Not yo' regular Nachos (a healthier version)

These nachos have become a monthly staple (sometimes more than that), in our household and Im not even a little bit sad about it. Yes, they are topped with cheese- but remember that 80/20 rule I talked about? That's the 20. Even though they are topped with cheese, I still consider these a meal that I don't feel horrible eating once or twice a month because they are LOADED with veggies and use a base of lean ground turkey instead of beef. Trust me on this, you may think that using ground turkey instead of beef will totally change the way your nachos taste, but it doesn't...not even one bit. Actually, after adding the totally spicy and amazing homemade seasoning I promise that even your more picky eaters (ah'hem...my husband) won't even know the difference. The other thing I love about this recipe is that I can feel good serving it using my homemade taco seasoning because there are no preservatives and in my opinion it tastes a million times better.

This recipe is sure to please everyone in your family and the best part about it is that you can kind of just use up whatever veggies you have on hand when you throw this quick and easy recipe together. Using the recipe below, you can substitute any colour of pepper for what you have on hand (like if you don't have yellow or red, use 2 green, or 2 yellow or 2 red or a mix of whatever) You also don't have to use cherry tomatoes,  you can use whatever tomatoes you have. The reason I like cherry tomatoes for this recipe is that I find that the nachos stay more crispy because the tomatoes are not so juicy so they don't make the chips soggy when they are baking.

One thing that I will say about the recipe is that you should definitely use corn tortilla chips. I have done them with flour tortilla chips and they just don't taste the same (that being said, if you have a corn allergy, then substituting flour chips will work-they just seem to not stay so crunchy as you bake them).

Recipe:
1 lb ground turkey
1 bag corn tortilla chips
1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium yellow, white or spanish onion, chopped
2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped (optional- but I like it spicy)
1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 and 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (you can use more or less, depending on how cheesy you want your nachos)
2 tbsp olive oil (for sauteeing your meat/veggies)
taco seasoning- see the recipe that I used below

Recipe: Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all spices together in a bowl and its ready to use. Voila- easy as that.

*Note- you can easily double or triple this recipe and store in an airtight jar for future use. The recipe above is what I used to season 1 batch of my nacho topping.

Instructions: preheat your oven to 375 degrees before getting started 

1) In a sautee pan add olive oil and cook ground turkey with peppers and onions on med-high heat until meat is cooked and veggies are soft. While this is cooking you can make your taco seasoning and slice your tomatoes in half.

Pre taco seasoning

2) Once the meat/veggies are cooked, its time to add your taco seasoning. Once you add your taco seasoning, add about 1/4-1/2 cups of water so that the meat stays nice and moist. Start by adding 1/4 cup and go from there.

3) Cook on low for about 10 more minutes just to give the meat and veggies time to adsorb all the flavour and make sure everything is mixed well.


4) While you are letting your meat get all flavorful and delicious, line a baking tray with foil (you don't have to do this- but who likes cleaning a baking tray). Layer chips evenly on your baking tray.

With Yummy taco seasoning

5) Add 1/2 of the meat/veggie mixture to the nacho chips and sprinkle with 1/2 the shredded cheese and 1/2 of the tomatoes.

6) Add another layer of chips on top of the first layer and then add the rest of your tomatoes and cheese.

7) Put your nachos into the 375 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes until cheese is melty and the top starts to get browned. (Keep an eye, because some ovens may be hotter than others even when at the same temperature)

8) Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole. (or all 3)