Ever have a craving for something you’ve had at a restaurant? Of course, we
all have.

Once when I went out for a date night with my wife, Alecia, we went to the very “romantic” destination called Moe’s Southwestern Grill. That’s not really the destination we had in mind, but we were strapped for time as we were walking to the theatre. Alecia had tickets to the Durham Performing Arts Center to take in a show. We had dressed up and were excited for a rare
night out for grownups.

Anyway, if you are familiar with Moe’s you probably realize that it’s anything but romantic. It’s just a fast food restaurant after all. I actually hadn’t thought about that evening out in quite awhile. Isn’t that something how a memorable meal can open memories that had been tucked away?

Nachos. Before I go any further, of course I had nachos that night. I had never eaten them at Moe’s before and was shocked by how much flavor they had on this particular night.

Layers of goodness. That’s what I remember.

Carnitas or chicken? I actually don’t remember that part. Maybe it’s because
I’m a vegetarian now. Any how there was house queso, topped with meat, beans,
peppers, cilantro, pico de gallo, guac, and sour cream.

Without the meat, that’s loosely what I have re-created here. Loaded Vegetarian Nachos. I
think you’ll find that these are much more delicious and healthier than any fast-food
joint can serve.

How to Make Loaded Vegetarian Nachos

In their simplest form, say bowling alley or ballpark nachos, this dish consists of crunchy corn tortilla chips topped with yellow nacho cheese or served with it on the side. And that’s okay for a snack. But to make it a substantial meal, it’s going to need toppings and lots of them.

So here’s a look at the toppings I chose for my version of nachos and how I prepared them. As always, make this yourself with my toppings and/or add your own and share in the comments!

Chips and Cheese

For this recipe, I used Santitas Totopos de Maiz tortilla chips. There are other chips that I prefer, but these really were good quality chips for this dish. I also used Herdez Queso de Salsa, a medium spice nacho cheese sauce which I really enjoyed. When heated, it really pours nicely over the chips.

Guacamole

No store brand guac can compare to a good, fresh batch made at home. Here’s how to make your own delicious guacamole.

Rinse all of your veggies briefly before cutting. This is just a good habit to get into to remove herbicides, pesticides, or any germs that may be on the surface. Fortunately, a quick rinse under cold water does wonders.

Avocados

When you get back to the cutting board, cut 3 ripe avocados in half with a pairing knife. For best results, cut along the largest diameter from top to bottom. This will expose the most avocado flesh and make it easier to remove.

When making guac, I like to cut avocados first in case one of them is bad. Then I can adjust my recipe or go buy another one.

Discard the big seed with a spoon by working around it until it pops out. Then work around the edges of the green and yellow flesh to separate from the peel. Discard the peel and the stem, and put avocado flesh in a small bowl. Smash the avocado with a fork (or potato smasher if you have one) until it is creamy. Leave some chunks if you prefer.

Red Onion

When cutting onions, remove the dry outer layers and discard. Sometimes a layer or two just seems tough or slimy (if it a little too ripe), so I remove that to get to the good stuff. I prefer to keep the root end on the onion while I’m cutting because it holds everything together.

Safety note: Remember to keep your fingers bent like claws to avoid injuring yourself. This should provide a good grip on the onion. Walk your fingers back as you make progress cutting toward the root.

With a Chef’s knife on a cutting board, cut the red onion in half. Start your dice carefully by cutting the onion both from the cut edge toward the root several times, with even spacing. Next cut across those slices so that small squares of onion fall to the cutting board. Finally, trim off and dice any onion remaining. Then discard the root. Set half of the diced onion aside for toppings. Add the other half to the smashed avocado.

Jalapenos

Safety note: Take care when cutting jalapenos by washing your hands frequently with warm soapy water and avoid touching your face. Don’t ask me how I know, but that sting in the eyes doesn’t feel too good.

To prep the jalapeno, I use the same knife and board. Slice the top off of the jalapeno. Then cut the pepper in half from top to bottom. Carefully, stand the pepper on its end and slice down to remove the seeds and white ribs. Discard the top, seeds, and ribs. Then lay the pepper on its side, then slice into 1/4″ strips. How many depends on the size of the pepper. Keep the strips together, and do a small dice.

Keep in mind that the inside is easier to cut, but the juices can irritate the skin. So wash your hands after this step, or wear food prep gloves.

When finished, add your diced jalapenos to the avocado smash. Dice the other half of the jalapeno if you want to top your nachos with it.

Cilantro, Cumin, Lime Juice

Any good guac needs some flavorful herbs. Cilantro is perfect for many Mexican dishes, and guacamole is no exception. Remove as much of the cilantro stems as you can. Then use a chef’s knife to do a fine chop. You want about a 1/4 cup for your guacamole. Discard the stems and then add the finely chopped cilantro to the avocado smash.

Next is a tip I picked up from Love & Lemons. Add 1/2 a teaspoon of cumin powder to the avocado smash. I love this because it adds a bit more complexity to the flavor of the guac.

Finally, add 2 tablespoons of lime juice, and some zest if you’ve got fresh fruit. This will help to preserve the avocado, keeping it nice and green. Of course, the lime also adds a citrus flavor too.

With a fork or spoon, mix the ingredients together until they are well blended. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Additional Toppings

I chose to chop up some red onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeno to add some flavor, nutrients and color to my nachos. Coupled with seasoned black beans and robust salsa, I think you’ll appreciate how layering the ingredients builds flavor and really makes this snack into a meal.

Onions and Peppers

If you’ve made the guac, then you already have the red onions diced and ready. If not, go back and check out the details above. You can also add your diced jalapenos.

You’ll want to deseed and dice the red bell pepper as well. Dicing a bell pepper is a bit different than a jalapeno though.

I like to start by cutting off the top and bottom. Trim the red parts away from the green stem. Then dice them up. Discard the stem. Trim any white parts away from the bottom, then dice it as well.

Next, core the pepper by cutting the white ribs that hold the seeds in place. Once removed, make a cut down the side of the red flesh. Now you should have one long rectangle of pepper to work with. Lay it out flat with the inside facing up. Proceed to make “match sticks” with vertical cuts about a 1/4″ apart all across the flesh. Press firmly so that you cut all the way through. Next, take 4-5 sticks and stack them so that the ends are even. Turn them so they lay horizontal. Then make 1/4″ cuts and the square pieces fall to the cutting board much like the red onion did before. Repeat with the remaining sticks of bell pepper.

Please let me know how your Loaded Vegetarian Nachos turn out in the comments below! I love hearing from you.

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