• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

HealthyHappyLife.com logo

  • recipes
  • about
  • cookbooks
  • shop
  • video
  • lifestyle
  • blogging
menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes
  • about
  • cookbooks
  • lifestyle
  • videos
  • shop
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • recipes
    • about
    • cookbooks
    • lifestyle
    • videos
    • shop
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » This and That » Eat Nachos Again! Healthy. Vegan. Party-Approved.

    by Kathy Patalsky · updated: Sep 13, 2019 · published: Jun 25, 2009 · About 4 minutes to read this article. Leave a Comment

    Eat Nachos Again! Healthy. Vegan. Party-Approved.

    I still remember my first knock-out plate of nachos. Crisp, chewy and brown-burnt edged chips smothered in gobs of white and orange melted cheese. Beans, sour cream, diced veggies, jalapeno circles and salsa. Heavenly. But not healthy. Until now. Eat Nachos again! Learn how to cut out 5.5g of saturated fat per ounce of cheese and create a plate of party nachos you can feel good about…

    Healthy Nacho Keys:
    *load up on the beans! Choose fat-free refried black beans. Protein and fiber-rich
    *Use fresh veggies and jalapenos. Can canned.
    *Load up on the ‘veggie mixture’ topping.
    *Spicy is good for you! Go spicy.
    *Use spices and herbs like cilantro and cumin to add flavor (rather than added fat from sour cream, oil or more cheese.)
    *Use a mix of baked/traditional chips. (The more baked the better)
    *Use vegan cheese.
    *Add healthy sides like fat-free salsa and healthy avocado slices (or guacamole)

    Lift Your Nacho Ban. If you are a healthy eating devotee, you’ve probably pushed the party, ballpark, snack-worthy food Nachos out of your culinary spectrum. But hold your jalapenos! Nachos aren’t all bad! The beans and spicy veggies give this dish good-for-you potential. Improve the chips, add a lot more of the healthy veggies and upgrade the cheese to a vegan version and you are in nacho business! FYI, vegan cheese has 5.5g less saturated fat per ounce than traditional cheese! Discover my recipe for fast, friendly, fun and furiously delicious Vegan Nachos.

    Who invented nachos?
    It is said that in 1943, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, invented nachos. He lived in Mexico, not far from the Texas border. He used a Tostada, cheese and a few jalapenos. But that was it! Then in 1977 Frank Liberto, A Texas resident, changed up the recipe to use chips. But wow, nachos sure have evolved since then. Why not continue the evolution….

    Nachos. Circa 1980. In the past, nachos have consisted of fried chips, thin greasy neon-orange cheese and sliced jalapenos-sometimes canned. More gourmet versions have included blue corn or gourmet style tortilla chips, piles of an exotic variety of cheeses, beans, sour cream, rice, cilantro and a variety of veggie toppings including onions and tomatoes. Not a ‘healthy’ food, and definitely not vegan. Until now…

    Healthy Nachos. My healthier nachos use a mix of traditional and low-fat chips. They use a large serving of protein and fiber-rich black beans (the vegan, fat-free kind), lots of fresh-chopped veggies, spicy fresh jalapenos and the big kicker is changing up the traditional cheese for some vegan cheese!

    Cheese vs. Vegan Cheese Comparison
    per one ounce
    Vegan Cheese (Follow Your Heart Brand): 80 calories, 8g fat, 0.5g saturated fat
    Traditional Cheddar Cheese: 113 calories, 9 g fat, 6g saturated fat.

    Lets get to it, here is my recipe for Healthy Vegan Party Nachos:


    Vegan Party Nachos
    vegan, makes one big plate

    1 cup restaurant style tortilla chips
    1 cup baked tortilla chips or oven-baked tortilla strips
    *low salt is preferred
    ¾ cup canned black refried beans, vegan/fat-free
    2 tablespoon black olive slices
    1 fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced into circles
    cheese mixture:
    ⅓ cup vegan cheddar cheese
    2 tablespoon Monterey Jack cheese
    *I use the Follow Your Heart brand
    ½ sweet onion, diced
    1 small tomato, diced
    2 tablespoon olive oil
    1 tablespoon cumin powder
    1 lime, juiced
    pinch of salt and black pepper
    olive oil spray
    garnish: cilantro or parsley, chopped
    4 orange slices

    optional: chopped spinach, sliced mushrooms, side of fresh chopped avocados soaked in citrus juice and black pepper.

    Directions:

    Veggie mix:
    In a medium bowl, combine diced tomatoes, diced onions, cumin powder, olive oil, lime juice and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Toss gently to coat the veggies. Set aside.

