Baked Spicy Nachos with Meat

Baked Spicy Nachos with Meat... A great recipe to feed a large group or just a few. I like to use ground turkey for the nacho meat... but really, beef is just as good. In this recipe, I had 3- 4 boneless chicken thighs(approx 1 lb.) so, since I like to grind my meat, I decided to use ground chicken for this recipe.

When I was teaching, I had an assistant who used to work in the meat grinding department at a local supermarket. He told me that he saw what went into the ground meat and vowed he would never eat store bought ground beef again. Ok, I don't want to scare you , but since then I have been grinding my own meat(most of it anyway) ...if that tells you anything! I have to tell you that there is a difference.

You can use whatever cut of meat you want, make it as fatty or as lean as you want. That is the neat part about it. When I use turkey, I use the fresh store bought one. They use white meat and I assume they don't put anything else in it. Either way, use what ever meat you like or do a meatless version. Hope you enjoy...

You will need:

• 1 lb ground meat
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2-3 garlic cloves minced
• 1-2 TBS Taco seasoning ( I use McCormick)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups approx. shredded Cheddar cheese/Monterrey Jack/Mexican blend
• chips ( we like to use Doritos Toasted Corn)
• 2 jalapenos, thinly sliced

Garnishes

• olives, thinly sliced,
• sour cream
• green onions, thinly sliced
• guacamole
• salsa

Directions:

1. First grind your meat( or use store bought).

2. In a sauce pan or skillet, (on med/low heat) add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add meat and cook until meat is no longer pink.

3. In small measuring cup, add water and seasoning. Mix well and add to meat. Turn heat to low.

4. Cook until all water has been absorbed into the meat. Stirring every so often so as not to burn. You want the meat to be sort of dry.

5. Take off heat, set aside and keep warm( reheat if needed).

6. In a baking dish, add chips in a layer. Sprinkle about 1 cup cheese add half of sliced jalapenos.

7. Repeat layer. Put dish in preheated 375 oven for approx. 7 minutes or until cheese has melted. Sprinkle meat (you may not need all of the meat) and toppings. Enjoy!