Nachos for Lunch

Meat_nacho_dip_chips_and_garnish

Spread some corn chips on the table, shout “lunch is ready,” and watch the entire neighborhood charge through the door. Corn chips-on-the-table may be an effortless way to snack or have a meal, but it really isn’t that much harder to load them with delicious toppings as well—for a more well-rounded experience.

Actually, now that I think of it, there is a trend called the “messy dinner trend,” and it involves eating directly from the table—no plates. Enjoy this footage of a family that has cling-wrapped the dinner table and loaded it with spaghetti.

“Nachos for Lunch” is not a part of the “messy dinner/lunch trend” at the Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks headquarters, but it could be. Almost any meal could be, but it won’t be. Alex and I might be into it, but I think Nate, poor Nate, would suffer unspeakable trauma.

However, I have managed to “deconstruct” the nachos, I suppose, in a sense. Once I wrangled up some chips and dumped them onto a serving plate, I made the toppings as a kind of “dip,” which is extra fun and kind of messy and may or may not involve cling-wrapping the table.

Here’s the recipe, if you’re feeling messy and/or messed up:

Ingredients:

–1/2 of a medium yellow onion, chopped

–1/2 of a jalapeño pepper chopped (optional)

–1 green bell pepper chopped

–1 large tomato chopped

–1 tablespoon of mild chili powder

–2 tsp of cumin

–1/4 tsp. of salt

–6 ounces of ground turkey or beef

–1 cup of cheese (mozzarella or cheddar—shredded)

–1/4 cup of chopped green onions

–1/4 of a tomato chopped (for garnish)

–Sour cream/guacamole/salsa—if desired—for garnish/topping

–Corn tortilla chips—as many as you want

Preparation:

–Cook the onion, peppers, the large, chopped tomato, seasonings and meat in a skillet over medium heat.

–Place the meat mixture into a baking dish and load it with the cheese—you can always add more cheese if you want.

–Cover the baking pan and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes. Then, remove the cover and broil it to let the cheese get bubbly and toasty.

–Garnish with the green onions, remaining chopped tomatoes—and the sour cream, guacamole, and salsa, if desired.

Results:

Dipping chips into nacho toppings for lunch was a fun change of pace—and the flavors were good. It’s a versatile dish, too, so you can sub in black beans or refried beans for a vegetarian version. Also, the chips stay nice and crisp, since they’re not buried in toppings. In fact, you can just eat the toppings with a spoon. Or, if you prefer, take a wild leap onto the “messy dinner trend” train, but give it a twist by sticking your whole face in the bowl. Go ahead, make #faceyourdip a beautiful thing.

Your Turn: How do you change up your menu/meals for fun?

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Published by ckennedy

Author of the DIY blog: Fixin' Leaks and Leeks. Paper/Rock Writing Consultation, Sole Proprietor.

20 thoughts on “Nachos for Lunch”

  4. There’s a restaurant here that now does a messy table. It’s a seafood place, and I think they are trying to imitate the seafood extravaganzas that happen in the NE of USA.
    I like the idea of a messy table so long as the table is lined with enough paper to make cleaning up easy.

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  6. I admit when I cook it’s normally salad/veggie and simply prepared protein, but I try to include one new recipe a week for flair. We also eat out at least once a week so that totally breaks things up

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  8. Eating alone most of the time, my idea of “fun” is making something super easy with no cooking required, like a huge avocado, tomato, and cucumber salad. That sure was an interesting video! I’d be a little afraid the hot pasta would melt the cling wrap and we’d all be eating plastic for dinner:)

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