- 1 red onion
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 aubergine
- 400g tin of black beans
- ½-1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 100g cheddar
- 2 x 150g veggie mix tortillas
- A handful of coriander
- 200ml crème fraîche
- 2 tbsp olive or coconut oil
- Sea salt
- 4 tbsp cold water
- Large pan with lid
- Large ovenproof dish
- 1.
Prepare the veg^ Peel and finely chop the red onion. Halve the red and green peppers, scoop out the seeds and white pith, then roughly chop the peppers. Trim the green top off the aubergine, then chop the aubergine into small chunks.
- 2.
Start the chilli^ Place a large pan on a medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp oil and the aubergine. Season with a pinch of salt and fry, stirring often, for 8 mins till the aubergine is golden brown all over.
- 3.
Add the red onion and peppers to the aubergine with 4 tbsp cold water and a pinch of salt. Fry, stirring often, for 5 mins till the veg start to soften and look glossy. Add ½ -1 tbsp Cajun seasoning to the pan (it’s spicy, so use more or less depending on how hot you want the chilli to be). Cook and stir for 1 min.
- 4.
Tip the black beans into the pan, along with the liquid from their tin. Pour in the chopped tomatoes. Give everything a good stir, then bring to the boil. Pop a lid on the pan and turn the heat down and simmer for 10 mins. Stir occasionally, till the chilli has thickened slightly. If it seems to be drying out too much, turn the heat down even more if you can and add a splash of water. Assemble and bake the nachos
- 5.
Assemble the nachos^ While the chilli is simmering, preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Coarsely grate the cheddar. Arrange the tortilla chips in a large ovenproof dish.
- 6.
When the chilli has thickened a little and the veg are tender, taste the sauce and add a pinch of salt if you think it needs it. Spoon the chilli over the tortilla chips to cover them, and scatter them over the cheese. Slide the dish into the oven and bake 10-15 mins till the cheddar is melted and golden.
- 7.
While the nachos bake, roughly chop the coriander. When the cheese has melted, take the dish out of the oven. Dollop over the crème fraîche and scatter over the coriander. Serve straight away.
- Tip
Get Ahead
You can make the bean chilli the night before you want to make the nachos. Follow the recipe up till the end of step 5, then cool the chilli and store it in the fridge in a covered bowl or dish. When you want to macho the nachos, warm the bean chilli back up in a pan on the hob, adding a little water or vegetable stock to loosen it if you need to. Make sure it is hot all the way through, then follow the recipe to make the baked nachos. - Tip
Eat Me, Keep Me
The bean chilli will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Divide the chilli between individual tubs, cool, then stir in the chopped coriander, seal and chill or freeze. Defrost overnight and reheat till piping hot before serving with tortilla chips, crème fraîche and grated cheddar.