tortilla chips

These vegetarian nachos take their cues from paapdi or papri chaat, the spicy, tangy and sweet Indian snack of fried dough wafers piled with chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, yogurt and various chutneys. This take starts with standard nacho elements: tortilla chips, black beans and a healthy amount of bubbly, melted cheese. But the classic chaat pairing of spicy and verdant cilantro chutney with sweet and sour tamarind sauce provides another level of brightness and complexity. Don’t skip the chhonk, a sauce made of melted ghee, cumin seeds and red chile powder that is drizzled over the top of the nachos. It provides a rich finish and even more crunch.

Indian-ish Nachos With Cheddar, Black Beans and Chutney

Indian green chile

lime juice

sugar

kosher salt,

black beans,

Kosher salt

(8-ounce) bag white corn tortilla chips, preferably unsalted

red onion, finely chopped

Roma tomatoes,

Cheddar cheese (about 1 pound)

store-bought tamarind sauce (or 1/4 cup date syrup lime juice)

ghee oil

cumin seeds

red chile powder,

Greek yogurt,

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Make the chutney: In a blender, combine the cilantro, green chile, lime juice, sugar and salt and blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add up to 3 tablespoons water, a tablespoon at a time, to get it going. Taste and adjust the salt and lime juice, if needed. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, lightly mash the beans with a fork (this is so they won’t roll off the chips), and season them with salt. On a foil-lined 13-by-18-inch sheet pan, arrange half the chips, followed by half the beans, onions, tomatoes and cheese (in that order). Repeat to make a second layer. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes on the highest rack of the oven, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

While the nachos are in the oven, make the chhonk: In a small pan or a butter warmer over medium-high, heat the ghee. Once the ghee melts (or the oil begins to shimmer), add the cumin seeds and cook until they start to sputter and brown, about 15 seconds. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the red chile powder. Set aside.

Evenly drizzle the cilantro chutney and the tamarind sauce on top of the nachos, followed by the chhonk. Add a few dollops of the Greek yogurt, if using.

This twist on nachos doesn’t simply call for putting traditional <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021459-mapo-tofu">mapo tofu</a> atop tortilla chips. Instead, you’ll make a creamy, spicy, saucy version using blended silken tofu and all the usual mapo ingredients. Spoon the sauce atop layers of chips, add cheese, then bake it. You could certainly stop there, but finishing with some garnishes makes it especially festive. Save leftover sauce for another round of nachos or a half batch of <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021487-mapo-spaghetti">mapo spaghetti</a>. To double this recipe, bake on a large parchment or foil-lined sheet pan in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes. You can also make the sauce with lamb, turkey thigh or a plant-based meat alternative, in place of the ground beef or pork, if you like.

Mapo Tofu Nachos

(14- silken tofu

Sichuan peppercorns

neutral oil, oil

beef

doubanjiang (fermented chile bean sauce

douchi (fermented black beans, optional)

ginger

red-pepper flakes (optional)

soy sauce

granulated sugar, plus more as needed

salt

scallion,

cornstarch

corn tortilla chips (about 5 cups)

scallions,

pickled jalapeños, sliced (optional)

cilantro (optional)

Prepare the mapo tofu sauce: If the tofu came as a block in water, discard the water. Cut the tofu into large chunks, then use a stand blender or immersion blender to whirl the tofu into an ivory smoothie.

In a medium (3- or 4-quart) pot over medium heat, toast the Sichuan peppercorns for 2 to 3 minutes, until super fragrant and slightly darkened. (A wisp of smoke is OK.) Let cool briefly, then pound with a mortar and pestle or pulse in a spice grinder.

Prepare the remaining sauce ingredients and set them near the stove.

Warm the oil in the pot over high heat. When shimmering, add the meat. Stir and mash into cooked and crumbly pieces, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons doubanjiang, the douchi (if using), ginger and red-pepper flakes (if using). Fry about 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly, until the mixture is a rich reddish brown.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, then stir in the soy sauce and 1 rounded teaspoon sugar. Scrape in the blended tofu. (If there’s much left in the blender jar, add 1 tablespoon water and whirl to loosen it.) Stir to combine well, partially cover and bring to simmer. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to develop flavor throughout. Expect orange oil to appear on top.

Taste the sauce and if needed, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon doubanjiang (for heat), or a pinch of salt (for savoriness) or sugar (to tame heat).

