TACO BELL NACHOS BELLGRANDE

Ah…Taco Bell. Some of their menu items are good…some are nasty. Nachos Bellgrande are good, and here’s why. They’re loaded nachos…nachos with chips, refried beans, spicy taco meat, sour cream, and diced tomatoes…plus, any of their various taco sauce packets you want to drizzle on. I believe you can request pickled jalapenos and a spicier cheese sauce as well.

This recipe is for two people. Since we’re not big fans of the pickled jalapeno thing, we have left those off…but added sliced green onions. We also fried our own corn tortilla chips, though any good, crispy store bought chips will do…I would suggest you avoid Doritos Nacho Cheese as this is kind of a cheese and spice overload…but go ahead and use them if you wish. The nacho cheese recipe is wide open…make it as mild or as spicy as you want. This recipe is kind of medium spicy and utilizes a Mexican cheese blend of a sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack. To make the nacho cheese sauce, I chose to eliminate the flour roux and milk thing and opted for heavy cream and half and half. It makes such a creamy, smooth sauce. Be sure to make your nacho cheese sauce just before serving as it will form a thick film on the surface if it sits for any length of time. If you are not serving right away, just place piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper on the surface of the sauce until ready to serve.

I usually make my own refried beans from scratch, but this time I used Rosarita Refried beans and they work great as well as being a childhood favorite. I will include my taco seasoning recipe below for the meat since those taco seasoning packets from the grocery store are just gross!

This recipe makes one big nacho platter, enough for 2-3 people.

Ingredients:

For the taco meat:

• 1/2 pound 80/20 ground beef
• Canola oil
• 1/2 tsp taco seasoning (recipe below)
• 1/2 cup pac Chunky salsa
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the cheese sauce:

• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups grated Mexican cheese blend (half sharp cheddar, half Monterey Jack)
• 1/4 cup Pace Chunky salsa
• 1/2 tsp taco seasoning (recipe below)
• 1/2 tsp chile powder
• Cayenne to taste

• Crispy corn tortillas, store bought or home made
• Rosarita Refried beans, store bought or home made
• Sour cream
• Diced tomatoes
• Chopped cilantro
• Guacamole (optional)

Directions:

• Brown the ground beef in a medium saucepan or small skillet. Drain. REturn to the saucepan. Season with Kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Add 1/2 tsp taco seasonning. Add 1/4 cup salsa and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, cover, and cook about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep warm.
• Heat the refried beans and add 1 tbsp unsalted butter and stir in.
• To a small saucepan over low heat, add the cream and then the cheese. Stir while it slowly melted, don’t let it simmer. Add the salsa and the taco seasoning and continue letting. Add cayenne to taste for heat. Cover and keep warm.
• To put together, warm the chips on a sheet pan in the oven for few minutes. Spread one layer of crispy tortilla chips on a platter. Add spoons of refried beans down the center. Add more corn chips. Then add spoons of taco meat until all of it is gone. Dot sour cream around the plate. Garnish with sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, and diced tomatoes. Add pickled jalapenos if using. Add guacamole if using. Serve immediately.