Potato chip nachos. Yep, you read that right. Recently, I was craving nachos but had no tortilla chips in the house. What I did however have was potato chips. So I figured why not. And that’s when it happened; with that simple substitution I may have changed the way I eat nachos forever. No joke, potato chip nachos are that good.
By now you probably know that nachos are one of my favorite meals to make. Over the past few years I’ve shared recipes for every kind of nacho you can imagine: classic, breakfast, jambalya, sweet potato and even Nashville hot chicken nachos. If theres a way to make nachos, I’ve made it. So to be honest I’m kind of shocked I didn’t stumble upon this potato chip switch up earlier.
Why are potato chip nachos so good? They’re so dang good because of the crunch. When trying out this recipe it will all boil down to the crunch achieved and the type of potato chip you use. Therefore, I opted for kettle chips so they would hold up and not get soggy when topped and while baking.
Like all of my nachos, this recipe calls for a mix of warm and cool toppings which I believe allows for the perfect bite. The other reason these potato chip nachos are so good is I kept the toppings simple. You really want to let that salty, crunchy, potato chip be the star so try to stick with more of a classic nacho topping and make sure not to over layer them.
Finally I baked the nachos in my cast iron skillet which made the nachos super easy to contain while baking and serving. Pro tip; before building your nachos layer parchment paper on the bottom of the skillet so it just comes over the side for super easy cleanup.
So that’s my pitch for the potato chip. And as a result I may never go back to classic tortilla chip nachos again. I’ve shared the recipe below, and please let me know and tag me if you try potato chip nachos out as I’d love to know what you thought! Truly, MKR
- 1-2 bags of kettle chips or any thick potato chip (I used sea salt kettle chips)
- 1 block of organic cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 can organic pinto beans, drained
- 1 bunch of green onions, chopped and set aside
- 1 green pepper, chopped and set aside.
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped and set aside
- 1 Jalepeno finely diced
- 1 handful of cilantro, finely diced/chopped
- salsas of your choice
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Take your skillet or sheet pan and layer potato chips evenly. Cover with cheese, pinto beans, and jalepenos.
- Bake until cheese is completely melted, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top with green onions, green pepper and tomatoes. Serve with salsas on the side and enjoy.