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When football season rolls around, my husband often reminds me that when we got married I promised to make him “game day” food on Sundays. Some of his favorites when we were dating included my homemade pizza dough, buffalo chicken bites and nachos. I mean who doesn’t love a giant plate platter of nachos? Fast forward over a decade later and “game day” food with four children needing me, has to be quick, to the point and kid friendly.
Last weekend I wanted to make nachos, but my kids seem to think that nachos are just chips with melted cheese – and I can’t blame them – I felt the same way at their age.
I wanted to make everyone their own personal nacho – because you can’t enjoy nachos when you have whiney kids complaining about jalapenos. I needed to make them and get it done quickly with as little mess as possible. My brain lit up – personal nachos made in itty bitty little aluminum pans.
So check this out – I used grill drip pans as personal nacho trays! Yes, my friends, you can fit four drip pans on a standard baking tray and bake them all at once – are you as amazed as I am?!
Grill drip pans can be purchased on amazon and they are actually on sale. But before you order them, you may want to check out local stores.
Let’s Make Nachos
All you have to do is preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place 4 grill drip pans on a standard baking sheet and begin to build your nachos.
My personal nachos have endless possibilities – think birthday parties, nacho night – heck you can put 12 in the oven at once if you use all three racks. I think this could be such a cute party theme Nacho Average Game Night, Nacho Average Birthday… ok you get it, I will stop now.
Everyone can build their own nacho, picking and choosing their favorite toppings.
As you can see my two older children selected the sophisticated chips and cheese layered on repeat. They did use some adorable fall leaf shaped chips from Trader Joe’s!
For Tony and I, I used thin and crispy restaurant style tortilla chips – we just love how crispy they are. Equally important to the chips are the toppings. I layered seasoned ground beef, black beans, Monterrey jack and cheddar cheeses and pickled jalapenos. The key to a perfectly ooey gooey nacho is to layer it, kind of like making a lasagna – adding toppings and cheese onto each layer of chips. I also highly recommend using some Monterrey jack cheese in your nachos because it melts so well.
Nacho Topping Ideas – Before You Bake
- Monterrey jack cheese, sharp cheddar cheese or queso fresco
- Pickled jalapenos or canned mild green chiles
- Black beans, pinto beans or refried beans
- Seasoned ground beef, turkey or soy crumbles
- Chopped chicken breast, steak or carnitas
- Fajita style peppers and onions
- Sliced black olives
Once your layers are complete. Pop the nachos in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. We like our cheese just as it begins to melt. Keep an eye on the nachos for your preferred level of melty cheese. When you have reached nacho nirvana, carefully remove baking sheet with oven mitts and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Now, you could eat them just as they are and they will be super tasty. But equally important to the nacho perfection are the toppings you put on after you bake. To make them even more delicious I topped ours with sour cream, diced tomatoes and avocado. Below are some other topping ideas.
So, what are you waiting for? Get your hands on some adorable mini grill pans and make your own personal nachos for your family and friends for this weekend’s games!
Nacho Topping Ideas – After You Bake
- Sour cream, Vegan sour cream
- Guacamole
- Chopped fresh avocado
- Chopped fresh tomatoes
- Chopped green onion
- Chopped fresh green peppers
- Shredded lettuce
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Salsa, salsa verde or taco sauce