    Line a casserole dish with parchment paper or foil.
    Spray with olive oil spray.
    Lay a handful of chips on bottom of dish.
    Next, empty beans into microwave-safe dish.
    Heat refried beans in microwave for one minute-to warm them.
    Now take your remaining chips and spread 1 teaspoon of beans on each chip, then layer them in the casserole dish.
    Grate the cheese.
    Sprinkle ¾ of your cheese mixture on top of the chips.
    Next, spoon about ½ cup of the veggie mixture on top of the cheese and chips.
    Then add your remaining cheese to the top of that.
    Add your olives and jalapeno slices to the top layer of cheese.
    Spray entire nacho dish with olive oil spray (this will assist in browning the cheese and chips)
    Now place your nachos of the top rack of your oven.
    Broil them on high for about ten minutes-or until the chip ends are toasty brown and some of the cheese has bubbled brown as well.
    Remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes.
    While the nachos cool, prep your serving plate.
    Place 4 orange slice circles and 4 lime wedges on the dish.
    (See image)
    Finally, with a large spatula, transfer the nachos onto the serving plate.
    Serve warm.
    Serve any leftover beans or veggies in side dish bowls.
    You can also serve with some spicy salsa or guacamole.


    More This and That

    • Mother’s Day 2021
    • The Other Side of the Pandemic: Grandparents, Anxiety & Hope
    • so delicious mousse
      Taste Test: New So Delicious Mousse
    • Rainbow Smoothies
      Vitamix Giveaway!

    About Kathy Patalsky

    Hey there! I'm Kathy, lover of kitty cats, weekend baking, 90's movies, travel, beach fog and foamy lattes. Since 2007, I have been sharing my vegan recipes and photos. My goal is to make your cooking life a little easier, delicious - and plant-loaded - while sharing some LIFE and conversation along the way.

    10 Back to Work Tips for Moms

    Vegan Dining at Disneyland – 2023 – Complete List!

    Chill Your Way to Better Health? Exploring Cold Plunge Therapy

    Mini Chocolate Candy Cookies

    Primary Sidebar

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    my cookbooks

    my cookbooks

    about kathy

    kathy patalsky
    • 10 Back to Work Tips for Moms
    • Vegan Dining at Disneyland – 2023 – Complete List!
    • Chill Your Way to Better Health? Exploring Cold Plunge Therapy
    • Mini Chocolate Candy Cookies
    • Garage to ADU Conversion: Making of a Studio!

    summer fave: sweet potato veggie burgers

    sweet potato veggie burger

    browse recipes

    Breakfast  |  Entrees  |  Desserts  |  Smoothies  |  Sandwiches  |  Salads  |  Beverages  |  Soups |  Appetizers |  Snacks  |  Sauces  |  Sides   /  Cooking Videos  |  Round-Ups  |  Fan Favorites  |  Holiday  /  All the Recipes

    Disqus Latest Comments

    1. s

      s: Absolutely one of the best things I've ever baked. Used dairy butter…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    2. JanetS

      JanetS: Neither of those non-grain flours will substitute for oats or wheat. As…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    3. disqus_LfP7ofaP87

      disqus_LfP7ofaP87: Earth Balance brand HAS PALM OIL, as do most of the vegan…

      Commented on: Sticky Banana Bread Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

    browse:

    • reviews
    • travel
    • vegan topics
    • people
    • videos
    • beauty
    • wellness
    • Mom Life

    my ttc + baby journey

    Trending

    • 10 Back to Work Tips for Moms

    Hi, I'm Skylar! This is a fake profile talking about how I switched to a paleo diet and it helped my eczema and I grew 4". Trust me, I'm an online doctor.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • 10 Back to Work Tips for Moms
    • Vegan Dining at Disneyland – 2023 – Complete List!
    • Chill Your Way to Better Health? Exploring Cold Plunge Therapy
    • Mini Chocolate Candy Cookies

    You can duplicate your homepage's trending recipes section in the sidebar to reinforce the internal linking.

    We no longer recommend using a search bar, newsletter form or category drop-down menu in the sidebar. See the Modern Sidebar post for details.

    If the block editor is not narrower than usual, simply save the page and refresh it.

    Footer

    BROWSE BY:

    Category:

    DATE:

    looking for something?

    contact   |   about   |   kathy’s cookbooks  |  press  |  findingvegan  |  meal plans  |  shop  |  vegan recipe index  |  privacy policy  | start a blog

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    © 2023, polished dc LLC – healthyhappylife.com

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Services | Work with me