Featured comment
I don’t typically comment, but these were out of this world delicious! My husband and I ate the whole pan while the kids were asleep. GREAT recipe!!!!!
jenna
So much I love about this right now. So, so much.
Starting first and foremost on the list of loves is the lightened up cheese sauce that has just a tiny touch of garlic butter yumminess and any cheese you want in the whole wide world. And now you can add this to my resume in the full time blogger section: pouring –> cheese sauce –> into my mouth –> all –> day –> long. It’s almost inappropriate. Except not at all because I need lotza cheezzz on de nachoz.
There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you guys but I’ve been sort of hesitant about making it public. Today I’m coming clean, but I don’t want any judgement. Promise?
I am totally and completely hooked on The Bachelorette. I’m not really a trashy reality TV person (that’s about 30% true) but this season we joined the Bachelorette club with our two couple friends and so the six of us gather together on a weekly basis to swoon/eye roll over the latest shtuff that this is happening on this altogether hilarious, wonderful, and horrible show.
It’s to the point where I start looking forward to the next episode immediately after finishing the current one. It’s like I’m filling my life’s drama bank with the extremely entertaining disaster of four guys who are all traveling through Europe and simultaneously “falling in love” with the same person on public television. I’ve secretly taken to Twitter and analyzed the public opinion on all the remaining “contestants” (the fact that these men searching for sparkly true love are technically called contestants — that right there should be enough to make me stop watching this show) and I’m going to withhold my feelings about the best guy for Andi because I fear the wrath of you fellow Bachelorette watchers. Enough said. *palms sweaty*
Moving on.
To nachooooos. Nachos belong on a big plate in front of me at all times during the summer. They are flavor bombs that are crispy and full of color, and they can become anything you dream up, just like that. Chicken or beef, beans or no beans, hot or mild, avocado or more avacado, and things like that.
Enter: healthy grilled sweet potato nachos. These nachos are my favorite of all the nachos because I can eat them as a meal without feeling like I need to follow it up with fifteen salads and green juice for life. These are veggie-LOADED, so say hello to roasted corn, black beans, and the kicker: grilled sweet potatoes! I’m loving up on all that jazzy flavor with a whole bunch of nutrition as a bonus. Party in the houzzz.
Grilling skills? I lack them. But when I was forced to do the grilling when we made these for the second time in two days, it didn’t even matter that I was maybe just a leeeetle ambitious with my golden brown grill marks. Once they’re in the nachos, they are hiding under a nice little blanket of that lightened up cheese sauce. If the grill is just not your thing and you insist on being difficult, the oven works, too. Roasty toasty yum!
Here’s how the nacho-makeage goes.
Really truly, with a second person helping to grill so you don’t have to run back and forth from kitchen to patio, this can take you as little as 20 minutes. It might be less classy than a meal that takes hours, but… is it really? I have no shame in my love for speed meals.
And just like that, summer = nachos = healthy = vegetarian = delicious = big plate = happy happy joy.
Healthy Grilled Sweet Potato Nachos
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4: meal, 6: snack (nutrition facts are for 6) 1x
Description
These Healthy Grilled Sweet Potato Nachos are veggie-loaded and smothered with a lighter homemade cheese sauce and tons of fresh toppings.
Ingredients
For the nachos
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon each chili powder and cumin
- 1 14-ounce can refried black beans (I like Amy’s Organic brand)
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn
- 3 oz. multigrain tortilla chips (enough for a single layer)
- chopped cilantro for topping
- crumbled Cotija cheese for topping
For the cheese sauce:
- 1/2 teaspoon butter
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt – more to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice (I used Monterrey Jack)
Instructions
- Sweet potatoes: Turn the grill on to medium high heat. Wash the sweet potatoes and pierce with a fork. Wrap the sweet potatoes in a paper towel and microwave on high for 4 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut sweet potatoes into wedges and toss with the olive oil, chili powder, and cumin (+ salt to taste). Transfer sweet potatoes to the hot grill and grill for a few minutes on each side until roasty and delicious.
- Nacho assembly: Meanwhile, heat the refried beans on the stove or in the microwave until warmed through and roast the corn in a dry nonstick skillet until golden brown (see notes). On a large platter, arrange the chips in a single layer. Top with the sweet potato wedges, black beans, and corn.
- Cheese sauce: melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add 3/4 cup milk and heat until simmering. Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup milk with the flour; add to the saucepan and stir until smooth and thick. Remove from heat and whisk in the salt and the cheese until melted. Drizzle the cheese sauce over the nachos and top with cilantro and Cotija cheese.
Notes
There are always a few people who comment that dry roasting the corn ruins their skillets, so if you are not using a really well-finished nonstick surface, you might want to find another way to roast your corn!
The cheese sauce will congeal as it sits, so it’s best to use it right away after you whisk in the cheese or whisk in extra liquid as needed.
I liked the texture of the refried beans because they stuck to the chips a little better than regular black beans, but you could use either.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: healthy nachos, sweet potato nachos, grilled nachos
PS. I am totally obsessed with these chips – they’re Boulder Canyon Ancient Grains snack chips and they are rocking my world. You almost don’t even need the nacho toppings to experience their true deliciousness. ALMOST.
I’m still pinching myself that these are sweet potato nachos loaded in veggies. I mean, I usually think amusement park nachos and those are disgusting.
These look stunning, beautiful, dinner nachos, I love them.
The bachelorette, hmmmm, I get too stressed out watching that show! Can’t do it! hehe.
They look INSANELY GOOD! I ate my weight in nachos over the Fourth and you’d think I’d be sick of them…no, I never will be. These are perfect! Pinned!
Thanks Averie! We ate some reeeally good nachos while watching the US in the World Cup last week and I just couldn’t get them outta my head. 🙂
This looks AMAZING!!!! Love how they have a lot of veggies in them. So they’re healthy righ t? 😉
I’m loving the beans, corn, and sweet potatoes (like, all of my favorite carbs in one place) especially with a garlicky cheese sauce. Heaven!
I could drink that cheese sauce as it looks so addicting! Wonderful summer meal that actually contributes to veg count.
So, I usually ALWAYS watch The Bachelorette, but then I just didn’t this season and I DON’T KNOW WHY. Maybe it’s because I got addicted to The Millionaire Matchmaker instead? (watch it)
These nachos? Whoa. I can’t grill to save my life, but I would risk it for these beauties. Pinned!
I thought I couldn’t grill either but lookie! I did it! Half of them were totally black and the other half were salvageable. 😉 Get your grill on, gurlll.
I LOVE, repeat, LOVE sweet potatoes in my nachos! So delicious! Also, this is a genius cheese sauce. I WILL be trying this…and very soon!
These nachos look so epic! I love the idea of making a homemade cheese sauce (I secretly kinda sorta maybe enjoy that strange, orange cheese-like substance that they pump out of jugs at the movie theater–at least texture-wise–and this is wayyy better).
And you’re definitely not the first person to get sucked into the vortex of competition reality TV–my inability to tear my eyes away from Amazing Race is a testament to that. Thanks for sharing!
I would not feel guilt at all for watching Amazing Race. It’s at least 50% educational because of all the geography, right? Bachelorette is just straight up mind candy.
Oh girl, I’ve enjoyed The Bachelorette as my semi-secret guilty pleasure for longer than I like to admit. I want to see Josh’s lie detector results!!!
LOL! Exactly, right?!
Nachos = always a good idea. These looks amazing!
I’m a total bachelor/bachelorette nerd. Although half the time I’m cringing from the awkwardness….these nachos – who. Who needs meat and crazy fattening toppings when you have these???
I never could get into the bachelor/bachelorette – just not a tv person at all! These nachos just look amazing, especially that amazing cheese sauce.
Love this recipe idea! My boyfriend is super picky, but I think he would totally eat these!
I’m a Bachelorette watcher too… shamefully, haha. I’ve been watching for years. At the end of each season I’m always like “If he/she picks ____ I’m never watching this show again!” And look at me… I always come back. I think I like it because I like laughing at the drama and the fakeness of it all lol.
Oh my gosh. So much dramafication. But impossible to turn away!!
I’ve never been able to enjoy any reality show. But I’m pleased to FINALLY BE ABLE TO CONFESS here the embarrassing equivalent fact that I guiltily watched The Secret Life of the American Teenager for some seasons. Mega-drama, an entire town-full of teens and adults with no relationship skills. bad writing,. and completely zero intellectual merit. Right? We all need escapes at times! –Looking forward to trying these nachos. So glad to have found your blog.
LOL – no intellectual merit. That’s exactly how I feel when I watch the Bachelorette but I just. can’t. stop.
OMG I am literally trying not to lick the screen – these look AMAZING!!!
Yum!! These look SO awesome and super tasty and something everyone would love!!
https://www.youtube.com/addalittlefood
Your amazing food choices more than compensate for your horrid viewing habits 😉
Thanks for sharing, pinned!
Bahahah! I hope so!
I could eat this all day. YUM!
Loving the textures of crispy nachos with the sauce and sweet potatoes. Perfect comfort food! Can’t talk about bachelorette as am uk based so it’s not on here but I know how it is when hooked on a series. Enjoy and accept the fact that more people secretly watch these shows than care to admit. Besides it a bit of a study in sociology 😉
Cant’ wait to try these-already trying to figure out what night next week to have them for dinner! For those who don’t want to skillet roast the corn and have a Trader Joe’s near by, they have fire roasted corn in the freezer section. I have used it for several recipes and it works well. This time of year I can’t pass up the chance to roast fresh corn but having a bag of Trader Joe’s in the freezer comes in handy.
Thanks for the tip Christi!
Major Bachelorette fan here. My co-workers and I go so far as to have a bracket where we guess who is going to get kicked off each week.
I’m liking the idea of this homemade cheese sauce, I always get weirded out by the processed kind.
I’m a bachelorette-watcher too! I don’t understand it, I’m not proud of it, but I totally love it. And, as long as we’re admitting things, I’ve also read through #bachelor hashtags on twitter to see what others are saying. I’m really glad someone else does that. Whew.
These nachos look awesome! Love the grilled veggies and lightened-up cheese sauce. So perfect for summer. I’ll have to try those chips too – I’m all about tortilla chips with a little texture in ’em.
These nachos look so good! I don’t even really like sweet potatoes, but this might just convince me to! And everyone needs their TV shows to indulge in 🙂
Wha!??! Blasphemy! 🙂
im not a TV person but currently I am obsessed with House of Cards …and these nachos would be perfect to have for dinner = more time for House of Cards = winner 🙂
Great recipe so making this, shared, and pinned. You should share this on Real Food Fridays, also following on g+.
These nachos look sooo yummy! Even though I haven’t tried it yet, I bet your chipotle shredded chicken would be an awesome ‘meat’ addition to this recipe! Regarding the Bachelorette, you MUST go to http://www.ihategreenbeans.com if you haven’t already. It is the best weekly recap that will make you literally LOL…I pretty much watch the show now just so I can read and laugh at the recap every week! She cringes behind the couch cushions just like the rest of us!
Yes to the chicken and yes to the recap! I am going there NOW
Aaaaaand I’ve now been reading these posts and comments for the last 20 minutes. JACKPOT! Thank you Lindsey!