Who can resist a big plate of nachos? My son especially loves these loaded chicken nachos. He always dives right in. I myself find nachos hard to resist and sometimes they just hit the spot. Other times, I want to enjoy them, but really want to healthify them or add some veggies or just generally give them a bit of a makeover. And here we are. As we all know, sweet potatoes are incredibly versatile, as well as being super nutritious. Sweet potato toast took the internet by storm a few years ago, and it’s still a great gluten-free swap on regular bread to use for breakfast toast or even for piling on lunch items. So in that vein, today I’m making sweet potato nachos. They have a base of soft, tender sweet potato slices that are loaded up with all of our favorite nacho toppings and fixings. Each bite has a sweet and savory flavor, with plenty of cheesy goodness to hold it all in. They’re a great healthy appetizer or low-key dinner. Today’s dish also features one of my favorite combinations: sweet potatoes and black beans. Previously, I’ve shared sweet potato and black bean enchiladas, which I could eat for days and days and never get sick of. For a really quick and easy vegetarian dinner, I make this sweet potato, black bean and spinach saute. And this sweet potato and black bean chili is perfect for a cozy, hearty vegetarian meal. Such a good combo! OK, let’s get back to the nachos today and let’s get cooking. Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make sweet potato nachos. Just tryin’ to be helpful. If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
Sweet potatoes: I like using pretty large, round sweet potatoes for nachos so you get good sized slices. Also, be sure to slice them about ¼-inch thick so they are thin enough to cook through and get tender in the oven. Chicken: It helps to chop the chicken into pretty small pieces, so it scatters better over the sweet potatoes. You can use a rotisserie chicken or leftover baked or grilled chicken. You can also use Instant Pot shredded chicken or crock pot shredded chicken, just be sure it’s shredded or chopped in small pieces. Meat: You can skip the chicken if you want a vegetarian nacho, or you could sub pulled pork if you have some on hand. Or use cooked ground turkey or ground beef. Beans: Black beans are my favorite, but you could substitute pinto beans if you prefer. Cheese: I love using a Mexican blend cheese, but a sharp cheddar cheese would work too. You could also do a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese.
As written, this serves about 4 people, maybe 3 if you’re making it a full dinner and everyone is hungry. But of course, you can adjust the ingredients up or down to make more. I would recommend, however, that you keep the sweet potatoes in a pretty even layer to cook them in the oven. They are soft and tend to melt together, so you don’t want to stack them up in layers like you might with tortilla chips for regular nachos. OK, let’s talk toppings. It’s one of my favorite subjects. And it’s what takes nachos over the top. I’ve got tons of topping ideas for you here, as well as in the recipe card below, and I’ve also got a few tips and tricks for serving this up. First, you can set out your toppings in separate bowls or as part of a toppings spread and let everyone serve themselves. You can also layer your toppings right onto the baking sheet. It’s a fun way to serve to a group and just let everyone dive in. It’s also a good way to have nachos if you’re watching a game or a movie. Just plop it right on the coffee table and eat up! This method really only works though if you know everyone likes the same toppings. (Or you could do something like pickled jalapeños on just half of the tray to break it up.) But either way you go with the toppings, follow this tip. Tip: Make sure your toppings are ready to go. When the nachos come out of the oven, they need to be served immediately. They cool off quickly so you want to be sure everything else is set. Now, let’s call out some of our lovely topping ideas. This is where you have the opportunity to make your nachos SUPER loaded.
