Nacho Platter with Guacamole & Pico de Gallo

What I like about my nacho platter:

• spicy guacamole… roasted garlic & jalapeños are my signature
• fresh pico de gallo… a little bit of work, a whole lot of flavour.
• grilled hot Italian sausage… the spice & anise seed liven up every bite
• double smoked cheddar… adds depth to all the fresh toppings
• quality no salt/low salt tortilla chips… so I don’t swell up like the Goodyear blimp at halftime!

Ingredients

• 325 g/12 oz bag of no sodium coloured corn tortilla chips
• 325g/12 oz freshly grated smoked cheddar cheese (about 4 cups)

Fillings

• 1 hot Italian sausage – grilled and thinly sliced
• 2 fresh ears of corn (boiled and sliced off the cob)
• 2 jalapeños – thinly sliced
• 2 small plum tomatoes – seeds removed and diced
• 1/2 cup olives – sliced into rings – green, black or mixed
• 1/2 cup no sodium black beans – rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup marinated red onions (recipe below)

Toppings

• 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• Red bird’s eye chilies – slice in half, seeds removed (optional)

For Serving

• Spicy Guacamole (recipe below)
• Pico de Gallo (recipe below)
• Sour cream
• Hot sauce

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil. Spray lightly with cooking oil.

Pile half the chips on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle half each of the cheddar, jalapeños, corn, black beans, olives, onions, tomatoes and sausage. Create a second layer with the remaining chips, cheddar & fillings. Bake until the cheese is completely melted, about 7 minutes.

Serve the nachos on the hot sheet pan or transfer to a serving platter. Top with avocado, a few spoonfuls of Pico de Gallo, dollops of guacamole and sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve with guacamole, Pico de Gallo, sour cream & hot sauce.

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Spicy Guacamole

Spicy Guacamole with roasted garlic & jalapeños is my signature!

Ingredients

• 2 avocados
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tbsp chopped sweet onion
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 jalapeño (roasted, grilled or charred- skin removed), diced (seeds optional)
• 2 cloves of roasted garlic
• 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped (optional)

Preparation

• Place all ingredients into a mortar and pestle and mix to desired consistency
• Alternatively use a fork and bowl
• Or, toss all the pre-chopped ingredients (except the avocados and cilantro) in a food processor and blitz, then add the avocado & cilantro and process to desired consistency

Pico de Gallo

A little bit of work, a whole lot of flavour!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups tomatoes (seeded and diced)
• 1/2 cup red onion diced
• 1 tbsp jalapeno diced
• 1 tbsp garlic minced
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp cilantro (some reserved for garnish)
• Salt, pepper

Preparation

Mix all ingredients together. Garnish with reserved cilantro

Marinated Onions

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion
• ¾ cup Extra Virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano (oregano will do)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp lime juice

Preparation

Thinly slice the red onion and place in a shallow bowl.
In a mason jar, combine the olive oil, lime juice, oregano and chili powder and shake to combine well. Pour the mixture over the onions (make sure all the onions are covered).
Leave onions at room temperature for 3 – 6 hours

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In addition to this Nacho Platter with Guacamole & Pico de Gallo recipe, you can find more of my favourite game day snack recipes here.

What are your secrets to the best game day nacho platter? Leave a note in the comments below.