Tortilla chips on a cookie sheet, lots of grated extra sharp cheddar. Once everything's hot and melty, I add onions or scallions, fresh salsa, chopped kalamata olives, cilantro. Guac and/or sour cream if I have it. Usually no meat.

I'm simply loving good extra sharp cheddar these days.

I've started going to restaurants and ordering the nachos as meals. They are that awesome. My favorite is with beef fajita meat, guacamole, sour cream, pico and a melted white cheese which may be cojita on corn tortilla chips.

I’ve never met a nacho I didnt like. I’ve made them many times at home, similar to what Jinx does and sometimes the way Amylou does it. Our fsvorite Mexican restaurant has some really good ones with a platterful of nacho goodness with beef, chicken and beans piled on with liberal queso, sour cream, jalapenos, and guac, plus the usual salsa, lettuce, etc. Quite a feast. DH and I share a platter as our meal sometimes with a margarita. Now i want some.

Our favourite ones came about by accident. We were camping, and had friends over for pulled pork. There was lots left so the next night I spread refried beans on individual chips, cheese on top, then pulled pork and more cheese. Serve with my home canned salsa and guac. They were so good, I dare not make them more than once a year!

nekotish, that is what I made last night. I did sprinkle some cajun spice over the pork.

Now I want nachos and a margarita but I’m out of tequila and too lazy to go get some. Poo!

This thread made me abandon my dinner at home plans and go out with DS1. He had steak fajita nachos: chips, white queso dip with jalapenos, steak, onion, and peppers. I had nachos with the same chips and queso and grilled chicken and pico de gallo on the side. His came with sour cream and gaucamole on the side which we shared. I had a frozen margarita too! Yum!!

DH doesn't care for much Mexican food, but I enjoy eating Tostitos Scoops that have been dipped into some heated Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese Soup. Our now-40-something son, as a teen, used to brown some ground beef, add all the leftovers I was planning to use for dinner that night, and bind it all together with a can of the soup. Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup is now hard to find in Maryland, but when I see it I snatch up a few cans, much to the disapproval of my blood pressure monitor and doctor. (But the saltiness tastes so good!)

My youngest DD was vegan for a few years. I do not have many recipes that I liked from that era of our lives, but I could eat this green sauce with a spoon. We would spread it on the nachos after already adding Beyond Meat and salsa. Caution: you must like cilantro to enjoy this topping.

https://ohsheglows.com/2016/01/31/cilantro-lime-garlic-cashew-cream/

oh my. I have never attempted making nachos at home and only order out rarely as a treat. If I could have as much cheese as possible and a bit of other toppings ( but no strong spice) I'm in heaven. I might just try at home.

Then I just saw daisy's recipe and that looks insanely delicious. All my favorites---garlic? cilantro,? cashews, lime ?avocado.??? oh my .saving this for sure!

A most enjoyable thread!

So much Mexican (Mexican-American really) food is cr@p. Make it fresh and with the best ingredients.

First, start with good tortilla chips. I like Xochtil and Green Mountain.

Next, saute lean sirloin with Alton Brown's Taco Potion #19. Add in a few T of salsa while cooking.

Create a layer of chips. Sprinkle meat on top. Freshly grate extra sharp cheddar on top (do no buy pre grated, it has cellulose in it and that ruins the flavor).

Put in the oven at 400 and bake until bubbly.

When you remove it, sprinkle it with sliced black olives and fresh scallion.

Serve with homemade pico de gallo, homemade guacamole, triple churned sour cream, and thin wedges of lime.

PS I like it with black bean puree too but have never made it.

Pulled pork nachos with leftover pulled pork. A bunch of totilla chips on the cookie sheet, spread out the pulled pork, shredded sharp cheddar (not the preshredded stuff) and some japalenos for a kick. Pot roast nachos are good too.

I make "messy nachos" at home. Since it's just me now, everything is geared to one messy serving.

