A naturally gluten free, vegan and paleo baked nacho dish with baked sweet potato fries topped with fresh veggies, guacamole, and pico de gallo.
NACHOS! If you think about it, nachos are traditionally full of healthy whole food ingredients – just altered and/or processed a bit more than we really need them to be. For example, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, beans, corn, avocado, cilantro, and some type of protein are typically part of an awesome nacho stack…BUT then they’re smothered in processed cheese and usually made with fried chips which is where we go really downhill. I’m all about balance and sometimes there’s a time and place for that kind of nacho, but in order to enjoy this dish on the regular, let’s make this over NS style, shall we? Today, I’m sharing the fruits of my labor on the nacho front – here we go guys!
Healthy Nachos? YES.
But seriously, who doesn’t love to dive into some nachos and share them with friends over good conversation topped with plenty of guacamole? Nachos can be healthy. Take out the chips fried in oil, processed cheese sauce and meats, and wilted lettuce that’s most commonly found in nachos these days and replace it a odd twist of using sweet potato “fries” instead of chips, fresh veggies like sliced radish, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, fiber rich beans, healthy fats from guacamole and cashew cheese sauce all topped with a squeeze of lime juice. That’s the NS way to do nachos and I’m excited to share this super simple recipe with you guys to try the next time you’re craving nachos or having a fun friends/date night in!
In the recipe, I suggest toppings but feel free to add others you love and take off what you don’t love. These are best made and served immediately so the “chips” aka fries don’t get soggy and everything stays fresh, but you can also make baked tortilla chips ahead of time and have a batch ready to go the next time you want to make these nachos. A couple recipes I typically make alongside this one is the Lemon Lime Guacamole, Classic Cashew Cheese, Watermelon Mint Twist (can add a splash of tequila if you’re going that route or make it a mocktail!), and Pineapple Mango Cayenne Paletas.
- 4 large sweet potatoes, washed, cut into french fry strips
- Coconut oil for greasing the baking sheet and tossing potatoes in
- Sea salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup of each of the following toppings:
- diced tomatoes
- diced red onion
- thinly sliced jalapenos
- thinly sliced romaine lettuce
- thinly sliced radish
- sweet corn
- [url href=”nutritionstripped.com/lemon-lime-guacamole/”]Lemon Lime Guacamole[/url]
- chopped cilantro
- organic canned black beans
- organic canned refried beans
- [url href=”nutritionstripped.com/classic-cashew-cheese/”]Classic Cashew Cheese[/url]
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using a lightly greased with coconut oil, baking sheet, evenly lay cut potatoes on the baking sheet. Drizzle melted coconut oil on top and gently toss the potato fries to evenly coat. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.
- Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the potato fries over then continue baking for another 20 minutes until cooked through, yet firm on the outside like a french fry.
- In the meantime, prep your vegetables and toppings while the potatoes cool to room temperature.
- Assemble nachos on a large plate, I recommend starting the toppings with lettuce first, followed by the beans, and then any of the vegetable toppings of your choice (or all!), then topping last with herbs, Classic Cashew Cheese, and lime juice. Enjoy immediately.
Learn more about the health benefits and nutrition of the whole food ingredients in this recipe in the NS Kitchen here.
What about you?
What are your favorite nacho toppings? Do you stack em’? Let me know how you like this recipe in the comments or if you have questions. It also helps when you rate the recipe when you try it so I can improve them for you. Be sure to snap a picture when you make it at home share it on Instagram with #nutritionstripped so I can see!
xx McKel
Get even more delicious, healthy recipes that you can’t find on the blog in the Nutrition Stripped Cookbook. Get your copy here!
