Nacho bowls

This hands-on meal is great for kids, as not do they get to assemble their own nacho bowls—they get to eat the whole thing, bowl and all!

Nacho bowls Credit: Donna Hay

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 6 x 20 cm wholemeal flour tortillas 
• extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
• ¾ cup (90 g) grated cheddar
• 1 avocado, peeled and chopped

Nacho filling

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• ½ cup (80 g) finely grated zucchini (courgette) (about 1 zucchini)
• 1 cup (140 g) grated pumpkin or carrot 
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 x 400 g can chopped tomatoes 
• ¾ cup (180 ml) tomato puree (passata)
• 1 x 400 g can black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1–2 tsp maple syrup
• sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). 
2. Arrange 4 tall ramekins or ovenproof mugs upside-down on a baking tray. Using a pastry brush, brush 4 of the tortillas with oil and place them, oil-side down, over the ramekins. Set aside.
3. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Brush the remaining 2 tortillas with oil and place them flat, with the oil-side up, on the prepared tray. 
4. Bake all of the tortillas for 8 minutes or until they’re nice and brown. Wearing oven gloves, carefully remove the trays from the oven and allow to cool (the tortillas will turn crispy as they cool). 
5. To make the nacho filling, place the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini and pumpkin and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 8 minutes or until the onion is brown and super soft. 
6. Add the cumin, coriander and paprika and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes (you’ll begin to smell the fragrant spices in the air).
7. Add the tomatoes, puree and beans and cook, stirring, for another 5–6 minutes or until thick. Add the maple, salt and pepper and stir to combine. 
8. Take the tortillas from the ramekins and flip them over to make nacho bowls. Spoon the nacho filling into the bowls and top with the cheese and avocado (plus a squeeze of lime, if you like). Break pieces of your bowl and scoop up the filling. Slice or break the flat tortillas into extra crispy dipping. 

 

This recipe is from Donna Hay: Basics to Brillance Kids on SBS Food (Channel 33). Stream episodes via SBS On Demand. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.