If you're a fan of quick and easy finger foods and the irresistible combination of melted cheese, tender carnitas and some zesty flavors, you're in for a treat! Carnitas Nachos is perfect as a flavorful game day appetizer or just a satisfying snack. Get ready to load up some tortilla chips with delicious, leftover carnitas meat, melted cheese, salsa and all the Tex-Mex fixings you love.
This delicious appetizer was first created as a way to use up leftover carnitas meat. I love carnitas! But when I cook a 7 pound pork shoulder I end up with about 6 pounds of leftover carnitas meat and these carnitas nachos are a great way to use up some of that fantastic meat.
Of course you don't have to cook a pork shoulder to get leftover carnitas meat. Most grocery stores carry one pound bags of pre-cooked carnitas meat in the refrigerated section of the meat department. It's pretty darn good and works well for this easy-to-make carnitas nachos recipe.
This was inspired by my recipe for Queso Fundido with Chorizo and Leftover Brisket Queso.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Carnitas
- Tortilla chips
- Queso
- Pickled jalapeño peppers
- Black beans
- Black olives
- Cheddar cheese
- Salsa
- Pico de gallo
- Hot sauce
- Mexican crema or sour cream
- Green onion
- Lime juice
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Sear the Carnitas Meat
The key to making great carnitas nachos is to break up and sear the carnitas meat before making the nachos.
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet. Add the carnitas meat and break it up into bite-sized pieces. Brown the meat on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Add a pinch of salt and a little black pepper. Remove from the heat and let the meat rest. Blot the fat from the pan with a paper towel.
Assemble the Carnitas Nachos
Heat the queso in a small saucepan over low heat until hot.
Arrange a layer of tortilla chips on an oven-safe platter or baking sheet. Warm them in the oven for 3-4 minutes.
Drizzle the chips with the hot queso and top them with pickled jalapeños.
Add black beans, black olives, carnitas meat and cheese.
Next, add shredded cheese on top and then bake in the oven until the cheese melts, about 8 minutes.
Add salsa, pico de gallo, hot sauce, a splash of lime juice, Mexican crema and green onions on top of the nachos and serve.
If you still have 5 pounds of carnitas left, try making carnitas tacos. The link is down below. Also, if you have never made your own chili powder, give it a try. It is far better than anything you can find in a market. It is really that good and is very easy to make. That link is down below as well.
Variations
There is no end to the variations for this recipe. Change yellow queso to white queso. Use Monterrey jack cheese instead of cheddar. Rather than carnitas, use barbacoa or shredded chicken. Rather than black bean use charro beans. The list is only limited by your imagination.
Equipment
A cast iron comal was used in this recipe but any oven-safe dish or sheet pan would work.
Storage
Leftover nachos do not store well, they get soggy. Eat them while they are hot.
Conclusion
These Texas nachos make a great appetizer and they're incredibly quick and easy to make. The next time you're looking for crowd-pleasing snack, give these nachos a try.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe.
📖 Recipe
Carnitas Nachos Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 cups carnitas chopped
- 1 lb tortilla chips
- 1 cup queso
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeno peppers sliced
- ½ cup black beans rinsed
- ¼ cup black olives sliced
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup salsa
- 2 tablespoon pico de gallo
- ½ cup Mexican crema
- 3 green onions sliced, white and green parts
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Add olive oil to a hot fry pan, then add the carnitas meat. Brown the carnitas meat on all sides. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- Place the tortilla chips on a cookie sheet and heat in the oven for 5-8 minutes. Heat the queso in a small saucepan over low heat until hot.
- Arrange the tortilla chips on an oven-safe serving platter. Drizzle the chips with the hot queso. Top with pickled jalapenos, black beans, black olives, carnitas meat and cheese. Place in the oven until the cheese melts, about 8 minutes. Top with salsa, pico de gallo, lime juice, Mexican crema and green onions and serve.
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