If you’ve been wanting to eat two whole sweet potatoes in one sitting, then go and make these Sweet Potato Nachos! I certainly intended for this recipe to be a shareable appetizer or party food. But I must admit that I’ve sat down and polished off an entire tray by myself on more than one occasion. They are just that good!
The only real work in making these Sweet Potato Nachos is prepping the sweet potatoes. Since we’re leaving the skins on, start by scrubbing the sweet potatoes really well under cold running water. Then slice them into 1/4-inch thick rounds. I suggest looking for skinny/long sweet potatoes, which makes for more reasonably sized rounds. Season the rounds with olive oil, salt, chili powder, garlic powder and cumin. Then spread them out between two baking sheets and roast them in your oven for a total of 25 minutes.
Once the sweet potato rounds are cooked, it’s time to play with the toppings! My current favorite combination is cheddar cheese, black beans, red pepper, jalapeño pepper, avocado, salsa, sour cream and cilantro. But like all nachos, these Sweet Potato Nachos are totally customizable. So feel free to add or subtract toppings at your discretion! Other topping ideas include fresh corn, scallions or red onion, pinto beans, guacamole instead of diced avocado, etc. Sometimes I like to use my chipotle sour cream instead of plain sour cream. You could even add seasoned and cooked ground beef or shredded pork or chicken. It’s up to you!
The sweet potatoes rounds do get a bit firm and crisp around the edges. But they certainly aren’t crunchy like a tortilla chip. So you can’t really eat these nachos with your fingers. They are definitely more of a fork and knife situation.
These Sweet Potato Nachos would be a great appetizer for game day. But I served them as a side dish on a recent taco night and I thought they worked perfectly in that capacity as well. Veggies and beans all in one!
Cheers,
Liz
Sweet Potato Nachos
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potatoes:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
For Finishing the Nachos:
- 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup diced red pepper
- 1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 avocado, diced
- 2-3 tablespoons salsa
- 2-3 tablespoons sour cream
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Slice the sweet potatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Add them to a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat, making sure to separate any rounds that stick together. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, chili powder, garlic powder and cumin. Sprinkle this over the sweet potato rounds and toss to coat.
- Spread the sweet potato rounds out onto your two prepared baking sheets, arranging them so they are in a single layer. Transfer to your pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then flip over the sweet potato rounds and bake from an additional 10 minutes.
- Combine the sweet potato rounds onto one of the baking sheets. Top evenly with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Then add the black beans, red pepper and jalapeño pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese. Transfer the baking sheet back to your pre-heated oven for 5 minutes to warm the toppings and melt the cheese.
- Remove the baking sheet from your oven. Add the avocado and drop spoonfuls of the salsa and sour cream over top of the sweet potatoes. Finish with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Enjoy immediately.
