Deconstructed Skillet Nachos

A thousand apologies for abandoning you all week, but oh my gosh, selling a house is a huge time suck!!! Not that I’m complaining or anything (ha!) but I have done more painting, cleaning and furniture schlepping to last a lifetime and I am so happy to get back to you, my foodie friends! Thanks for sticking with me! Fingers crossed it sells quickly and we can get back to being our slightly messy and un-OCD selves!!

Now, let’s talk Super Bowl Sunday! I am so excited!! Can’t wait! Now remind me who’s playing-lol! Seriously, to me it really doesn’t matter—I’m just in it for the excuse to make and indulge in yummy fun food!

Now, I know it’s kinda last minute and you probably already have your menu all planned for tomorrow, but just in case you don’t, I’ve got this wonderful and easy skillet nacho dish that would make any amount of time you spend watching football exponentially better!

That’s because it:

A) Comes together easily and quickly in one pan which also doubles as the serving vessel, resulting in less clean up.

B) Is spicy, cheesy, beefy and addictively delicious

And

C) Is perfectly scoop-upable with taco chips—need I say more?!!

I promise you’re going to love it!

Hope you have a great weekend and may the best team win, whoever they are!

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Deconstructed Skillet Nachos

Makes at least 6 servings

Prep Time: 35-40 minutes but much of this is hands-free

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

• 2 pounds ground beef

• 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• Pinch of red pepper flakes

• One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with juices

• 1 ½ cups frozen corn

• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used a mix of Monterey Jack and Cheddar)

• 2-3 scallions chopped for garnish (optional)

• Plenty of sturdy tortilla chips, for serving

The Recipe

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large heavyweight skillet (cast iron works well here if you have it.) Add the onion, red pepper and jalapeño to the pan and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until veggies have softened. Add the ground beef and cook for about 10-12 minutes, breaking the clumps of meat apart so that all of it gets evenly browned. Add chili powder, salt garlic powder and red pepper flakes and mix well to combine. Add in diced tomatoes, corn, and black beans and stir well. Bring mixture to a simmer and then lower heat and let simmer for another 10 minutes or so until the liquid in the skillet reduces a little.

2. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and cover the pan. Turn off the heat and let the cheese melt for a few minutes.

3. Uncover and sprinkle with the scallions if using. Serve immediately from the skillet (careful, it’s hot) with plenty of taco chips and any other toppings like salsa, guacamole, sour cream etc.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from What’s Gaby Cooking by Gaby Dalkin. I tinkered a lot with this—just used it more as a jumping off point. It’s extremely versatile and flexible.