Thanksgiving Leftover Nachos
A few years ago, I had Thanksgiving dinner at Bobby Flay’s and the next day I called him up and said “hey, I need leftovers. Whatta ya got?” We were neighbors at the time, so I walked over and he made a big tray of nachos. He had served his mashed potatoes the day before with queso instead of gravy (this is only acceptable if you’re Bobby Flay IMHO) and he smothered the tray of turkey and brussel sprout-covered tortilla chips with that rich, creamy cheese sauce. I got one word for you: heavenly.
Since I don’t make queso on turkey day, I just use shredded cheese when recreating these nachos. If you’re down for making a batch of queso on Leftovers Day (Friday), knock yourself out. For my Thanksgiving Leftovers Nachos, I just spread tortilla chips out on a sheet pan, give them a few dollops of canned refried beans or black beans, cover with pulled turkey, shredded Brussels sprouts (can be roasted or raw, whatever you have), and a blanket of shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I like to shred my own cheese vs. the bag of shredded cheese…I think it melts better and it doesn’t have the anti-caking agents they put on the shredded stuff.) While it bakes, I make a little “pico de gallo” of diced apples, shallots, jalapeno, and lime juice and a “cranberry crema” of sour cream and cranberry sauce. Garnish with fresh cilantro and scallions, and you’re done.
Thanksgiving Leftover Nachos
Prep time: 99
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 99
Yield: 99
Ingredients
- 1 bag tortilla chips
- 1 can refried beans
- 2 cups shredded turkey meat
- 4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 apple, small dice
- 1 shallot, minced
- ½ jalapeno, seeds and rib removed, minced
- Juice of ½ lime
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup cranberry sauce
- Fresh cilantro and scallions, for garnish
Cooking Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Spread tortilla chips onto a rimmed baking sheet. Use a spoon to drop beans onto chips. Cover in turkey meat and cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- While the nachos are baking, make the apple pico and cranberry crema. In a small bowl, combine apple, shallots, jalapeno, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. In another small bowl, combine the sour cream and cranberry sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
- Take the nachos out of the oven and garnish with apple pico, cranberry crema, cilantro, and scallions. Enjoy!
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