Dive into the meatiest plant-based nachos you've ever had! Impossible™ Beef Made From Plants, is crumbled, cooked, and seasoned with Mexican-inspired spices for the easiest and most delicious meaty topping. Then whip up a simple homemade plant-based nacho cheese and layer the cheese and meat on tortilla chips. Pile on all your favorite toppings to make The Best Loaded Nachos! YUM.
I've partnered with Impossible Foods this New Year to encourage you to forget your resolutions because youāre amazing just the way you are! Diet, shmiet. I'm starting 2023 off by treating myself to one of my most favorite dishes ever: NACHOS! I love nachos so much, that one year for my birthday, I requested nachos in lieu of a birthday cake!
Now, I'm not talking about just any old plate of nachos. If I'm going to treat myself to my favorite comfort food, then I need my nachos to be the meatiest, cheesiest, and loaded with all the best toppings! I like my nachos extra-meaty, and Impossible Beef Made From Plants, is a super simple swap so that I can still have meaty delicious nachos, but plant-based!
Just cook and season Impossible Beef to make savory, juicy, mouthwatering, plant-based beef crumbles. Then whip up a simple homemade nacho cheese, or if you prefer you could substitute the homemade cheese for a store-bought plant-based cheese, your choice! Layer tortilla chips with the Impossible Beef crumbles and cheese, no skimping, really load them up! Bake, and then top with tomatoes, red onion, olives, jalapeƱo, cilantro, and a drizzle of vegan sour cream. These loaded nachos are the meatiest, cheesiest, crunchiest, most delicious comfort food ever. HELLO 2023, this year is starting off mighty fine!
Don't be limited by the toppings. I've chosen my favourite toppings for these nachos, but feel free to omit any or add some of your favorite toppings.
Other toppings ideas you could try:
- corn kernels
- black beans
- chopped avocado
- green onions
- bell pepper
- pickled jalapeƱo
- shredded lettuce
- hot sauce
- Serve your nachos with some salsa, guacamole, plant-based sour cream, or pico de gallo on the side for dipping.
If you are new to cooking with Impossible Beef, do not be intimidated! It can be easily integrated into any of your favorite dishes. It cooks, grills, and bakes like beef from animals, but it is plant-based.
More ways to use Impossible Beef:
- grill up some burgers
- make a bolognese sauce
- prepare a Shepherd's pie
- roll up some meatballs
- cook a pot of chili
- enjoy some meaty tacos
There are endless possibilities! It's so easy to swap into your diet and OMG it is SO delicious! I always have a few packages in my freezer. It's nice to have on hand for easy and delicious dinners!
Bonus points: Eating Impossible Beef instead of beef from an animal uses 96% less land, 92% less water, and 91% less greenhouse gas emissions. Loving great food and loving a green Earth go hand-in-hand!
How to Make The Best Loaded Nachos:
For the Impossible Beef:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Impossible Beef and break it up with a spatula to make crumbles. Stir in the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and salt. Cook the Impossible Beef crumbles until rich golden brown and no longer red, 5 - 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
TIP: Don't stir it too much. When cooking the Impossible Beef I like to let it rest for a few minutes on each side so that it forms a nice brown crust. Yum!
For the vegan nacho cheese:
Softening the cashews (optional):Ā Softening the cashews first helps them blend. If you have a high-powered blender you can skip this step, but if not, this step is important to get a smooth and creamy cheese sauce. To soften the cashews add the cashews to a small pot, cover them with water, and boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Drain and rinse cashews before using.
To make the vegan nacho cheese:Ā Add the cashews, plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, apple cider vinegar, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and turmeric to a blender. Blend until completely smooth. It will be a milky consistency but will thicken when cooked.
Pour the vegan nacho cheese mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, while stirring. As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then it will become a cheesy gooey sauce. This takes about 5 minutes. Set aside. If your cheese sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out by stirring in a splash of plant-based milk or water.
To assemble the nachos:
Preheat your oven to 350Ā°F (180Ā°C).
Spread half of the tortilla chips across a large baking sheet or large oven-safe serving plate. Sprinkle half of the Impossible Beef across the tortilla chips, and drizzle half of the nacho cheese sauce over top. Now add another layer of tortilla chips, the remaining Impossible Beef, and nacho cheese. Bake for about 5 minutes until warmed through.
Note:Ā heating the nachos is optional as everything is already cooked and the nacho cheese sauce is already melty. However, I like it just to reheat anything that might have gotten cool and to toast the chips a bit.
