Ohmygoodness, do you know what is happening here? Pretty much the combination of my favorite foods into one dish: Thanksgiving leftovers, and nachos. I just… I can’t even… ugh. I wish I still had leftovers of these leftovers.
Funny story about these nachos: I actually made them on Halloween. So while we were handing out candy to the costumed kids, we were simultaneously munching on Thanksgiving-themed nachos. Then we had Halloween candy for dessert. My head was so confused by the holiday mash-up, though my belly was all, “GOOD GRAVY GIMME MORE.” (Except there is no gravy on these nachos. Because that would be gross.) (Also, that’s my food baby talking. My real baby will be much more well-behaved.)
Anyway.
I made these nachos for a project with Old El Paso that combines Mexican flavors with holiday leftovers. In theory, coming up with such a recipe should be an easy task — Mexican food is awesome, and holiday leftovers are awesome, so anything mixing the two should be doubly awesome, right? But then you realize that mashed potato tacos sound disgusting, and green bean casserole with fajita seasoning would be horrendous, and the list goes on. So it took some serious thinking to come up with a recipe that actually tastes good. And I’ll be honest — even as I went to make these nachos, I worried that they would taste all sorts of weird.
But you know what? They proved me wrong in a very, very delicious way.
I think what really makes these nachos pop, besides all the melty cheese that melts my heart, is the cranberry-jalapeno salsa on the side. It offers just enough sweetness and tartness to balance out all the salty-savory flavors in the nachos. And pro tip: Mix it with a little sour cream. You won’t be sorry.
Instead of the classic Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich the day after the holiday, I suggest you mix it up and make these nachos instead. Or, make both! and let the over-eating continue into the weekend. It’s how I plan to do, anyway.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 bag tortilla chips
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 lb turkey breast, chopped or shredded
- 1 ½ tablespoons taco seasoning
- 16 ounces refried beans
- 1 cup cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- salt, to taste
- 1 green onion, sliced
- Sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Place a layer of tortilla chips in the bottom of the pan; sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Top with more tortilla chips (you may not use the whole bag).
- Lightly toss turkey with taco seasoning; sprinkle half of the turkey over the cheese. Top evenly with refried beans. Top with remaining turkey. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.
- Bake 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted and ingredients are warmed through. Meanwhile, make the cranberry-jalapeno salsa: In a small bowl, combine cranberry sauce, cilantro and lime juice. Seed and finely dice one jalapeno pepper; stir into salsa. Add salt to taste.
- Slice remaining jalapeno; sprinkle over top of baked nachos, along with sliced green onion. Serve with salsa and sour cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Disclosure: I received compensation from Old El Paso for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.
I think these sound great! I made a practice turkey over the weekend and have tons of leftovers. I was actually thinking of making turkey enchiladas, but I might need to do nachos instead!
YUM! Spice and texture are what leftovers so sorely need! This looks perfect! Though I have to admit…mashed potato tacos sounds kind of great to me.
What a great way to use up the leftovers after Turkey day!! I love a good plate of nachos. Yum!
OHHH yes! This is so perfect for munching on the day after, when you finally want to eat again at lunchtime, haha. Love ’em, Steph!
This is so creative! So much better than the traditional leftover turkey sandwich.
Is it possible to just have nachos for Thanksgiving instead of everything else?
Wow, this dish is genius Stephanie! I love the way you combined all the ingredients with nachos and cheese! What an incredible way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers!
I love this idea for leftovers!! Who WOULDN’T want to make these after Thanksgiving? Shoot, I’d make this year-round! Can we say football parties and summer entertaining? Yum!!
This is a great idea! I love that cranberry salsa on the side too! I bet that just brought everything together. I cannot wait until I have leftovers!
I love that you were eating this on Halloween, brilliant!