Catfish Out of Water

I made nachos the other day that are virtually identical to these. After all, I name all of my recipes after the ingredients in them. This makes it easier to find what you're looking for and cuts down on the flowery language that serves only as window dressing in food blogs. So, when you see something named Nachos w/ Calabaza Squash, Rice, & Avocados? It's going to be incredibly similar to Nachos w/ Calabaza Squash, Black Beans, & Rice!

The only difference between these recipes is the addition of Black Beans w/ Calabaza Squash. Otherwise, both consist of Roasted Calabaza Squash Purée, Brown Rice w/ Ambercup Squash & Red Chilis, Avocado Dip w/ Japanese Eggplant & Tahini, and Enchilada Sauce w/ Thai Chilis & Cherry Tomatoes.

Nachos are a great way to mix and match what you have on hand, though. They're one of my favorite ways to utilize leftovers. Nachos are a quick and easy meal. I don't think that I've ever spent all day cooking with the specific intention of making nachos with everything that I make? But I absolutely have, at the end of a long day, been quite excited about a bag of corn tortillas, a hoard of leftovers, and a block of cheese.

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Variations of Squash Nachos

Squash is one of my favorite things to put on nachos. There's something so rich and creamy about them that instantly elevates if the most benign of dishes. I even have more than one type of squash in this recipe, with ambercup squash in the rice, calabaza squash in the black beans, and a heaping dose of extra calabaza squash for good measure!

Nachos w/ Calabaza Squash, Black Beans, & Rice

These squash nachos consist of homemade black beans with calabaza squash, brown rice with ambercup squash, avocado dip with Japanese eggplant, and enchilada sauce with homegrown Thai chilis and cherry tomatoes. This might sound like a ragtag group of ingredients! But for me that's what nachos are for. Taking absolutely everything leftover in the refrigerator and making something absolutely delicious out of it.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Latin American, Mexican

Servings 2 servings

Equipment

• Baking Sheet
• Oven

Ingredients

  

Black Beans

• 1 ½ c. calabaza squash roasted & puréed
• 1 lbs. black beans ~2 cups
• 10 red chilis minced
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 shallots minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. pepper
• 2 tsp. coriander
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lemon juiced
• 4 c. water

Brown Rice

• 1/2 c. ambercup squash
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 red onion
• 3 medium tomatoes (or 2 large tomatoes)
• 2 chili peppers
• 1 lime juiced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• dash cumin
• dash coriander
• dash cayenne pepper
• dash salt
• dash pepper
• 1 c. brown rice
• 2 ½ c. water

Calabaza Squash

• 1 calabaza squash roasted & puréed

Avocado Dip

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

Enchilada Sauce

• 12 Thai chilis
• 20 cherry tomatoes (or 2 large tomatoes)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 tsp. cumin
• dash salt
• dash pepper
• 3 c. water

Nachos

• ~1/3 c. black beans
• ~1/3 c. brown rice
• ~1/3 c. calabaza squash
• ~2 handfulls tortilla chips
• 1/2 c. cheddar cheese
• 1/8 c. queso fresco
• 1/3 c. avocado dip (optional, omit or substitute sour cream)
• dollop enchilada sauce (optional)

Instructions

 

Prepare Ingredients

• Slow Cooker Black Beans take 8 hours to cook. I recommend starting it the night before so that it cooks overnight or in the morning before going to work so that it's ready when you get home. It's also a good quick and easy recipe to start ahead of time and reheat later on.
• Cook Brown Rice w/ Ambercup Squash & Red Chilis. 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 used Roasted Calabaza Squash in this recipe. This takes a couple of hours and requires a calabaza (or other squash or pumpkin of choice) as well as aluminum foil and a baking dish.
• I topped this with Avocado Dip w/ Japanese Eggplant & Tahini. 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!
• For the hot sauce on this, I used Enchilada Sauce w/ Red Chilis & Cherry Tomatoes. These recipes take less than an hour and require an air fryer and a large pot on the stove. You can easily substitute your own salsa or hot sauce of choice. But I am quite fond of making it from scratch!

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 the black beans, brown rice, and calabaza squash evenly across the tortilla chips.
• Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and crumbled queso fresco.
• Bake for 15 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 avocado dip and enchilada 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 more information on puréeing the squash, I also have an entire article on The Fundamentals of Roasted Calabaza Squash.
• I also have an entire article on The Fundamentals of Making Nachos with suggestions on settling the microwave vs. oven debate and give tips on serving size, topping order, and potential ways of reheating.