In my never-ending quest to turn absolutely everything into nachos, today I have wild rice nachos. Nachos are a great way to utilize leftovers. For whatever reason, people in Wisconsin aren't fans of leftovers. It baffles me to no end because reheating things is so simple. I don't understand the concept of forgoing eating something because you didn't eat all of it in a single sitting?? Although I do get tired of the same meal day after day. So, I oftentimes mix and match what I have left in the refrigerator into different meals. Nachos are one of my favorite ways of taking something old and tired and turning it into something new and fun.
Wisconsin might not be the fondest of leftovers, but cheese is something that we can all agree on. Everything is indeed better with cheese. Unless you're lactose intolerant and/or otherwise do not consume dairy. In which case, I highly recommend Hummus, Peanut Sauce, and Enchilada Sauce. There are also various cheese alternatives. I don't know how I haven't posted this yet, but my favorite involve cashews, lemon juice, and fresh dill. Regardless of what you have on hand or fits into your personal taste, everything does taste better with tortilla chips and "cheese." Chèvre might not be the most nacho cheese out there. But the sky is the limit!
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Variations of Wild Rice Nachos
Rice is a pretty classic ingredient in nachos. You might not always find wild rice nachos, but the concept is pretty straightforward. I'm a big fan of rice when I get around to making it and definitely like to spice things up with wild rice, brown rice, red rice, black rice, et cetera. Really, the sky is the limit. Feel free to mix and match in whatever variety you have on hand or to fit your personal tastes!
These Wild Rice Nachos consist of pinto beans with garlic, onions, lime juice, and coconut oil as well as wild rice with sweet potatoes. With just a dollop of avocado dip and hot sauce? These are an absolutely delicious way to utilize leftovers. Just mix in what you have on hand or go all out for a fun plate of nachos!
Cook Stovetop Pinto Beans w/ Yellow Onion & Garlic. I like this recipe better than opening a can of refried beans or actually having to go through the process of frying them! This does require some forethought, though, and takes about 6 hours to cook.
Cook Wild Rice w/ Sweet Potatoes, Yellow Onions, & Limes. This takes about an hour and requires a rice cooker or stove. You can also easily create a different flavor profile or utilize the produce that you have on hand. I almost always keep a batch of rice or quinoa in the fridge for exactly this purpose.
I also topped this with Avocado Dip w/ Greek Yogurt, Lemon, & Dill.This is entirely optional. You can easily substitute sour cream or omit it entirely. Although this avocado dip is my new favorite thing and I highly recommend giving it a try. It's kind of a mix between hummus and guacamole. And is absolutely delicious!
Nachos
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, lay out tortilla chips across a baking sheet.Cover until you can't see the baking sheet any longer. They should be touching, but not overlapping too much. You really just want to be able to add toppings to every chip without it getting too much on the baking sheet!Exactly how much chips you use is largely a matter of personal preference as well. I've never sat there carefully measuring chips! Roughly two handfuls usually equates to about a serving. I tend to cook far more than I actually need, though. So, as always, adjust to personal preference!
Spread toppings evenly across the tortilla chips.This acts largely like refried beans would in a typical nacho recipe. You can either spread across each of the chips or just drop little dollops across the chips.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the chips begin to toast.
Serve
Once the nachos are done cooking, remove from the oven and top with avocado dip, hot sauce, and a dash of salt and pepper.
Serve immediately. Once the nachos begin to cool down, the tortilla chips will absorb too much moisture and soften. Once this happens, there isn't a lot that you can do to crisp them up again!
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
For a more in-depth article on nachos, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Nachos. I make suggestions on settling the microwave vs. oven debate and give suggestions on serving size, topping order, and potential reheating tips and tricks.
This Page Contains Edited Images
As a general rule, I don't like to edit images. Food styling, editing, alteration, and even faking entirely is just as rampant a problem in the recipe realm. Cooking is a very visual art and you can tell when a lot of foods are cooked based on the color. So, when this is altered and you can't use the coloration as a gauge, it makes it quite difficult to follow some recipes. I have an entire article about Food Styling and Unrealistic Expectations of Recipes. My place has very warm lighting, though. So, sometimes my camera overcompensates and ends up with an unnatural hues. I've adjusted the hues, levels, and/or cropped the following images:
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