Stir in the scallion, then add the cornstarch slurry and stir until thickened. Turn off the heat. Stir in half the crushed Sichuan peppercorns for a bit of zing. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to deepen flavor and color before using; a little lingering orange oil is normal. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups, which is twice the amount that you’ll need for this recipe; save the rest for spaghetti, more nachos or another use. (You can cool the sauce completely then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.)

Prepare the nachos: Heat a toaster oven (or standard oven) to 350 degrees. Line the baking pan of the toaster oven (or a small sheet pan) with parchment or aluminum foil, leaving a little overhang on two sides so you may later easily transfer the nachos. Arrange half of the chips on the pan, laying them flat; some overlap is fine. Use a spoon to strew a heaping 1/2 cup mapo tofu sauce onto the chips. Sprinkle with half the scallions, half the cheese and half the remaining Sichuan peppercorns. Repeat with the remaining chips, a heaping 1/2 cup mapo tofu sauce, the remaining scallions, cheese and peppercorns.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese completely melts and there is gentle sizzling. Remove from the oven, then lift the parchment paper or foil to remove the nachos from the pan, then use a spatula to carefully usher the nachos to a platter. Top with any combination of olives, pickled jalapeños and cilantro, if desired.

Bricklayer-style beef, or puntas al albañil, made with tender pieces of beef, salty bacon and sometimes chorizo in a chunky fire-roasted salsa, is a beloved taco filling in Mexico. Once a common snack available near construction sites in central Mexico, it became popular beyond street food stands, expanding into homes and restaurants over the years. Here it’s used as the foundation for nachos, topped with mounds of melted cheese, tangy queso fresco, creamy avocado and crunchy scallions for a hearty, delicious meal.

Bricklayer-Style Nachos

Roma tomatoes tomatoes

bacon,

fresh Mexican chorizo, casing removed, coarsely chopped

Kosher or sea salt and black pepper

white onion,

garlic cloves, finely chopped

halved,

queso fresco

If using fresh tomatoes, place them on a small baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Place them under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes, turning halfway through, until charred, mushy and juices have begun to run. Remove from heat. Once cool enough to handle, chop them without discarding any of the juices, seeds or charred skin.

Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it browns slightly and renders some of its fat, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the chorizo to the bacon, and cook, breaking the sausage into smaller pieces using a wooden spoon as it begins to brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the beef, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring a couple times, until it begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Incorporate the onion and jalapeño and cook until they begin to wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant but not browned, less than 1 minute.

Stir in the fresh or canned chopped tomatoes with their juices and cook over high, stirring occasionally, until saucy, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Set the rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Place all the tortilla chips in a half sheet pan or large baking sheet in an even layer. Cover the chips with the bricklayer meat mixture and all of its chunky salsa. Cover with the shredded cheese. Bake until cheese has completely melted, 8 to 10 minutes.

Garnish with the avocado, crumbled queso fresco and scallions. Dig in while hot!

According to Dr. Adalberto Peña de los Santos, the director of the International Nacho Festival, in Piedras Negras, Mexico, there are three timeless nacho essentials: crispy corn tortilla chips, mounds of melted cheese and at least one chile. If you want to go big, here are some unofficial guidelines: Nacho toppings should be good enough to stand on their own, the nachos should be saucy (maybe even messy) and they should be so delicious together that you can’t have just one bite. In this recipe, nachos take a vegetarian turn, with buttery pinto beans, tender carrots or sweet potatoes (or both), and a tomato-and-tomatillo salsa. Melty cheese, Mexican crema and chopped onion and cilantro take it over the top.

Hearty Bean Nachos With Spicy Salsa

Roma tomatoes (about 5

tomatillos (about 3

jalapeños, destemmed

chiles de árbol, destemmed

garlic cloves,

cumin

Kosher or sea salt

vegetable oil

(1/2-inch) diced peeled carrot

celery

pinto beans (from about 3/4 cup dried beans

cheese

Mexican crema

Prepare the salsa: Place the tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeños, chiles de árbol and garlic in a medium saucepan. Cover with at least 6 cups water and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the tomatoes and tomatillos are cooked through and mushy, the jalapeños have softened and the chiles de árbol have plumped up, about 10 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked vegetables to a blender, setting aside the cooking liquid. Add the cilantro, cumin and 3/4 teaspoon salt to the blender; purée until smooth.

Prepare the vegetables: Bring the reserved vegetable cooking liquid back to a simmer over medium-high heat and season generously with salt. Once it comes to a boil, add the carrots or sweet potatoes, or both, and cook until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Pour the cooked vegetables into a colander, discarding liquid, and set aside.

