These Healthy Grilled Sweet Potato Nachos are veggie-loaded and smothered with a lighter homemade cheese sauce and tons of fresh toppings.
SCALE
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.
