You can feel good about having these Healthy Nachos for dinner!
I recently read an article about food blog trends that should end in 2014. I chuckled my way through it, agreeing with most of the author’s points, until I got to the part about “healthifying” recipes. Now, I will certainly agree that “healthifying” isn’t a word. In fact, I’m not personally in favor of a lot of cute words in my field like foodie, blogiversary, and others. However, I can’t agree that it’s wrong to make a recipe more healthy! It’s true that moderation is key, and most of us should allow ourselves to enjoy buttery cookies or big fat burgers on occasion. The trouble is, I don’t want to save cookies and nachos for special occasions. I want to eat them somewhat regularly, and in order to do that, I need to make them less bad for me! You can’t convince me that anything is wrong with that. On that note, I bring you these Veggie Loaded Healthy Nachos. This recipe is really simple to make. Just add a couple diced vegetables to boldly-spiced taco meat, spread it over reduced-fat chips, and top with a modest amount of cheese. Dinner is served! I expected to get my husband to eat the vegetable additions without too much fuss, but he actually thought the zucchini made the nachos better! You could also add corn or rinsed and drained black beans to this. The more vitamins and fiber the merrier, so get creative!
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Veggie Loaded Healthy Nachos
This boldly spiced meat loaded with vegetables makes for a healthy and delicious take on nachos!
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 16–20 oz. ground turkey
- 1 zucchini diced into 1/2” pieces
- 1 orange bell pepper diced into 1/2” pieces
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder substitute 1/4 cup diced onion if preferred
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1 bag reduced-fat tortilla chips
- 2 c. 2% milk Mexican blend cheese
- salsa optional
- reduced-fat sour cream optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, zucchini, bell pepper, and all spices. Stir to combine and saute, stirring frequently, until meat is cooked through and bell pepper is tender.
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Meanwhile, arrange chips in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil. (There will be enough meat to make two pans of nachos, which will feed 5-6 people a dinner-sized portion.)
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Evenly sprinkle meat mixture over chips, then sprinkle cheese over the meat. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve with salsa and sour cream if desired.
Notes
This recipe is written to make two pans of nachos, but you can reduce the amount of chips and cheese to make one pan, which will serve about three people for dinner. This will leave you with leftover meat, which makes great taco salad!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Mexican
If you find yourself with leftover taco meat from this recipe, how about trying this Cheesy Mexican Dip?
Dalene says
looks yummy! Gonna try this soon.
★★★★★
Andi Gleeson says
Thanks, Dalene! I hope you like the recipe :)
WANDA says
THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT RECIPES. I HAVE ENJOYED MANY OF THEM.
I AM MAKING THE VEGGIE NACHOS TO TAKE TO MY DAUGHTERS ON
SUNDAY. ALSO YOUR CHEESY MEXICAN DIP. I AM SURE EVERY ONE WILL
BE HAPPY TO SEE ME.
Andi says
I hope the recipes went over well, Wanda. I love that cheesy Mexican dip!! Thank you :)
WANDA LE BEAU says
I LOVE YOUR RECIPES. I AM TRYING TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT THAT I GAINED LAST YEAR.
MY SON DIED SUDDENLY, ALL I DID WAS COOK & EAT.
I COOKED FOR HIM ALL THE TIME. I AM GETTING BETTER BUT, NOW I HAVE TO WATCH IT.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE LIGHTER RECIPES.
Andi says
I am so sorry to hear of your loss, Wanda. I can’t imagine how hard that must be for you. Take care, and good luck with your weight loss.
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
I read you bio. Let’s hear it for a glass of wine and now and again. Plus I am so with you about wanting dishes like nachos more often, but not wanting the guilt and the extra fat cells yammering at me. Well done makeover.
Andi says
Thank you, Carol! Extra fat cells yammer at me way too much as it is ;) Thank you so much for your visit and nice comment. It’s great to connect with you!
Clarissa Hooper says
Man these look delicious, but I need a vegetarian friendly snack.
Andi says
Hi, Clarissa. Sorry if that name was misleading! You could make these with crumbled soy instead of turkey I bet, or this layered taco dip would be easy to make with sauteed vegetables instead of chicken. For that check out this article. Thanks so much for stopping by :)
Amanda says
These look so good!! I will have to try them!
Amanda // Happily Ever After
Andi says
Thank you, Amanda! Nice to connect with you :)
Deb@CookingOnTheFrontBurner says
Nice twist on healthier nachos Andi! Love the ingredients you selected.
Andi says
Thanks, Deb! Have a great weekend :)
marcie@flavorthemoments says
I’m with you — I think making dishes more healthy is a good thing. I understand moderation, but some of us don’t need our food super rich and buttery to think it tastes good! These nachos look so flavorful and delicious, and my family would devour them! Great job, Andi. :)
Andi says
Exactly, Marcie! If I can enjoy a food just as much and have it be better for me, then I’m all for that! Thanks so much for your sweet comment :)
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
I totally agree with you. Plus, I’m always torn when to say something is truly healthy because everyone has their own definition of it. Healthier….well, that kinda gets my point across.
I’m totally digging this nacho dish. I love that I can enjoy it and not feel guilty. The 5 cookies I have afterwords…that’s another story. ;)
Andi says
I know what you mean, Tina! It’s hard for me to call a cookie recipe “healthy” even if it’s better for you than the original version. I think “healthier” is the way to go.
I’m pretty sure “everything in moderation” means eating five cookies after a healthy dinner ;)
LFFL says
I haven’t had nachos in SO long. These look so tempting to make and the ingredient list makes you want to dive right into it. Great pictures!
Andi says
Thanks so much! You should make nachos soon for sure. They are one of my favorite things! Thanks for stopping by :)
Kelly says
I can always go for nachos, agreed that everything in moderation is key :) Love your veggie loaded version, it looks amazing Andi!
Andi says
Thank you, Kelly! I hope you are having a good week :)
Jen @ Yummy Healthy Easy says
WANT!!!! I don’t make nachos nearly enough. These look so good and I love the added veggies! Yummy, Andi!
★★★★★
Andi says
Haha, I may make nachos TOO often, Jen! I don’t feel too bad about this version though. I know you love taco seasoning, so I’m sure you will like these :)
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes says
You can never go wrong with nachos! I love that you have made them healthier – I’m sure my family wouldn’t even mind! Btw, I am so guilty of using so many of those cute words! Ha!
Andi says
Thanks, Jamie! I’m glad you like the recipe. I’m not really one to talk about cute words when the title of this post includes the word “veggie.” ;)
Krystle(Baking Beauty) says
I agree that I want to eat things like nachos everyday. Life is way too short to eat boring food.
Thanks for the healthy makeover.
★★★★★
Andi says
You are speaking my language, Krystle! I don’t want to eat boring food, but I know I need to eat reasonably healthy too. Thanks so much for stopping by!