Catfish Out of Water

The other day I made Vermicelli Salad w/ Avocado, Cucumber, & Tomato and Avocado Dip w/ Tahini & Lemon. I still have a plethora of both in my refrigerator! And, while my go-to is ordinarily burritos. Which I absolutely have been making en masse this week. But one of my guilty pleasures is absolutely nachos. And, while vermicelli nachos are absolutely not something that I have ever seen before! Why not?

My culinary motto is: use what you have on hand and make absolutely delicious food. It's that simple. I don't count calories; I don't diet; I don't worry about eating "healthy;" I really just want fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, avoid processed ingredients; and I grow as produce much produce as I can for myself.

I will occasionally talk about certain foods as being "junk" food and "splurge" foods. Which in my world pretty much means anything with absolutely no nutritional value. Usually in reference to cheese. Because I don't need cheese. I've never tried to make cheese. And if I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life? It would absolutely probably be cheese. And maybe avocados. And pasta.

Nevertheless, we tend to think of nachos as being a party food and not a real meal. I am here to argue ever-so-slightly to the contrary. There are a whole plethora of gourmet nachos that are absolutely worth making! And not nearly that bad for you, regardless of how much cheese I indulge in here.

Gallery

Variations of Vermicelli Nachos

I am a big fan of tossing absolutely everything that I have leftover into burritos or nachos. They're a surprisingly versatile dish. I'm always amazed what you can toss on a pile of chips and bake with a bunch of cheese.

Nachos w/ Daikon Quinoa & Queso Fresco

Ethiopian Lentils & Sautéed Spinach Nachos

Nachos w/ Quinoa, Yellow Squash & Green Onions

Nachos w/ Vermicelli, Lettuce, & Avocado Dip

These vermicelli nachos are a fun fusion of vermicelli salad with fresh produce, shredded lettuce from the garden, and avocado dip. It's a fun take on nachos with a delicious mix of fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens. With just a dash of hot sauce. In this recipe, I used carrots, red bell peppers, tomatoes, English cucumbers, ginger, garlic, shallots, and avocados. Although you can easily mix and match your own favorite produce. I also topped it with avocado dip, which is essentially a cross between hummus and guacamole. Although either of those could be used as another sour cream substitute.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Italian, Japanese, Latin American, Mediterranean, Mexican

Servings 2 servings

Equipment

• Baking Sheet
• Oven

Ingredients

  

Vermicelli Salad

• 100 g. vermicelli
• 2 carrots diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 tomato diced
• 1/2 English cucumber (or 1 standard cucumber), diced
• 1 tbsp. ginger minced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 shallot minced
• 1 avocado diced
• 3 tbsp. tamari
• 3 tbsp. white rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp. tahini
• 1 lime juiced

Avocado Dip

• 3 avocados
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 lemons juiced
• 2 tbsp. tahini
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• dash salt
• dash pepper
• 3/4 c. Greek yogurt

Nachos

• 1/2 c. vermicelli salad
• ~2 handfulls tortilla chips
• 1/2 c. cheddar cheese
• 1/2 c. lettuce shredded
• 2 sprigs green onions chopped
• 1/3 c. avocado dip
• dollop hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

 

Prepare Ingredients

• This Vermicelli Salad w/ Avocado, Cucumber, & Tomato recipe requires a large bowl, large pot, skillet, stovetop, and paper towels. It takes about a 15 to toss together, most of which is spent cooking the vermicelli. As the rest of the salad is raw and simply mixed together.
• I also topped these nachos with Potluck Avocado Dip w/ Greek Yogurt & Walnuts. This is entirely optional. You can easily substitute sour cream, Greek yogurt, or omit 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!

Cook 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 vermicelli evenly across the tortilla chips.
• Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
• Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the chips begin to toast.
• Once the nachos are done cooking, remove from the oven and top with lettuce, green onions, avocado dip, and hot sauce.
• 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.