Viva la fiesta! These six-layer nachos are packed with flavor and are freezer-friendly. They go well poolside as well as at a tailgate party.
Our family could probably eat Mexican-style food every day of the week. It’s packed with flavor; it can be spiced up or spiced down; it’s incredibly economical. It’s got a lot of things going for it.
While carne asada and Carnitas and Salsa Verde Chicken are great ways to enjoy Mexican food, it’s a flavor profile that easily lends itself to going meatless. Tostadas, quesadillas, beans and rice…. should I keep going?
Meatless meals are one of my favorite ways to save money on groceries, especially now that the prices of meat have taken a significant hike. With great recipes and a little, you can make a great meal and not even miss the meat.
This nacho plate is always a hit. Whether served as an appetizer or a “snacky” dinner, it’s a crowd-pleaser. The basis of the meal is this: make a freezer-friendly dish that can be made in advance.
For the meat-eaters, you can add a layer of seasoned taco meat , but it’s not necessary; it’s packed full of flavor as it is. Make several pans at once and stash them in the freezer so that you always have a quick appetizer, snack, or dinner on hand.
Make a big batch of Healthier Refried Beans or get a bulk can and just go to town making many plates to cover, label, and freeze. Be sure to include serving instructions so you can take it to a friend or leave the cooking to the other folks in the house.
This recipe originally appeared in my first cookbook, Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook. It was inspired by the famous 7-layer dip. I wanted to make that dish freezer-friendly and voila!
Be sure to add some fresh toppings on the side and plenty of chips for dipping.
Six-Layer Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 cup refried beans or make your own
- 1/2 cup red enchilada sauce
- 4 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (1 cup)
- 2 tbsp green chiles (chopped)
- 2 tbsp sliced black olives
- 1/4 onion (for 2 tbsp chopped)
- 1 9-ounce bag tortilla chips
- 2 tbsp Sour cream
- salsa
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted, and sliced
- toppings for nachos : such as chopped tomatoes or sliced jalapeno
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch pie plate.
- Spread the refried beans across the bottom of the plate. Drizzle the enchilada sauce over the beans. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce. Sprinkle the green chiles, black olives, and chopped onion over the cheese layer.
- Bake, covered, for 15 minutes, then 5 minutes uncovered, until hot and bubbly. Serve with the chips and toppings.
- To freeze: Cover the pan with foil AFTER STEP TWO and slip the pan inside a gallon-size freezer bag, taking care not to tip the pan. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator before continuing with step 3.
Kathleen
We have your freezer cookbook and this is one of our favorites! I use 2.5 cups of beans to help stretch the dish far enough for a dinner for my family of 5. Eventually even that won’t be enough, but they’re still little.
Carla
Yum. This would also be great to pull out for a weekend lunch when my guys want something different from usual lunch faire—and they too are always game for Mexican. And I guess if my guys insist on meat, a thin scattering of taco meat would “technically” let me subtract that stigma. 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Yes, scatter some meat. Ha! We think alike.
Annie
What a great idea; to freeze the layered dip! It would especially save fridge space when prepping things ahead of time for a get-together. Thanks for all of the great recipes, ideas, inspiration!
Joshua Hampton
Beautiful nachos recipe. Looks easy to make, too. Thanks for this.