Fry ground beef and onions, add your choice of taco seasoning. I like Williams. If I do a pound, then I take out what I need for the nachos and package/freeze the remainder for another meal.

Half a cube of the small size Queso Velveeta and 1/4 - 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Slowly melt the cheese. When it's all nice and creamy, add your choices ... I use a half can of black beans, drained and rinsed; a cup of cooked sweet corn (mine is usually fresh/frozen); half a can of chunky Rotel. Add in drained ground beef/onion mixture.

When it's all hot, pour over a bowl of chips. Somedays I like the thicker Mission Chips, and other days I like the thin restaurant style Tostito chips. Top with a bit of sour cream if you're in the mood.

I like to add Chipotle powder to my sour cream when I make Mexican. It's a strong flavor, give it a sniff before you dump it in your sour cream.

I hate that Penzey's has suspended tester jars. Sample sniffs were my favorite part of the visit.

@mtnrdredux_gw I agree. My husband will not eat mexican food out, but he loves when I make it. I love homemade pico!

@Mystical Manns sounds delish! I prefer black beans and corn on mine!

I don't use these for nachos, but for chips and salsa, I love the lime tostitos.

For those who like making these nacho-type dishes at home, I'd encourage you to take your favorite combinations to the next level by making your own salsa or buying fresh salsa at the store. The same bottled/canned versus fresh flavor differences that apply to most food types also applies to salsa. Most do not take all that long to make and the effort is worth it.

I see them as two different things. Bottled salsa is cooked salsa. Fresh salsa is "pico de gallo." The former is sweeter and I don't care for it but I do like to cook with it.

Related, but different. I love the Panucho at bar taco...

yucatan inspired bite of black bean puree and avocado on a crispy tortilla shell and topped with a crisp salad of cabbage, pickled onion, spiced pepitas, serrano chile and cilantro

Thanks everyone. So many good ideas.

Please, no negatives. Just post what you like.

ETA: I would like this to be a fun post with NO arguments. Just post what you like. If you do not like nachos, just scroll on by and do NOT post.

This should be put on every post!

Yes, nachos I like.

The only thing I don't like is when most of the chips are buried under the toppings making the chips get limp and soggy before I get to them. If ordering Nachos at a restaurant I ask them for the chips on the sides of the plate and the toppings in the middle. I also don't care for when the toppings that are supposed to be cold are be mixed with the ones that are supposed to be warm/hot. I can do the mixing myself when I put it on a chip.

lascatx, I first made my bean dip with I was an Interior Design student at UT Austin in 1987, and I had volunteered to provide food for a student ASID meeting/party. I had a good budget for ingredients, but I stayed way under what I was given. The bean dip was a huge hit, and I've been making it ever since, partly because it is so versatile.

I will admit that I use a bit more soup base than I put in the recipe, but I felt that is a good starting point, and you can increase it to the salt level that you like. Originally, I used Better Than Bouillon beef soup base because I planned to use it when making beef burritos, but now I use Knorr chicken soup base (which is dried granules), and I like it also. A good substitute for the beef soup base is the BTB vegetable soup base. My brother does not eat beef, and so I do not use that anymore. Whenever I leave him on his own to make his own food, I make sure that he has plenty of the bean dip, and he uses it for making burritos or tacos, but mostly burritos. He might use it to make nachos, but I've never used it for that. However, I do use it when I make taco salads, and I have molds that I use to bake the tortillas into a crisp shape for that.

I'm still stuck on "no Campbells mushroom soup" LOL I love nachos but not super overly cheesy nachos.

Well yes, I did mean any canned soup, which a certain group detests. Mushroom seems the most common, but Cream of chicken and Cream of celery are also up there. I can make any soup and do, but sometimes the taste and quickness is great.