Once removed from the oven, sprinkle over the tomato, jalapeƱo, red onion, cilantro, and black olives (or your preferred toppings) and drizzle with the vegan sour cream. Serve right away with guacamole and salsa on the side.
The Best Loaded Nachos are...
- Meaty, cheesy, and crunchy
- Plant-based
- The ultimate comfort food!
More plant-based recipes that would be delicious with Impossible Beef:
Hearty Vegan Lentil Stew - Make this stew extra meaty! Crumble and cook Impossible Beef separately, and then add it to the stew once it is cooked.
Vegan Truffle Mac and Cheese - Turn this mac and cheese into a hearty meal by cooking and crumbling Impossible Beef and adding it to the finished pasta dish.
Easy Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff - Make this Stroganoff extra-meaty by sautƩing Impossible Beef along with the mushrooms.
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon Appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
Thank you to Impossible™ Foods for sponsoring this recipe! #ImpossiblePartner #ad
The Best Loaded Nachos (plant-based)
Ingredients
For the Impossible Beef:
- 1 tablespoon light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
- 1 12oz/ 340g package Impossible Beef
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Ā½ teaspoon cumin
- Ā½ teaspoon onion powder
- Ā½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Ā¼ teaspoon cayenne (optional for spice)
- Ā¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
For the nacho cheese (or sub store-bought vegan cheese):
- Ā½ cup raw cashews softened if needed, see instructions
- 1 Ā¼ cups plant-based milk (such as oat or soy)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Ā½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Ā½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ā teaspoon turmeric
For the nachos (use these topping suggestions or pick your own):
- 1 bag tortilla chips
- 1 roma tomato diced
- 1 jalapeƱo thinly sliced
- Ā¼ red onion finely chopped
- Ā¼ cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons black olive slices
- 2 tablespoons vegan sour cream
- Ā½ cup guacamole (to serve on the side)
- Ā½ cup salsa (to serve on the side)
Instructions
For the Impossible Beef:
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Impossible Beef and break it up with a spatula to make crumbles. Stir in the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and salt. Cook the Impossible Beef crumbles until rich golden brown and no longer red, 5 - 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.TIP: Don't stir it too much. When cooking the Impossible Beef I like to let it rest for a few minutes on each side so that it forms a nice brown crust. Yum!
For the vegan nacho cheese:
- Softening the cashews (optional): Softening the cashews first helps them blend. If you have a high-powered blender you can skip this step, but if not, this step is important to get a smooth and creamy cheese sauce. To soften the cashews add the cashews to a small pot, cover them with water, and boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Drain and rinse cashews before using.
- To make the vegan nacho cheese: Add the cashews, plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, apple cider vinegar, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and turmeric to a blender. Blend until completely smooth. It will be a milky consistency but will thicken when cooked.
- Pour the vegan nacho cheese mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, while stirring. As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then it will become a cheesy gooey sauce. This takes about 5 minutes. Set aside. If your cheese sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out by stirring in a splash of plant-based milk or water.
To assemble the nachos:
- Preheat your oven to 350Ā°F (180Ā°C).
- Spread half of the tortilla chips across a large baking sheet or large oven-safe serving plate. Sprinkle half of the Impossible Beef across the tortilla chips, and drizzle half of the nacho cheese sauce over top. Now add another layer of tortilla chips, the remaining Impossible Beef, and nacho cheese. Bake for about 5 minutes until warmed through. Note: heating the nachos is optional as everything is already cooked and the nacho cheese sauce is already melty. However, I like it just to reheat anything that might have gotten cool and to toast the chips a bit.
- Once removed from the oven, sprinkle over the tomato, jalapeƱo, red onion, cilantro, and black olives(or your preferred toppings) and drizzle with the vegan sour cream. Serve right away with guacamole and salsa on the side.
More plant-based comfort food recipes you might enjoy:
Roger Penrod says
Thank you for the reply. I am a jackfruit fan.
Roger says
How about substituting jackfruit for highly processed "meat" substitutes?
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Jackfruit would work as well! Check out some of Sam's jackfruit recipes!
Lisa says
What can we substitute for the Impossible Beef?
Maybe tofu crumbles?
Or lentils?
Trying to stay away from processed foods such as Impossible and Beyond 'meats'.
Christiane says
Maybe TVP would work here? But you might consider it processed food too.
Brenda says
Would it be possible to put nutrition information on the recipes please? My daughter is diabetic and has to really watch the carbs..and I am working towards heart health so we have gone vegan! I can figure out and sub what I need to in some recipes, but not all, like in this one. Much appreciated! Love your wonderful recipes..some are staples in our house!