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Food doesn't get much more fun than nachos, even non-traditional ones like these guys. And what better time for an autumn-flavored pick-me-up than now, when the days are about as short as they get (if you're in my part of the globe, anyway).
So, grab a handful of chips and douse them in a pumpkin sauce spiced up with chipotles en adobo for a dead-simple, totally flavorful dish. It all comes together in a snap thanks to the convenience of canned pumpkin, beans, and chiles.
You'll pop all that in the oven to get everything warmed and mingled, and meanwhile, you'll chop a few fresh elements to balance the salt and spice (namely, crisp red pepper, fresh cilantro, and creamy avocado). Then nothing left to do but pour yourself a cold one and get munching.
Dead Simple Black Bean Nachos with Chipotle Pumpkin Sauce
serves 4-6
For the black bean and chipotle pumpkin sauce:
2 15-oz cans black beans
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup water
1 no-salt-added vegetable bouillon cube
1 chipotle en adobo
2 TBSP nutritional yeast
1 TBSP canola or grapeseed oil
1 generous pinch fine sea or kosher salt
1 generous pinch Mexican oregano (optional)
To assemble:
tortilla chips
diced red bell pepper
chopped cilantro leaves
chopped avocado
flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat oven to 375 (if assembling nachos right after making sauce)—see Note.
Drain both cans of beans, but do not rinse. Add to a medium pot and set aside.
Add remaining sauce ingredients to a food processor and process until very smooth, 30-60 seconds.
Add pumpkin mixture to pot with beans and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat slightly to medium-medium low. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through and thickened a bit, about five minutes.
To assemble, pile tortilla chips snugly in a low mound in a baking dish and pour sauce over top, leaving a small border of chips uncovered (the chips touching the sauce will absorb it and soften, but the chips below and to the side will leave some crunchy chips that can scoop up toppings). Bake 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, top generously with diced pepper, cilantro, and avocado. Sprinkle top of dish gently with flaked salt and then generously crack black pepper over top. Serve at once with forks.
Note: once the sauce is done, nachos can be assembled immediately in any desired quantity. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for days and reheated as desired to make a batch.