Oven Nachos

My boyfriend and I make nachos a lot, and we tend to use the microwave... but recently, I have decided that the oven is the ultimate way to do it. The microwave gives you overcooked, rubbery cheese and lots of hot spots.

Doing it either under the broiler or in the oven gives you soft, melted cheese and everything is nice and warm.

And it takes very little time - nachos in ten minutes or less, especially if you keep prepped ingredients on hand!

Step 1: What You'll Need:

• plate of tortilla chips
• beans or meat of choice
• diced veggies
• two handfuls shredded cheese
• a broiler or oven set to 375 F
• an oven safe plate

You can change this stuff up a ton! As far as the tortilla chips, I like using round ones because they're more bite-size. But we've even used doritos as tortilla chips. Sometimes I'll do refried beans, and sometimes I'll just use black beans. Shredded chicken, ground beef and chorizo are my favorites on nachos. And as far as veggies, I always use lots of red onion, fresh jalapeno, and bell pepper. Pickled jalapenos work well and give the nachos a wonderful vinegar-y kick. Cheese is up to you - we normally use cheddar because it's what we have on hand.

Step 2: Veggies!

Dice your veggies up and put them all over. I'd say I use a couple tablespoons of each. The more the better, honestly. Make sure they're distributed evenly.

Step 3: Meat or Beans... or Both.

Now add your proteins! I like to heat up meat or refried beans up before I put them on. It'll make the refried beans easier to deal with, and make sure the meat is nice and warm.

Step 4: Add the Cheese!

I like to do at least two handfuls of cheese. Just keep going until it looks like a good amount for you.

You want it to be nicely covered, but not drowning in it.

Step 5: Broil or Bake!

Broiling is the best method. I have a gas oven with the broiler in the bottom and it takes only a minute or two for the nachos to be done. If you have an electric oven, it will take a wee bit longer to broil. Just don't walk away, and set the timer for a minute at a time and check after every minute.

In a preheated 375 F oven, it will take closer to 5 minutes.

You just want the cheese to be fully melted, but not browned. Once it's starting to brown you're on the way to burnt city. :D

These are awesome served with sour cream or guacamole. (Need a guacamole recipe? I've got one!) We like to mix a little hot sauce into sour cream - it's especially good that way!