Wipe the saucepan dry, then add 1 tablespoon oil and heat over medium. Once the oil is hot, pour in the salsa, partly cover it with the lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the color has deepened, 8 to 10 minutes. Set salsa aside.

Prepare the beans: In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium. Once hot, add the onion and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes, until completely softened. Raise the heat to high, add the cooked carrots and/or sweet potatoes, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring a couple times, until beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the pinto beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed, another 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt, then remove from the heat.

Assemble the nachos: Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Place all the tortilla chips in a half sheet pan or large baking sheet. Cover the chips with the bean mixture, ladle the salsa all over the top and cover with shredded cheese. Bake until cheese has completely melted, about 10 minutes.

Spoon the crema over the top and garnish with reserved cilantro and chopped white onion. Serve hot!

Tortilla chips in tacos may seem like overkill, but they’re not. Set into scrambled eggs that are loaded with onions and poblanos, they soften and enrich the mix while keeping some crispiness. A slice of avocado on top — along with melted cheese — adds a nice creaminess to the mix. These tacos work well with red or green salsa, so use your favorite. While these would impress at a weekend brunch, they also come together quickly on weekday mornings, and can be wrapped in foil to be eaten out of hand.

Migas Breakfast Tacos

eggs

corn tortillas

tortilla chips,

onion

poblano pepper

cilantro

pepper jack cheese, grated (3/4 cup)

avocado, pitted,

Salsa,

Beat the eggs with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.

Heat a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Put 3 tortillas in it and turn them until warm and pliable, 1 to 2 minutes. Stack on foil and wrap. Repeat with the remaining 3 tortillas, adding them to the same stack and wrapping to keep warm and soft.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the oil and swirl to coat, then add the chips. Cook, stirring, until sizzling and browned in spots, about 30 seconds. Add the onion, poblano and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the edges of the onion are just translucent but the vegetables are still crisp, about 2 minutes.

Drizzle the egg over the chips and vegetables. Let stand for 15 seconds until just starting to set, then stir rapidly to scramble until just set but still wet, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Sprinkle the cilantro on top.

Remove from the heat and immediately divide among the warmed tortillas. Sprinkle with the cheese and top with the avocado and salsa. Serve immediately or wrap each taco in foil to eat out of hand.

This is the best version of this classic guacamole dip. The ingredients are kept to a minimum, so it's as fresh-tasting as possible.

Best Ever Chunky Guacamole

tomato

avocados,very ripe but not bruised

lime

chopped,

red onion,finely chopped

chilli,red

tortilla chips,to serve

Best ever chunky guacamole

Use a large <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-cooks-knives">knife</a> to pulverise 1 large ripe tomato to a pulp on a board, then tip into a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-mixing-bowls">bowl</a>.

Halve and stone the 3 avocados (saving a stone) and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh into the bowl with the tomato.

Tip the juice of 1 large lime, a handful of roughly chopped coriander, 1 finely chopped small red onion and 1 deseeded and finely chopped red or green chilli into the bowl, then season with salt and pepper.

Use a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-whisks">whisk</a> to roughly mash everything together. If not serving straight away, sit a stone in the guacamole (this helps to stop it going brown), cover with cling film and chill until needed.

Satisfy your fast-food cravings with this By Chloe-inspired vegan guac burger. Get the complete recipe at Tasting Table.

Vegan Guacamole Burger

For the Veggie Burgers:

sweet potato, scrubbed (about 1 pound)

olive oil, divided

white onion (from ½ large white onion)

kosher salt, divided,

garlic clove,

quinoa

panko bread crumbs

black pepper,

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

For the Chipotle Aioli:

mayonnaise

chipotle powder

sweet paprika

For the Guacamole:

avocados—halved,

lime juice,

kosher salt, plus more to taste

tomato,

To Serve:

soft burger buns (such

green lettuce

beefsteak tomato

red onion

tortilla chips or strips, broken apart

Guacamole Veggie Burgers with Chipotle Aioli

Nachos are among the most ubiquitous of America’s pastime foods. At ballgames, carnivals or bowling alleys you can expect a pile of limp tortilla chips, drowned in warm yellow cheese product. But nachos should, and can, be better than this. 

Try them showered in good shredded cheese and accompanied by a fragrant meat sauce, the fire of jalapeños, the chill and silkiness of sour cream, the tart excellence of a good tomato, with shredded lettuce and thin-sliced radishes. Here is avocado; there, the awesome funk of chopped cilantro.

