I had so much fun last week with the One Pot Dutch Oven Biscuits and Gravy recipe that I decided to piggy back off of it and give you another recipe that I LOVE. This recipe is also brought to you by my best cooking friend – the dutch oven – but campfire nachos just sound so much cozier than dutch oven nachos.
This recipe is quick and easy and can be made as a one pot meal also. They are also great for entertaining. So, with that, lets cozy up and make my favorite campfire nacho recipe (or maybe two!)
The Chips
First, add your corn chips to the dutch oven. If you want to get fancy, you can make your own, but any corn chips will do! One layer is probably about two plates of nachos, so use that as a base to determine how much you need.
The Cheese
Nachos are nothing without cheese, so you want a nice helping of shredded cheddar cheese over your chips. Mild, medium, or sharp is fine but whatever you choose – do not skimp! Once the cheese melts into the chips, it always seems like its less than what you wanted.
The Toppings
My favorite nacho recipe is really simple – its black beans, ground beef crumbles, onions, sliced black olives, fresh sliced jalapenos, and mashed avocado/guacamole. On top of the cheese, you’ll add black beans and ground beef. Then, put the lid on the dutch oven and place over your campfire. The ideal campfire situation for dutch oven cooking is to put it over hot coals as well as rest some hot coals on top, but you can always put it over a cooler part of the fire and rotate it to make sure everything cooks evenly. Some of the chips may char, but I think that adds a certain something to campfire meals.
Once your cheese is melted and beans are heated, removed the dutch oven from the heat and take the lid off. You can just scoop these out onto plates, and then top with diced onion, sliced black olives, and sliced jalapeno. Serve with guac, sour cream, and salsa.
Campfire Nachos
Description
This cozy dish is made to be shared around the campfire with friends, but it also works great in the oven!
Ingredients
Corn Chips
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
7 oz canned black beans
1/2 lb ground beef, crumbled and browned
1/2 onion
4 oz sliced black olives
1 jalapeno
guacamole (optional)
sour cream (optional)
salsa (optional)
Instructions
- Place dutch over with lid closed over fire to warm.
- Thinly slice jalapeno into approximately 1/4″ slices.
- Dice onion into 1/4″ pieces.
- Drain black beans and set aside.
- Remove dutch oven from fire. Place a layer of chips into the warm dutch oven so that you can’t see the bottom.
- Layer shredded cheese over top, followed by black beans.
- Add crumbled beef.
- Continue layering chips, cheese, black beans, and beef to include as many servings as you need.
- Place lid back on dutch oven and move back into the warmth of the fire, not directly over a flame OR place over hot coals, with hot coals on top as well.
- Rotate dutch often to melt cheese and warm beans evenly.
- Once cheese is melted, remove from heat.
- Divide amongst plates. Top with onion, black olive slices, and sliced jalapeno to taste.
- Served with a side of guac, sour cream, and salsa. Enjoy!
Notes
You can make this as a one pot dish! Simply fry your beef in your dutch oven as you would a cast iron skillet, then remove and place your corn chips, cheese, and beans before replacing your beef. If you plan on making more than one layer, you’ll likely need to double the recipe.
Ingredients
I like spicy food, so I don’t removed the seeds from the jalapeno before slicing. If you want some of the spice of a jalapeno but not all of it, you can removed the seeds and core the jalapeno before slicing for a milder spice.
Equipment
I have made this recipe in a 5 quart cast iron dutch oven as well as 9″ pie pans in the oven. The lid of the dutch oven is required to quickly melt the cheese on the campfire. You can use a skillet with a lid for a smaller portion and less cook time.
Variations
Easily omit the beef to make these just as tasty vegetarian campfire nachos! Black olives not your thing? That’s fine, leave them out too! Nachos are easy to change up, so feel free to experiment. Here’s a bonus recipe/substitution list for my other favorite nachos:
Substitute corn chips for salt & cracked pepper kettle chips
Omit beans and black olives
Substitute ground beef crumbles with shredded pork or shredded beef
Add your favorite barbecue sauce
Layer chips, shredded cheddar cheese, and shredded meat in dutch oven until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle your desired amount of barbecue sauce over top. Top with diced onion and sliced jalapeno. Serve with ranch or sour cream (optional).
What’s your favorite kind of nachos? Do you love these campfire nachos as much as I do? The subtle campfire flavor is SO good! Comment down below what you thought and check out Patreon to get the printable recipe card!
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