I make a chicken and rice dish every five to six years and I crave it. It is great. Three Campbell's soups, rice and chicken breasts. It is wonderful. And I feel very sorry for the ones who will not indulge. Sometimes the comfort food of our youth, is just that. One dish does not kill you. Just because our parents and grandparents made it, does not make it bad.

You can eat organic and from scratch forever and die from e coli, listeria, or legionnaire and just waste time.

That is why I stressed to not rule out anything, I think anyone who must stick to the edges of anything is wrong. A fanatic is a fanatic no matter on which end of the spectrum.

Tomorrow is nachos. a combo of my likes and my husbands. I will post the final combo. Not really sure what it will be yet, lol.

My fave were the chicken nachos from a local restaurant that has, alas, closed. Made with real shredded cheese and not queso, the chef layered all the ingredients within the layers of tortilla chips, so as you dug down into the giant plate of goodness, you wouldn’t find naked chips beneath the delicious top layer; there’d still be plenty of cheese and chicken to be had all the way to the bottom. My husband and I would often split an order and consume our nachos on their outdoor patio, drinking beer and people watching…wonderful summer fun!

lovemycorgi z5b SE michigan, Ooh thats sound great!

Lars, do you leave the seeds in your Serrano peppers? Or you remove the seeds and membranes?

Also, I like blue corn tortilla chips best.

HU-154865359, I do remove the seeds, although they do not have any heat - I remove them because of the texture. I sometimes use Jalapeños, but their heat level is less predictable, and sometimes I just use hot sauce that I have made, which I always keep on hand.

I keep the membranes of the chilies because I do want the heat, but you can remove that if you do not want heat.

I've washed (with water only), rinsed, dried chili seeds with paper towels to see if they had any flavor or heat, and they had neither - therefore I discard them.

I'm STARVING. This thread is making it worse LOL. Headed out to dinner!! Happy Weekend!

Sherry I'm not sure if you were referring to my drawing the line at Campbells Mushroom soup comment or if I'm part of the group you mention - I have no beef with condensed soups and happen to have both cream of mushroom and cream of chicken in my pantry. It was the inclusion into nachos that threw me - still does. Perhaps there is a regional version I have not experienced.

Thanks Lars!

Mtn, it's Tex-Mex. Deep in Mexico they have the best Mexican food.

I love nachos but I don't have the patience to make layered ones. Now layered tex- mex dip is another story. I can eat it every day.

About once a year I make a cheese dip that may sound weird, but it's the best ever. I'm not fond of meat in cheese dip.

Crockpot Broccoli Mushroom Cheese Dip

(no exact measurements needed)

Velveeta Mexican Cheese, I also add plain Velveeta Cheese because my mouth is sensitive to hot and spicy.

Chopped Frozen Broccoli, thawed & heated in the microwave to speed up cooking. Don't be stingy on this, whomever came up with broccoli deserves a medal.

Canned chopped or sliced mushrooms. Canned really does make a difference.

Add everything to crockpot, heat on high until the broccoli is soft and cheese is melted.

The only chip I use are the small round Tostitos chips.

I have to share my layered Mexican Dip since there are so many variations. I made it easier by combining a few ingredients instead of spreading each one at a time.

I prefer a large round serving pan with an edge. The more you make the more you get to eat it. :)

Layered Mexican Dip-layer in order

1 can Bean Dip

1 regular size can refried beans

Guacamole, and be generous, either homemade or ready made like Wholly Guacamole

Mix the next three ingredients together before spreading.

1 c. Sour Cream

1 c. Mayonnaise

1 pkg. Taco Seasoning

Small can chopped black olives (I leave those out)

Chopped Green Onion to taste

Grated Cheddar cheese

I add chopped lettuce and tomato on one serving so it won't shrivel in the fridge.

That's eleven layers! No wonder it's so good. :)

Loaded Nachos

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Loaded-Nachos-9554392

What I wanted was as I said in my post. No wrong way. Make totally from scratch or use any and all shortcuts.