Want some bacon on there as well, or a slash of hot sauce? Go to! Some will add beans. Others black olives, chopped raw onion. Please do.

But take care to layer well. Layering is the key to loaded nacho perfection.

Loaded Nachos

onion,

beef,

garlic,

ancho chile powder

paprika,

black pepper

brown sugar

red pepper flakes

chicken stock, homemade

12- to-16-ounce bag corn tortilla chips

iceberg

pickled jalapeños

avocados,

Monterey Jack cheese

Cheddar cheese

Cotija cheese

radishes,

cherry tomatoes,

sour cream

cilantro leaves

limes,

sauce,

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put a large sauté pan with high sides over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pieces are crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes, then remove the bacon and set aside.

Add the onions to the bacon fat and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and started to go brown around the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and garlic and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chile powder, cumin, salt, paprika, black pepper, sugar, cornstarch and red pepper flakes and stir to combine and toast the spices. Add enough chicken stock or water to loosen the mixture, and allow it to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. (Add a little more stock or water if mixture is too thick.)

Assemble the nachos on a half sheet pan: Put a layer of tortilla chips on the pan and cover with about 1/3 of the meat sauce, then add about 1/3 of the lettuce, 1/3 of the jalapeños, some avocado slices and a handful of the Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses. Top with more tortilla chips, more meat sauce, more lettuce, jalapeños, avocado and cheese, then make a final layer of chips, meat, bacon, jalapeños, avocado and cheese. Top with crumbled Cotija cheese and slide the sheet pan into the oven to bake until the cheeses have melted through, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Top cooked nachos with the sliced radishes and tomatoes, and dot the tray with teaspoons of sour cream. Scatter the cilantro over the top and serve, accompanied by limes and hot sauce.

The first nachos were said to have been invented in Piedras Negras, Mexico, in 1940, with just three ingredients. As the story goes, a group of women walked into the Victory Club in Piedras outside business hours. Aiming to please, Ignacio Anaya, the maître d’hôtel known as Nacho, ran to the kitchen and made a quick appetizer with ingredients he found. Today’s nachos know no end to their variations: They can have a number of seasoned layers, like these <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021580-bricklayer-nachos">bricklayer-style nachos</a>, or these vegetarian <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021574-vegetarian-nachos">bean nachos</a>, or simply be topped with cheese sauce, like those sold at concession stands. But the simplicity of its original, with its barely salted chips, nutty melted cheese and briny <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021581-pickled-jalapenos">pickled jalapeños</a>, is sure to charm true fans.

The Original Nachos

store-bought

Colby cheese (about 4 packed cups)

Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 400 degrees.

Spread the tortilla chips in a single layer on two large sheet pans. Place a scant tablespoon of shredded cheese over each chip, pressing slightly to adhere. Top each chip with 1 or 2 slices pickled jalapeño. Sprinkle or spoon the pickled jalapeño brine all over the chips. Bake until cheese melts completely and begins to lightly brown at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes.

Serve nachos immediately, directly on the hot baking sheets, or use a spatula to transfer them to a platter.

These Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips are fast, easy, super crunchy, a great way to use up leftover tortillas, and a great alternative to store bought chips. 

Baked Tortilla Chips

corn tortillas (0.32)

Tbsp cooking oil (0.02)

salt (0.05)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Stack the tortillas on top of each other, then cut into six equal sized wedges.

Place the cut tortillas in a large bowl and drizzle the oil over top. Gently toss the tortilla pieces in the oil until they're all lightly coated. Other herbs and spices can be added at this time, if desired.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, then spread the tortilla pieces out over the surface so that they're in a single layer and overlapping as little as possible. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Bake the chips for ten minutes, then gently stir and flip the chips. Return the chips to the oven and bake until golden brown (3-5 minutes more). Season with salt once more.

Allow the chips to cool before serving. They will crisp even further as they cool down.

Depending on where you’re from, this simple dip is known as cowboy caviar or Texas caviar, and it’s a favorite at tailgates and potlucks all over the South. Its creator, Helen Corbitt, a dietitian from New York, had never heard of black-eyed peas when she moved to Texas in 1931. The exact details are fuzzy, but at some point in her 40 years working in restaurants there, she combined black-eyed peas with a simple vinaigrette, and it was a big hit. The recipe has evolved over the years, and you can find a number of variations online. Some contain corn and black beans (as this one does), and others avocado. Some call for bottled Italian salad dressing, others homemade. No matter how you tweak it, it’s always good with a pile of tortilla chips.

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