You're in for a real treat! 💚 Why we love this Nacho recipe:
1) It's a Healthy-ish alternative to processed cheese and high-fat meats in regular Nachos. (You're still eating a Lot of tortilla chips here, so it's not 100% healthy, but still better than other options! 👍)
2) I was able to modify the original recipe from 90 minutes down to 45-60 minutes! ⏰
3) Unlike most dairy-free cheese recipes, this does Not use soaked cashews! So if you have IBS and/or get (ahem) painful-gassy from cashews but still want something cheesy, this is for YOU.
Hubby gives it a 5/5 ⭐
See Gluten Free and Nut free notes.
NachoMama’s Queso - VegWithMandy.com
Queso makes enough for 2 trays of nachos, feeding 2 hungry people, each. 😉 Done in ~45 mins or less.
IF there’s only 2 of you, save leftover queso and tomorrow: Make a new tray of Nachos, -OR- pour leftover queso on cooked macaroni noodles with some drained kidney beans for a healthy “Chili mac”.
Preheat oven to 350F
First, the Queso -In a medium saucepan, prepare enough instant mashed potatoes for 2 servings, replacing water/butter with vegetable broth/Olive oil, respectively.
Specifically:
- 2/3 c. vegetable broth, boiled. Then remove from heat and add:
- 1Tbsp olive oil
- 2/3 c. potato flakes
- 1/4 c. unsweetened almond milk (or unsweetened soy or rice milk for nut free)
Let cool a moment.
In blender, add:
- Prepared instant mashed potatoes (above)
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce, low sodium (or tamari for gluten free option)
- 1/2 Tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/4 c. Nutritional yeast
- 1/2 c. water
- 2 Tbsp carrot baby food (yep! Just make sure the only ingredient is carrots)
If blender “chokes” thin with another ~ 1/4 c. unsweetened almond milk*
Pour in a bowl and add.
- 4-5 Tbsp Rotel, drained but liquid saved!
- 2 Tbsp Rotel liquid
Stir and set aside.
Next, the “meat”. In a saute pan on medium low, add
- ~1-2 tsp olive oil
- 8 oz tempeh (plain), first crumbled a few seconds in food processor (processing not necessary but helps texture) -OR- 1 can black beans, low sodium, drained/rinsed, slightly mashed -OR- use chickpeas (see below in Notes).
- 1/2 taco seasoning packet, low sodium
- ~1/4 c. water to make seasoning stick
Stir well, Warm in pan x 2-3 min.
Next, Assemble your Nachos, yay!
On 1 baking sheet (2 sheets if serving 4 people) lined with:
- aluminum foil, and lightly sprayed with
- Olive oil cooking spray, Layer as follows:
- Tortilla chips
- Prepared NachoMama’s Queso (above)
- Prepared Tempeh taco meat (above)
- Repeat, making sure all chips get a little bit of the queso love.
Bake at 350F x 8-10 minutes, checking halfway through.
On top of baked Nachos, add:
- Beefsteak tomato, diced
- Avocado, diced
Enjoy! <3
Notes: *The queso will get thinner once you add Rotel liquid, so don’t overdo it!
Gluten free notes: Use tamari instead of soy sauce. Make sure the following contain no sources of gluten: tortilla chips, broth (some contain gluten, but most do not), taco seasoning, tempeh -or- replace with chickpeas instead (see note below).
If I'm out of tempeh, I've prefer to use a can of well rinsed and drained chickpeas, processed lightly with a food processor (NOT pureed, just crumbled in texture).
Gather ingredients.
Make instant mashed potatoes.
After blending mashed potatoes with additional ingredients, pour in bowl and add Rotel to your liking; Stir.
Make your Taco "Meat"
Assemble your Nachos : 
Top with fresh tomatoes and avocado.
Optional: Use any leftover Queso for "Chili Mac" the next Day - Simply boil macaroni noodles and add drained/rinsed kidney beans with the prepared Queso. 👍
