Nachos w/ Brown Rice, Black Beans, & Lettuce
These black bean nachos consist of homemade black beans, ambercup squash brown rice, Greek yogurt avocado dip, and red chili enchilada sauce. You can easily mix and match in your own versions of rice and beans. But I am particularly fond of this recipe because it utilizes a lot of fresh produce that I grew in my own garden.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Oven
Ingredients
Black Beans
- 1 lbs. black beans ~2 cups
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 red onion minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. pepper
- 2 tsp. coriander
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 limes juiced
- 5 c. water
Brown Rice
- 1/2 c. ambercup squash
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 red onion
- 3 medium 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
- 3 bay leaves
Enchilada Sauce
- 20 red 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
Avocado Dip
- 3 avocados
- 3 red chilis
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 limes
- 2 tbsp. tahini
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- dash salt
- dash pepper
- 3/4 c. Greek yogurt
Nachos
- ~1/3 c. black beans
- ~1/3 c. brown rice
- ~2 handfulls tortilla chips
- 1/2 c. cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 c. lettuce shredded
- 1/3 c. avocado dip
- dollop enchilada sauce
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- This Slow Cooker Black Beans recipe takes 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.
- 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!
- I also topped these nachos with Avocado Dip w/ Greek Yogurt & Red Chilis. 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 beans and rice evenly across the tortilla chips.
- Sprinkle with 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, 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 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.