Nachos just might be the king of all party foods! People flip for them. Normally fat-laden, these layered and baked nachos use all skinny ingredients. I’m using reduced-fat ingredients such as tortilla chips, lean taco meat, cheese, and topping with my yummy, skinny ranch dressing. These are fantastic! One skinny serving has 207 calories and 5 grams fat.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef, I used 96%
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 (1 oz.) package taco seasonings mix, I like Lawry’s
- ⅔ cup water
- 7 ounces reduced-fat tortilla chips, (about 100 chips), see shopping tips
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (4 oz.) can Ortega fire-roasted diced green chiles, see shopping tips
- 1¼ cups salsa, I like Pace Chunky Salsa, medium-hot
- 1½ cups (6 ounces) reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
- 6 tablespoons The BEST Skinny Ranch Dressing (3 ingredients) or fat-free sour cream or Greek nonfat yogurt (plain)
- Tabasco Sauce, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large pan or skillet, cook ground beef with onions and garlic until meat is browned. Stir often. Pour cooked meat into a colander in the sink and drain off all excess fat. Add meat mixture back to the pan.
- Add taco seasoning, water, and mix well. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Place the tortilla chips evenly on a large ovenproof serving plate or baking sheet coated with a little cooking spray.
- Top the chips with ground beef mixture. Sprinkle beans evenly over the meat. Next, spoon over beans the fire-roasted chilies, and then salsa. Sprinkle the cheese all over the top.
- At this point, you can place it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.
- When ready to serve, bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 15 – 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the nachos are hot.
- Dollop with ranch dressing or sour cream and add a bit more salsa. If you really like food spicy, sprinkle a bit of Tabasco sauce over the top!
- Serve at once.
Notes
Makes 12 servings (each serving, 1/12 of recipe)
Food Facts
Nachos originated in the city of Piedras Negras, Mexico, just over the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. They were created in 1943 at a restaurant called the Victory Club. The story goes that some spouses of several U.S. soldiers from nearby Eagle Pass, who were in Piedras Negras on a shopping trip, arrived at the restaurant after it had closed for the day. Chef Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya invented a new dish for them with what little he had available in the kitchen: tortillas and cheese. Anaya cut the tortillas into triangles and fried them, then added yellow Wisconsin cheese.
Healthy Benefits
Just by taking the time to drain the fat after cooking the beef, cuts the calories and fat way down in this dish. The skinny facts include draining the facts. Black beans are rich in fiber and lean protein. Rinsing and draining them before adding them to recipes greatly reduces sodium. Salsa is made from tomatoes and is rich in heart-healthy lycopene and vitamin C. It also contains A and B vitamins and folate.
Shopping Tips
A can of fire-roasted chilies is sold in most supermarkets in the salsa section. Trader Joe’s sells their own brand too. There are many brands of reduced-fat tortilla chips available. I used Guiltless Gourmet, but I also like Trader Joe’s brand.
Vegetarian Tips
To make this recipe vegetarian, use Ives Meatless Ground in place of ground beef. It’s a soy-based product sold in most supermarkets, along with Trader Joe’s.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 5-Blue
WW SmartPoints 5-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 5
Food Facts
Nachos originated in the city of Piedras Negras, Mexico, just over the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. They were created in 1943 at a restaurant called the Victory Club. The story goes that some spouses of several U.S. soldiers from nearby Eagle Pass, who were in Piedras Negras on a shopping trip, arrived at the restaurant after it had closed for the day. Chef Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya invented a new dish for them with what little he had available in the kitchen: tortillas and cheese. Anaya cut the tortillas into triangles and fried them, then added yellow Wisconsin cheese.
Healthy Benefits
Just by taking the time to drain the fat after cooking the beef, cuts the calories and fat way down in this dish. The skinny facts include draining the facts. Black beans are rich in fiber and lean protein. Rinsing and draining them before adding them to recipes greatly reduces sodium. Salsa is made from tomatoes and is rich in heart-healthy lycopene and vitamin C. It also contains A and B vitamins and folate.
Shopping Tips
A can of fire-roasted chilies is sold in most supermarkets in the salsa section. Trader Joe’s sells their own brand too. There are many brands of reduced-fat tortilla chips available. I used Guiltless Gourmet, but I also like Trader Joe’s brand.
Vegetarian Tips
To make this recipe vegetarian, use Ives Meatless Ground in place of ground beef. It’s a soy-based product sold in most supermarkets, along with Trader Joe’s.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 5-Blue
WW SmartPoints 5-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 5
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 serving (1/12 of recipe) 207 calories, 5g fat, 2g sat. fat, 40mg chol, 19g protein, 24g carbs, 4g fiber, 420mg sodium, 1g sugar |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 1servingCalories: 207kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 19gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 420mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gBlue Smart Points: 5Green Smart Points: 5Plus Points: 5
