Sheet Pan Loaded Nachos

If you are looking for a healthier alternative loaded with plant based protein, I’ve got you covered.

This recipe is literally one pan and super easy to make and customize. It only takes five minutes in the oven, and feeds a crowd.

I make homemade guacamole by mashing avocado, adding lemon juice, salt, onion, tomato and cilantro, but for this recipe, I eliminate the onion and tomato since they are already in the recipe and not necessary. Feel free to use store bought guac to save time.

You can also swap out the pinto beans for black beans.

For the dairy intolerant, there are lots of dairy free alternatives out there for sour cream and cheese like Daiya brand and Kite Hill to name a few. You can make a cheese sauce if you’d prefer it to shredded cheese like the one I use in my Easiest Mac and Cheese recipe, but it’s really a personal preference.

If you don’t have liquid smoke or are not familiar with what it is, I highly recommend that you get some. I use it to make my fake “Bacon” and even my family members who are die hard meat eaters love it. If you can’t find it in a store near you, they do sell it on Amazon (the shocker would be if there was something they don’t sell on Amazon), and sadly, I won’t make a dime off of my recommendation from Amazon even if you buy a truckload, so this comes from the heart and not the wallet. If you choose not to use it, you can always up the amount of garlic powder, oregano and cumin or even add some pepper or hot sauce depending on your taste.

Ingredients:

• Tortilla chips of choice
• 1 can of chickpeas , drained, rinsed and dried
• 4 drops liquid smoke (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 can pinto beans (or beans of choice like black) rinsed, drained and dried
• 1 tomato, seeded and chopped
• 2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup guacamole
• Sour cream
• cheese sauce (use the sauce from my Easiest Mac and Cheese recipe), gently heated on the stove, or alternatively, shredded vegan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Put chips on a small sheet pan in a single layer.
3. In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas till they resemble large, chunky crumbs.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas and beans.  Add the liquid smoke through the salt and stir well to combine.  Spoon the mixture over the chips  (sprinkle with cheese if using shredded cheese instead of cheese sauce) and bake for 5-6 minutes till warmed through.
5. Remove from the oven and top with tomato, onions, guacamole and sour cream, then drizzle with the cheese sauce if using sauce instead of shredded cheese.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!