October 9, 2022
Loaded Texas-Style Nachos
Loaded Texas-Style Nachos…aka the superior nachos. Each tortilla chip is individually crafted with just the right amount of toppings, making for the perfect bite every time. Gone are the days of soggy, sad nachos – after making nachos this way, you’ll never go back!
texas-style nachos
Texas-style nachos are not your average nachos. You know the kind I’m talking about – a disorderly pile of chips, unevenly loaded with various toppings that are recklessly placed one top. It’s like chip roulette…maybe your nacho chip will be soggy, maybe it’ll be completely naked and bare of any toppings, maybe it’ll have some toppings, or maybe it’ll just have a fragment of one. Honestly, it’s a mess. And that’s where these perfectly crafted, OG, Texas-style nachos come in.
Grab a drink and I’ll show you how to make this crowd-pleasing snack!
what are texas nachos?
The original nachos are Texas Mexican, and were created in the 1940s by culinarian, Ignacio Anaya (nickname Nacho) in Piedras Negras, Mexico across the river from Eagle Pass, Texas.
Apparently, a group of women from Eagle Pass came into the Victory Bar, a restaurant/bar that Anaya was the maitre d’ at, and requested some snacks along with their drinks. The kitchen was already closed, but being the good maitre d’ that Anaya was, he went into the back to see what he could prepare. There he found tortillas, which he cut and brushed with oil, then baked until crispy. He then carefully topped each individual tortilla chip with cheese and a slice of jalapeño, and baked again until golden and melty.
The ladies loved Anaya’s creation so much that they asked him what they were called. Since Nacho is a nickname for Ignacio, he named them Nachos Especiales. Anaya went on to open his own restaurant, Nacho’s Restaurant, in Piedras Negras, and his original recipe was printed in the 1954 St. Anne’s Cookbook
The popularity of the dish swiftly spread throughout Texas and the Southwest. The first known appearance of the word “nachos” in English dates to 1950, from the book A Taste of Texas.According to El Cholo Spanish Cafe history, waitress Carmen Rocha is credited with making nachos in San Antonio, Texas, before introducing the dish to Los Angeles at the cafe in 1959.
It wasn’t until the late 1970s that nachos became as we know them today, when Frank Liberto saw their success and wanted to mass produce them. He started selling nacho cheese and made significant changes to Anaya’s recipe, one of them being that they were placed in a pile rather than individually topped, and the other is that he used his “nacho cheese” instead of shredded. The Homesick Texan and Adan Medrano have more in-depth history on Texas nachos, and I recommend checking ’em out! Anyway, I don’t know how Liberto’s version became so popularized, but I’m here to vindicate Anaya’s OG nachos, as they are the only way you should ever make them again!
They say if you order nachos in Texas, a version close to Anaya’s is often how you’ll receive me and I know why! Trust me, once you’ve had Texas-Style nachos, you’ll never go back!
what goes in loaded Texas-style nachos
Real Texas nachos only consisted of 3 ingredients: tortillas, cheese, and jalapeño, but I like to load mine up a little more with beans, seasoned vegan ground, and some of my favorite toppings. Here’s what you need to make my loaded Texas-Style Nachos:
for the nachos:
- Tortillas: you are more than welcome to buy tortilla chips, but I like frying them fresh. They taste better and you can manipulate the size too!
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Vegan ground
- Taco seasoning
- Vegan-friendly refried beans
- Vegan cheese shreds
garnishes:
- Vegan sour cream
- Pickled onions
- Sliced jalapeño
- Fresh minced cilantro
- Pico de gallo, for serving
- Guacamole, for serving
how to make ’em:
While Texas nachos take just a bit more time to prepare, I promise they are worth it! Here’s how to make them:
1. fry:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat some oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cut the tortillas into thirds. When the oil is hot, fry the tortillas in batches, until golden and crispy. Place the tortillas on a paper towel lined plate to drain and immediately sprinkle with salt right out of the hot oil. Repeat until all the tortillas are fried. Let the tortilla chips cook for 5-10 minutes.
2. load ’em up and bake ’em!
Once cool to the touch, carefully arrange the tortillas chips in a single layer on a prepared baking dish so they’re not overlapping each other. Gently spread a couple tablespoons of refried beans on to each chip, followed by seasoned vegan ground meat. Sprinkle each chip with a generous amount of cheese, then bake in the oven until golden and melty.
3. garnish and enjoy!
Top each chip with vegan sour cream, pickles onions, a slice of jalapeno, and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately with pico de gallo and guacamole, and enjoy!
tools you need:
more game-day snacks that everyone will love
- Pull Apart Pizza Sliders
- Cajun-Style Hot ‘Crab’ Dip
- Taco Cups
- Cheeseburger Spring Rolls
- Chick’n Dinner Cornbread Muffins
- Cheeseburger Tater Tot Bites
- Cheesy Vegan Loaded Potato Stacks
Na-cho average nacho
See what I did there?! 😂 Okay, but in all seriousness, I hope you y’all give these Loaded Texas-Style nachos a try! If you make them and enjoy them as much as I do, I wanna know! Snap a photo, take a video, or make a story and post it to Instagram or TikTok, and tag me at @eat_figs_not_pigs and #EatFigsNotPigs. I love seeing your recreations of my recipes!
Til next time, friends!
XO!
- • 5 corn tortillas
- • 3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- • Salt, to taste
- • 12 ounces vegan ground
- • 3 tablespoons vegan-friendly taco seasoning
- • 1 ½ cups vegan-friendly refried beans
- • 8 ounces vegan cheese shreds
- • Vegan sour cream
- • Pickled onions
- • Sliced jalapeño
- • Fresh minced cilantro
- • Pico de gallo, for serving
- • Guacamole, for serving
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cut the tortillas into thirds. When the oil is hot – you’ll know it’s ready if you place a wooden chopstick or utensil into the oil and it begins to sizzle immediately – fry the tortillas in batches, until golden and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Place the tortillas on a paper towel lined plate to drain and immediately sprinkle with salt right out of the hot oil. Repeat until all the tortillas are fried. Let the tortilla chips cook for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the vegan ground in a separate pan until heated through according to package directions. Set aside.
- Once cool to the touch, carefully arrange the tortillas chips in a single layer on a prepared baking dish so hey’re not overlapping each other.
- Gently spread a couple tablespoons of the refried beans on to each chip, followed by the seasoned vegan ground meat. Sprinkle each chip with a generous amount of cheese, then bake in the oven until golden and melty, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Top each chip with vegan sour cream, pickles onions, a slice of jalapeno, and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately with pico de gallo and guacamole, and enjoy!
