I love Mexican food. Like I LOVE it. I could basically eat tacos, or nachos, or fajitas every single day. The last several months were pretty indulgent though. As in I’m pretty sure I didn’t even eat vegetables the entire month of December. So, like a lot of people, this month We’ve been lightening things up a little, and avidly trying to eat foods with more nutritional value. One of my favorite ways to create new recipes is by taking something that I already enjoy, and finding a way to make it healthier. Enter these mini pepper nachos. On the weekends our family likes to do “snacky dinners”, A.K.A. apps and small bites, so I was on a mission to take a meal my husband and I love, and lighten it up, so we can indulge on the regular without any guilt. These “nachos” are pretty easy to make. You could honestly change the ingredients up based on your preferences and they’d still be delicious no matter what. Here I used ground chicken, but you could totally use ground beef, ground turkey, chorizo, chicken, even steak. In terms of toppings, I used colby-jack cheese, and then piled them high with red onion, jalapenos, scallions, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a drizzle of our favorite Trader Joe’s sriracha ranch dressing with some guacamole and salsa on the side for dipping. I used what we had on hand, but in the future would for sure consider adding some diced tomatoes, maybe some cilantro, sour cream on the side, who knows? However you decide to top them, they’re light, healthy, tasty, low-carb, and I think even Keto-friendly.
- 1 Bag of mini peppers
- 1 pound of ground chicken (beef or turkey)
- chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder (for seasoning the meat)
- 1 cup of grated colby jack cheese
- 1/2 a medium red onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- ***Toppings of your choice
- guacamole, salsa, sour cream for dipping
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- 2. Start by chopping off the tops of the peppers and cutting them in half lengthwise. Place them, open side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- 3. In a large skillet, cook the ground chicken until no longer pink. Drain fat if necessary. Season to your liking with the spices listed.
- 4. Top peppers with the cooked meat, and then top with grated cheese.
- 5. Place the pan in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and peppers have softened.
- 6. Remove pan from oven and top with desired toppings.
- 7. Serve with guacamole and salsa.
Are these mini bell peppers?
Yes! They sell them in bags and they usually come in red, yellow, and orange!