I tried my hand at the Dutch Oven Instant Pot for the first time the other day with Instant Pot Dutch Oven Lentils w/ Cauliflower & Tahini (this is NOT sponsored). While I'm not quite convinced that this is a worthwhile investment? I'm pretty fond of a shiny new red Dutch oven and it did come with some rather nice red and black spatulas. Seeing as I've already spent more than I did on the Dutch Oven Instant Pot than I have on spatulas that I like, it's probably not the worst investment! But we'll see. Although I am fond of these Lentils Nachos.
Lentils go surprisingly well with nachos. They have a similar taste and texture to refried beans. I'm obviously going for a slightly different flavor profile with this iteration. Although I'm quite fond of substituting for refried beans. Not that I don't enjoy them and definitely do make them on occasion! But Refried Beans take hours to make. Whereas lentils are a softer legume and can be ready in as little as 45 minutes. If you're looking for nachos in a pinch, I recommend dried over canned beans any day! They're going to be much more flavorful and give you an opportunity to add as much spice as you want.
Nachos w/ Red Lentils, Cauliflower, Carrots, & Tahini
These Lentils Nachos consist of cauliflower, carrots, yellow onion, ginger, tahini, honey, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, allspice, cloves, and red lentils with white cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt, and hot sauce. Although you can easily mix and match your own leftovers or favorite nacho flavor profiles. I tend to turn everything lying around in my pantry and refrigerator into nachos and burritos. They're a great way to utilize anything and everything that you have on hand. It's the quintessential disparate ingredient recipe for a surprisingly cohesive dish.
I used leftover Instant Pot Dutch Oven Lentils w/ Cauliflower & Tahini for this recipe. It takes about 4 hours to cook. I used an Instant Pot Dutch Oven; although you can also use a regular Dutch oven, crock pot, or a large rice cooker, in a pinch.
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 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 Greek yogurt or sour cream and hot sauce of choice.
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.
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