Sometimes you just need a big tray of turkey nachos on Thanksgiving.
For the Snacksgiving episode of my short-lived Twitch channel, HEY! I’M SNACKING HERE!, I decided to kick things off with a Thanksgiving-inspired nacho. By that, I mean I added ground turkey with taco seasoning to my usual nacho recipe. I prefer to make my own taco seasoning as it’s far superior to store-bought brands and I can control the heat. (I prefer a spicy taco seasoning.)
While I went with some store-bought tortilla chips, I highly recommend making your own. Yes, deep frying at home can be a pain, but you’ll get a better chip. I have yet to find a mass-produced tortilla chip that has enough thickness to stand up to a fully-loaded nacho.
To go along with the turkey theme, this recipe uses my Maple Espresso Sauce from the Cha Cha Hut BBQ days. It is a sauce I created specifically for our smoked turkey. It’s also included in my first cookbook, sales of which help support this site, so I’m not including the recipe here. If you don’t have the book or don’t want to buy it, you could substitute your favorite sweet BBQ sauce.
I know it seems a bit strange to add turkey to a vegan tofu chili, but trust me, it works. I had the chili leftover from recipe testing and it seemed like a solid addition to the mix. It’s not too spicy, and you’re getting an added bit of protein with the tofu.
This makes a VERY healthy amount of nachos, pico, and guacamole making this perfect for any party.
TURKEY NACHOS
Taco seasoned turkey, chili con tofu, Monterey Jack cheese, Maple Espresso Sauce, candied jalapenos, scallions, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream
Makes a 9X11 tray of nachos
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound Monterey Jack Cheese
3 cups Chili conTofu
1 cup Rock Cany Jalapeno
1 cup Maple Espresso Sauce
1 bag Quinoa or Corn chips
Pico de Gallo (see recipe below)
Guacamole (see recipe below)
Sour Cream
3 scallions, chopped
Preheat the oven to 325°F
Place the ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat. Use a spatula or spoon to break up the ground turkey then mix in a liberal amount of Taco Seasoning. Cook until turkey is no longer pink then add the Chili Con Tofu to the skillet. Continue cooking, stirring the turkey into the chili, until everything is heated through.
To assemble the nachos, spread a thin layer of Maple Espresso Sauce in the bottom of a 9×11 baking dish. Add a layer of chips taking care not to crowd or overload the layer. Spread half of the turkey & chili mixture over the chips. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top of the chili & turkey. Use half of the jalapenos next. Add another layer of chips – the rest of the chili & turkey – the last of the cheese – the last of the jalapenos. Then drizzle with the rest of Maple Espresso Sauce. Place the dish in the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbling and lightly toasted – about 20 minutes.
When nachos are done, sprinkle the chopped scallions over the tray. Serve with Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Sour Cream, and plenty of napkins.
NACHO SEASONING
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
PICO DE GALLO
Makes 3 cups
1 plum tomato – cored, seeded and diced fine
1 poblano, diced fine
1 red pepper, diced fine
1 jalapeno, diced fine
1/2 sweet onion, diced fine
1 lime, juiced
2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Place the tomato, peppers, and onion in a medium bowl. Add lime juice and spices. Mix thoroughly. Let it rest on the counter for 15 minutes. Place in a storage container and store in the refrigerator.
GUACAMOLE
Makes 3 cups
2 avocado
1/2 red onion, fine dice
1 jalapeno, fine dice
1 plum tomato, cored seeded and fine dice
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 dashes hot sauce
Put avocado, onion, jalapeno, and tomato in a medium bowl. Add lime juice and spices. Mix well with a fork until combined and creamy. Place in a container – cover guac with plastic wrap pressed down to seal out air – cover container and store in the refrigerator.
LIME SOUR CREAM
Makes about a cup
8-ounces sour cream
1 large lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Combine sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, garlic and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to thoroughly mix. Let crema rest overnight.