Fully Loaded Black Bean Nachos
Hello I’m back! After taking the summer off to move back to Canada from France, this is my first blog post made on Canadian soil. I’m officially living back in my home country, and I’ve got many exciting Two Spoons projects heading your way. But first, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This blog post is dedicated to vegan comfort food at its finest: Fully Loaded Black Bean Nachos. And I must say, these nachos are truly as comforting as they look!
Given it’s the last long weekend of the summer, these Fully Loaded Black Bean Nachos are the perfect recipe to share amongst friends and family. Whether you’re attending a bbq or spending it by the water, these fully loaded nachos are a delicious way to say, “sayonara summer!”
This recipe combines a zesty black bean mix with vegan cheddar cheese and homemade salsa. And the combo is cosmic. It’s 100% VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE, HEALTHY-ish, and easy to assemble. I’ve no doubt you’re going to love this recipe as much as I do.
How to assemble fully loaded black bean nachos
It’s easy! These fully loaded black bean nachos begin by preparing the toppings. And I’m going to start with my homemade salsa. I absolutely love this mixture for a light and bright salsa. I find homemade salsa SO much tastier to store bought. It’s bright and refreshing, and full of flavour. Plus, tomatoes are SO good right now, so why not take full advantage? Preparing the salsa first will help the flavours to meld together while you prep your other ingredients.
Next step is to whip together a batch of my zesty black bean medley. To keep it simple I’ve used cooked organic black beans in a can from Wholefoods. Typically I cook my own beans, but I can’t stand the smell of cooking black beans in my home. It seems to last for days! So for this I make an exception and buy black beans in a can.
Finally we will whip together a batch of vegan sour cream (optional, but a must for me). It’s an easy 3-ingredient vegan sour cream that adds beautiful creaminess and helps to cut the spice! More on that to come.
To assemble the nachos for baking: line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay out a couple handfuls of tortilla chips. Top with a thin layer of your zesty black bean mix and sprinkle on vegan cheddar cheese. Continue this process of layering until you’ve used up all your tortilla chips, black beans and vegan cheddar cheese.
It’s worth noting that we will add the salsa and sour cream after baking the nachos. Otherwise you will soak your tortilla chips into a gloopy wet mess.
Black bean nachos: Making the homemade salsa
This homemade salsa is light, bright, and healthy. Made using ripe tomatoes of choice, red onion, garlic, corn, lime, cilantro and jalapeno (optional), and lots of sea salt – it’s a beautiful melange for one hell of a dip!
It’s important to note that the salsa is added at the END of the recipe. After baking the nachos and just before serving. Otherwise you’ll end up with a wet batch of nachos. You can also serve the salsa on the side as a dip. But I prefer them directly on the nachos for serving. It’s prettier and fuss-free.
Black bean nachos: Making the zesty black bean medley
To cook the zesty black bean medley we start on the aromatics. This is the red onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, paprika and cayenne. Toss in a skillet with coconut oil, and sauté until onions are softened and translucent. Add in your black beans and a squeeze of lime and stir for a few minutes to warm.
Black bean nachos: Making the vegan sour cream
Forgo buying expensive store-brought vegan sour cream and make it yourself. It’s a cinch! All you need is coconut yogurt (or other plain plant-based yogurt), a squeeze of lime juice and pinch of salt. Stir together and viola! It’s easy to prepare, and so much healthier to the traditional. Topping your nachos with vegan sour cream is optional, but for me it’s a must.
A few tips for these Black Bean Nachos
I must tell you that these nachos bake QUICK! You’ll only need them in the oven for 5-10 minutes. I like to keep close, and check often to make sure the tortilla chips aren’t burning. They’re fine a little brown of course. But it would be a tragedy for your hard work to go in the garbage. So keep close watch, and check them often.
Wait to add the salsa and vegan sour cream until the end. I have mentioned this point a couple times now. But it’s an important one. Otherwise the wet ingredients will cause your nachos to become soggy and gloopy. Assemble the nachos, black bean medley and vegan cheese first. You can add your salsa and vegan sour cream after baking.
It’s not always easy to find vegan cheese, but your best bet is at an organic grocers. The brand I used for this recipe is Daiya Cheddar Shredded Cheese, and I bought it at Wholefoods. I like this brand because it melts well for a stringy cheese. It’s similar in texture and taste to real cheddar. I also like the ingredient list. It’s minimal and easy to understand.
Other recipes you might like:
If you’re digging these Fully Loaded Black Bean Nachos, you might also like to try these recipes:
Shop my kitchen:
I’m always asked what items I like to use in the kitchen. So, I’ve included my favourites for making these Fully Loaded Black Bean Nachos. You can also find more of my favourite kitchen essentials and products on my Shop page.
used as the vegan cheese in this recipe
used in the black bean medley
Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet (2 Pack), Silver
Not my exact baking pan, but very close
So there we have it! A DELISH fully loaded black bean nachos recipe to round out the summer. It’s one to be enjoyed amongst friends and family, wherever you are this long weekend. Cheers to the end of summer, and to being back in Canada. Looking forward to sharing more delicious recipes, and some exciting Two Spoons projects coming your way.
Fully Loaded Black Bean Nachos (Vegan + GF)
Ingredients
For the salsa:
- 5 tomatoes of choice (about 400g , I used heirloom tomatoes)
- 1/2 small red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro , chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper , sliced
- 1 cup corn , cooked
- 1/2 lime , juiced
- sea salt , to taste
For the zesty black bean medley
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 small red onion , diced
- 4 cloves garlic , finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper , chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 can organic black beans , cooked (540 ml can)
- 1/2 lime , juiced
- sea salt and pepper , to taste
For the vegan sour cream (optional)
- 1/4 cup plain coconut yogurt
- splash fresh lime juice , (approx. 2 tsp)
- pinch sea salt
Remaining ingredients:
- 1 bag tortilla chips (7 oz./200g bag)
- 1 1/2 cups vegan cheddar shredded cheese
- 1 radish , thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper , thinly sliced
- sea salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Make salsa: Chop tomato into tiny pieces. Add to bowl with diced onion, garlic, chopped cilantro, jalapeño, corn and lime juice. Add salt to taste. Mix and cover.
- Make black bean medley: In a skillet on med heat add coconut oil. Add red onion and garlic. Season with jalapeno pepper, paprika and cayenne. Cook, stirring often, until onions are softened (approx. 8-10 mins). Add black beans and mix to combine until warm (approx. 3-5 minutes).
- Prepare vegan sour cream. In a bowl combine coconut yogurt, lime juice and pinch salt. Mix. Cover and keep chilled.
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line baking tray with parchment. Sprinkle thin layer of tortilla chips. Then add a layer of black beans followed by a layer of vegan shredded cheese. Repeat layering until you've used all your ingredients (ending with cheese). Bake for 5-8 minutes, or until cheese is melted and gooey
- Remove nachos from oven, top with homemade salsa (any remaining can be served in a bowl alongside for dipping) and drizzle with vegan sour cream.
Notes
Nutrition
VEGAN – VEGETARIAN – GLUTEN-FREE – DAIRY-FREE – NUT-FREE
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