Description
Sizzling campfire nachos bring Mexican-inspired comfort to outdoor cooking adventures. Layered tortilla chips, melted cheese, and smoky toppings create a simple, crowd-pleasing meal you’ll crave on wilderness escapes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 bag (10 oz/284 g) tortilla chips
- 2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Mexican blend)
- 1 can (15 oz/425 g) black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup cooked and seasoned ground beef, chicken, or chorizo (optional)
- 1 small red onion, diced
- ½ cup diced tomatoes or pico de gallo
- 1 avocado, diced or sliced
- 1 jalapeno, sliced (optional)
- ½ cup sliced black olives (optional)
- Fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
- Lime wedges (for serving)
- Sour cream
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- Campfire Preparation: Establish a moderate heat source using a campfire or grill, ensuring even temperature distribution for optimal nacho crafting.
- Vessel Selection: Choose a robust cast-iron skillet or heavy-duty aluminum pan capable of withstanding direct flame exposure.
- Base Construction: Strategically layer crisp tortilla chips across the cooking surface, creating a foundational chip platform.
- Cheese Infusion: Generously distribute shredded cheese to ensure complete chip coverage, promoting uniform melting and flavor integration.
- Protein and Vegetable Layering: Densely scatter black beans, seasoned meat, diced onions, sliced jalapeños, chopped tomatoes, and briny olives across the cheese-covered chips, building a complex flavor landscape.
- Structural Reinforcement: Create a secondary layer mirroring the initial ingredient arrangement, maximizing flavor depth and textural complexity.
- Heat Protection: Encase the nacho ensemble with aluminum foil, safeguarding ingredients while facilitating even heating through indirect flame exposure.
- Thermal Transformation: Position the covered skillet over the heat source, allowing 10-15 minutes of controlled cooking to melt cheese and warm ingredients thoroughly.
- Culinary Finishing: Remove the skillet carefully, permitting a brief cooling interval to prevent potential burns and stabilize the dish’s structural integrity.
- Garnish and Presentation: Elevate the nachos with fresh avocado chunks, vibrant cilantro leaves, and a zesty lime juice drizzle. Accompany with complementary condiments like sour cream, salsa, or guacamole for a comprehensive flavor experience.
Notes
- Manage Heat Carefully: Control campfire temperature to prevent burning chips and ensure even melting of cheese without scorching ingredients.
- Optimize Layering Strategy: Create multiple thin layers instead of one thick layer to guarantee consistent cheese distribution and ingredient integration throughout the nachos.
- Prep Ingredients Strategically: Chop vegetables and meats uniformly beforehand to ensure quick, even cooking and balanced flavor in every bite.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Swap meat with plant-based protein, use dairy-free cheese alternatives, or include gluten-free chips to accommodate different dietary restrictions while maintaining delicious taste profile.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 720 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg