What do you do when you want something quick and easy, there’s not much in the house, and you don’t want to go out?
 
Pantry Raid!!
 
As a general rule, I am a proponent of fresh foods in favor of packaged and canned. But sometimes, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I think even the snobbiest foodie sneaks into the closet for some Oreos or Doritos occasionally, even if they deny it.
 
Next time you feel the need, make these savory, salty, slightly spicy nachos using things you probably already have in your pantry, ready in about 15 minutes.
 

Pantry Nachos

 Print This Recipe
Serves 2-3
 
2-3 cups corn tortilla chips
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained (or, 1 can diced tomatoes & 1 can green chiles, drained)
1 can (16 oz) nonfat refried beans
1-1 1/2 cups pre-shredded mexican cheese blend (or cheddar, or whatever you’ve got on hand)
If you like, dress it up with a couple of fresh ingredients to make it look snazzy:
1/2 cup fresh onion, chopped (optional)
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
 
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread half of chips in a single layer in the bottom of a baking dish or sheet. Plop some dollops of refried beans around on top of the chips. Don’t worry about spreading it around too much, as you’re just going to scoop and rearrange when you eat it anyway. Sprinkle with half of cheese. Repeat layering with chips, beans and cheese.

Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
 
Drain excess liquid out of tomatoes with a strainer. If desired, add chopped onion to tomatoes and mix. Now it almost looks like pico de gallo, doesn’t it?
 
Spread your faux-de-gallo over nachos. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, if using. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info? Trust me – you don’t want to know.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!