Topping Ideas:
Salsa or pico de gallo Greek yogurt or sour cream Avocado or guacamole Shredded lettuce Pickled jalapeno slices Sliced green onions Sliced or pickled red onions Chopped fresh cilantro Olives
Now, if you’re like me and use a TON of toppings, that makes these nachos pretty much a meal in and of themselves. Nothing else needed. But, if you want to add some sides, you could also serve a side salad, this avocado salad or some Mexican coleslaw to go with nachos. This black bean and mango salad would be a pretty and fresh addition, too. If you’re having a tailgate party or a game day party, you could also serve up some hummus and veggie roll-ups, healthy spinach dip, pizza sliders, spicy roasted shrimp or other appetizers to keep your friends and family happily snacking away. No matter the occasion, I hope you give these sweet potato nachos a try soon. Enjoy! XO, Kathryn Sweet potatoes: I like using pretty large, round sweet potatoes for nachos so you get good sized slices. Also, be sure to slice them about ¼-inch thick so they are thin enough to cook through and get tender in the oven. Chicken: It helps to chop the chicken into pretty small pieces, so it scatters better over the sweet potatoes. You can use a rotisserie chicken or leftover baked or grilled chicken. Meat: You can skip the chicken if you want a vegetarian nacho, or you could sub pulled pork if you have some on hand. Or use cooked ground turkey or beef. Beans: Black beans are my favorite, but you could substitute pinto beans if you prefer. Cheese: I love using a Mexican blend cheese, but a sharp cheddar cheese would work too. You could also do a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese. Tip: Make sure your toppings are ready to go. When the nachos come out of the oven, they need to be served immediately before they cool off too much. You can serve toppings in separate bowls on the side, or load them onto the nachos directly.
title: “Sweet Potato Nachos” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-22” author: “Michelle Medeiros”
People loved my sweet potato chips, which I make a lot at home. In that photo above, I ate them with a black bean burger, avocado and a pile of Pico de Gallo. They’re a fun way to mix things up, and I actually like to top them with traditional nacho toppings too, as a better-for-you nacho option. So that’s what we’re making today! For best results, you’ll want to look for sweet potatoes that are long and cylindrical, as opposed to circular/football shape. That gives you the best shot for evenly sized slices. About 2.5″ in diameter seems to be the best size. [Kate and I spent the better part of an afternoon debating whether or not I should address the obscene nature of said sweet potatoes. Insert your own jokes, here.]
You don’t need to peel the potatoes, just slice them up. If you don’t have a mandolin, I highly recommend one! This is the perfect use. Unless you have ridiculous knife skills, it’s hard to cut uniformly and thinly- especially with something like a sweet potato, but you can definitely try. This is the mandolin I have (well, the newer model of the one I have). It was less than 30 bucks and it’s been slicing like a mad man for years now. It’s a great buy.
I use the thin setting and you’ll get perfect little rounds.
Place the potato slices in a bowl and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on them.
Roasted sweet potatoes is probably one of my top 3 favorite ways to use our flavored olive oils. These ones below are my faves in this recipe- I probably use the bacon and garlic the most with these, but Spicy Chili, regular Extra Virgin, Lime, and Jalapeno are also all awesome here.
Once you drizzle on the oil, use your hands to rub all of the little slices down. Then you’ll sprinkle on a spice mix of smoked paprika, cumin, garlic, kosher salt, and pepper. You can definitely play around with spices in this recipe and come up with different combos you like. Use your hands again to mix those up. I like to sprinkle a little, then toss a little, sprinkle some more, toss some more…you get the idea.
Then you’ll lay them flat on a foil-lined baking sheet. It’s okay if they overlap just a little bit, but for the most part you’ll want them in a single layer. You may need more than one sheet.
Cook them in a hot oven, and start watching for them to get browned around the edges. Timing depends on the thickness you slice, but I like mine done about about 25-30 minutes. I like mine on the crispy side, but I also like the burned fries at the bottom of the fry container. They should look about like this: Keep in mind as they cool a bit, they also crisp up. When they’re done, load them onto a big plate and top them with your favorite toppings. I saw this at the store the other day and I grabbed it to save time. It actually was pretty good. Not nearly as good as a home-cooked roast, obviously, but not bad in a pinch and made things super fast. Just FYI in case you’ve ever wondered about those; I hadn’t seen it before.
We topped ours with that pork, pico de gallo, avocado, and crumbled feta.
I know feta seems weird, but I love it with latin food. I like queso fresco and cotija, but the flavor of both of those is so mild that I often find it doesn’t add much to the dish. Feta has a nice sharp bite, so I like the tang it adds.
You don’t want to load them too heavy because sweet potatoes are obviously a lot softer than a regular chip, but it makes a nice little bite.
