Tag: taco toppings

Recipes and Cooking

Sheet Pan Nachos

Brandi C

Sheet Pan Nachos

Sheet Pan Nachos: A Fun and Customizable Recipe

Looking for an easy and fun family meal? Sheet Pan Nachos are a perfect choice! This dish is super versatile and can be modified to suit your taste. Whether you want to make it vegan, vegetarian, or load it with your favorite toppings, it’s a meal the whole family will love. Plus, the leftovers are just as delicious! Here’s how you can make it:

Ingredients:

  • Flour tortillas (or corn tortillas for a gluten-free option)

  • Oil (for frying)

  • Ground beef (or your favorite protein substitute for a vegetarian/vegan version)

  • Garlic (minced)

  • Onion (chopped)

  • 2 packets taco seasoning mix

  • Salsa (for extra flavor)

  • Mexican blend cheese (or your favorite cheese blend)

  • Black beans (rinsed and drained)

  • Taco/nacho toppings of your choice (e.g., sour cream, guacamole, jalapeños)

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Ground Beef: Brown the ground beef with minced garlic and chopped onion in a large pan. Once browned, drain any excess fat. Add the taco seasoning mix along with a bit of water to loosen up the mixture and allow the flavors to combine. Stir in some salsa to add an extra kick to the beef.

  2. Make the Tortilla Chips: While your beef cooks, take your flour tortillas and cut them into chip-sized pieces. You can also buy pre-made tortilla chips, but homemade ones are super easy. Deep fry the tortilla pieces until crispy (this takes just a few minutes). You can also bake them for a healthier option!

  3. Assemble the Nachos: Spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray, then layer your tortilla chips, seasoned ground beef, black beans, and cheese. Drizzle a bit of salsa over the top (but not on the chips themselves – we’ll explain why below). Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

  4. Top and Serve: Once your nachos are out of the oven, add your favorite taco toppings like sour cream, guacamole, jalapeños, or anything else that makes your taste buds dance!

What I Would Do Differently:

  • Use Corn Tortillas: Next time, I’ll swap out the flour tortillas for corn tortillas. The flavor is a bit better, and they hold up well without getting soggy.

  • Skip Salsa on the Chips: I realized that adding salsa directly to the chips before baking made them a bit soggy. It’s best to mix the salsa into the beef mixture instead, for more flavor and crunch.

  • Green Onions: I think adding chopped green onions would be a great addition for some freshness.

  • Layered Rice and Refried Beans: I considered layering rice and refried beans in the nachos for extra texture and flavor. If you like heartier nachos, I highly recommend this addition!

Final Thoughts:

These sheet pan nachos were delicious and definitely a hit in our household, though I wasn’t blown away by them. The beauty of this recipe is how easy it is to adjust and make your own, so don’t hesitate to get creative! It’s perfect for a fun family dinner or when you need to feed a crowd.

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Recipes and Cooking

Gluten Free Taco Soup Recipe

Brandi C

Gluten Free Taco Soup Recipe

Gluten Free Taco Soup Recipe
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Historically, B does not like taco soup. Honestly, I haven’t made any type of taco soup in forever. The reason why I made it this time was because I had some leftover ground beef that was already seasoned. It wasn’t a lot but it still needed to be used. I also had some leftover corn that I needed to repurpose and about a handful of cheddar that needed to be gone. Most of the ingredients I had on hand, I just needed to get a bit more ground beef. So, this is what I came up with for this soup. It was done in the Instant Pot.

Ingredients for Gluten Free Taco Soup Recipe

Ground beef

Minced garlic

Onion, chopped

Seasoning mix

2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies

Water, 2 c.

2 beef bouillon cubes

14 oz can tomato paste (and add 1 can of water) OR you can use a can of tomato sauce

Gluten Free Taco Seasoning Mix

2 Tbsp chili powder

Ranch Packet Mix

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans corn, drained

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 c. cheddar cheese

Directions

Cook the beef, garlic, onion, and seasoning mix until done. Drain well and place back into Instant Pot or soup pot. Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the cheddar) into instant pot. Add lid, place on seal and hit the “soup” mode which is about 10 minutes. Do a quick release and then add the cheddar cheese. Stir to incorporate.

You can do this on the stovetop as well, I just needed the convenience of the instant pot. This was such a good and filling soup!  Remember you can always add more seasoning in (as I had to do with my seasoning mix and the chili powder) but you can’t take it out! If you are just starting out, follow the instructions but taste before serving to adjust what you need to.

We served this with gluten free saltines and we also had corn tortilla chips that we add. You can always top with sour cream, more cheese, green onions, or any other taco type of topping.