1 - Add oil to a fryer, or frying pan if you don’t have a fryer, and turn it on medium-high heat. I put my fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. You are not frying the chips yet. Just getting the oil prepared and hot for later.

Step 2 - Prepare the guacamole.  Start by mashing the avocadoes, then add in the lime, cilantro, onions, and salt. Mix and you are finished! Set aside for later.

Step 3 - Start the meat. Add oil to a pan. Once hot, add onions and sauté for a few minutes. Add in the Beyond Burgers, or other vegan meat of choice. If your meat is in patty/burger form like mine, break down with a spoon into crumbles and cook until browned, about another 5 minutes. Add in taco seasoning and water and cook for another 3 minutes. Turn heat to low while you prepare the cheese sauce, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

Step 4 - Start the cheese. Add water to a pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in cheese, nutritional yeast, corn starch, and hot sauce. Stir continuously until fully combined and melted.

Step 5 - Turn the heat off for the meat and cheese and set aside.

Step 6 - Prepare the chips. Take the whole package of corn tortillas and cut into fourths, making triangle chips. Add to the hot oil a little at a time and fry for about 30 seconds to a minute. They may not look done yet, but they will continue to cook once out of the fryer. If you let them turn brown in the fryer, they will end up being overcooked. Repeat this until all the tortillas are fried. Salt the chips if desired.

Step 7 – Assembly. Put half of the chips on a plate. Pour half the cheese sauce on top. Add half of the meat crumbles. Add the last half of chips. Add the last half of the cheese. Add the last half of the meat crumbles. Add a few dollops of guacamole on top, along with the additional, but optional, toppings of choice as listed above.

Step 8 – Eat up and enjoy!