I mentioned Cream of Mushroom specifically just because it seems to be the one item the from scratch crowd hates and every post turns into an argument about using it. That is why I asked everyone to make positive comments.

I don't mind from scratch and I don't mind shortcuts. Depends on my mood and how much time I have.

ETA: I have completely enjoyed this discussion.

I know this won’t appeal to everyone. Just happened to see it on TV this morning.

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/fresh-crab-nachos

Not nachos but this simple dip is a staple at our house. Serve with tortilla chips.

In microwave melt 12 oz. cream cheese with two jars Kraft Old English Cheese. Stir well and mix in chopped green onion (to taste) and canned, diced green chiles, drained (1 or two 4-oz. cans).

I used to pay 59 cents/jar for the Old English. It’s now close to $5. I’ll often use one jar with 8 oz. cream cheese and one can chiles, depending on how much dip I need.

Similar to @ratherbesewing we will use leftover pulled pork on the nachos, tortilla chips on the cookie sheet and then add cheese, usually 2 oz. . We grow our own jalapenos in containers on the deck, and they do very well there. Garnish with salsa, sour cream or plain yogurt, and fresh avocado. Or sometimes we will use bacon if we have it. Time for DH to smoke another pork shoulder.

I live in Texas, so like Tex-Mex, which I grew up on. I love most all kinds of nachos. When I made them at home (just for family), I use one of the sturdier chips, like Mission.

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Prepare the baking/serving pan (I use a sheet pan covered with foil and sprayed with pan spray for easy clean up).

3. Lay out the chips in one layer.

4. Smear the chips with Gebhardt's refried beans.

5. Layer choice of chicken or seasoned ground beef.

6. Cover with shredded cheese.

7. Top with freshly chopped onion and tomato, then pickled sliced jalapenos.

8. Heat at 450, until cheese is nicely melted.

9. Serve with guacamole, sour cream and jarred salsa on the side.

I usually like to have leftovers, so I make extra, which I refrigerate overnight. For breakfast the next morning, I spray a single serving size baking dish and add the leftover nachos (1 layer). I whip 2 eggs and pour over the nachos and sprinkle with a little cheese. Cook at 350 until eggs are cooked through.

bkay

bkay2000, I sorta made yours last night. I only had Tostitos. I had a different brand bean. I put green onion and olives on my half. His just had onions. we added Pace medium salsa and I put sour cream on mine.

He, who likes nothing, liked them. He even said, "that was good". Thank you, There were not any left over to try the breakfast.

Okay, I tried to find who said their nachos had to have Frito bean dip, but I missed it. I did those for just me first and they were great. I will skim again and update.

I think that was Jinx? I hang on her every word.

Mtn! 😂

Sherry, she’s right. And I’m so glad you liked them! But also, I’m mad at you. I’m trying to stick to a good diet, but now have to have these. ASAP. It’s been too long. 😁

My dread is eating a healthy salad every day before I die........

I’ve now added tortilla chips to my grocery order so I can have nachos one night this week. Thanks guys! 🙃

I like refried beans on my nachos, but they're annoying to spread out. I recently learned that if you warm them in a saucepan and add a little bit of water, it "melts" them enough that you can easily drizzle over the chips.

This thread was percolating in my brain. DH just came back from Costco with some nacho chips and we have some pulled chicken and I do have cheese and sour cream, oh and olives and yellow peppers. Yup. Gonna give it a try!

So glad this popped up in my feed. I had totally forgotten that I am having nachos for dinner tonight!!!

Because of Sherry and you other enablers, I made them on Saturday. I ate some before I took the photo. I did put cheese on every layer, it just doesn't look like much, but it's there!

Enough for leftovers which were terrific heated in the air-fryer.

Damn, now I'm wanting them again.

My nachos last night were delish! The only problem was I didn’t make enough!! 🐷

I got sucked into some clickbait and saw this. I thought it was funny, nevertheless.

Bbstx, so true!