Better Than Going Out Nachos ~ Ultimate Recipe Swap

When we lived in the city, in our apartment with the tiny kitchen, we both worked. We both hated our kitchen and hated to cook in the hated kitchen. We went out to eat a lot. If we didn't go out to eat, we ordered take-out. Sure, sometimes I cooked, but after a long day at work, the other 2 options always seemed better.

Now that we live in our little house in the country, we only have one paycheck and a mortgage that is more than our rent was in the apartment. The kitchen in our home is not really any bigger than the hated apartment kitchen, the appliances are actually worse (older) than the ones in the apartment. BUT, this tiny kitchen with the really old appliances is OURS! So, we try to love it!

Love it or not, higher bills & less pay doesn't really allow for all of that going out to eat or ordering take out. So, we do what we can to try not to miss it so much. We try to copy meals that we would order when dining out or ordering in.

One of our favorites is Mexican food. Yum! And after that long intro about our hated apartment kitchen, it's a little funny that my husband came up with this meal on one of the rare nights that we actually cooked in that kitchen!

It was a long week and we just wanted to stay in, and didn't want take-out. We only had one chicken breast and were trying to come up with something that would stretch it, so that we could avoid going out.

Better Than Going Out Nachos

Ingredients:

Chicken breast*
sweet bell pepper, diced
onion, diced
canned chilis, drained
refried beans
black beans, drained
tortilla chips, again, we use Tostitos brand- Restaurant Style (Scoops work well too)
Brianna's Santa Fe Blend Dressing, or any type of Fajita sauce*
shredded cheese, cheddar, taco cheese or Mexican blend
sour cream
salsa of your choice, again, we use Tostitos brand

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat refried beans in microwave safe bowl until warm.
Saute chicken, bell pepper and onion in a small amount of the dressing or fajita sauce, as you would if you were using cooking oil. Don't let the veggies get too soft. Just before the chicken and veggies are finished cooking, add the black beans and heat until warm.
In a baking dish with sides, put down a layer of the chips, then layer with the refried beans, chicken/veggie/black bean mixture, more chips, more of the refried beans, more of the chicken mixture....you can just do one layer if you wish, or as may layers...sprinkle cheese and pop into the oven until the cheese is melted.
Top with sour cream and dig in...preferably on the sofa while watching a movie or football game! YUM!

*Notes:

• I didn't give measurements, since we just make this with whatever is on hand. Sometimes we have veggies that need to get used up before they turn to soup (not the good kind) in our veggie bin.


• We have made this with chicken, steak, or ground beef. Our favorite is with chicken.


• Sometimes the Brianna's dressing is difficult to find, especially the Santa Fe flavor. When I can't find it, I'll substitute with either a bottle of fajita sauce or a seasoning packet from the Mexican food section of the grocery store.

For more great recipes like this, head on over to the Ultimate Recipe Swap hosted by Life As Mom.

Also, be sure to check out the October Fest Carnival of Super Foods hosted by Katie at Kitchen Stewardship. October 1st is bean day!