Nacho Bake

Serves 6–8

I just know this will be the recipe my kids take with them when they leave home. It’s a great informal Friday-night feed. You can double up on the amount of beans and leave out the meat to make this a vegetarian dish. If your kids don’t like spices, you can also leave out the chilli, paprika and cayenne pepper.

Recipe and image from Eat In by Anna Gare, published by Murdoch Books $39.99. Photographer Ian Wallace.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 brown onions, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) minced (ground) beef
• 2 teaspoons smoked hot paprika
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 x 400 g (14 oz) tins of chopped tomatoes
• 3 x 400 g (14 oz) tins of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) natural corn chips
• 125 g (4½ oz/1¼ cups) grated cheddar cheese
• TO SERVE
• sour cream
• 3 avocados, destoned, smashed and seasoned with a squeeze of lime juice
• a handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish



Cooking Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

1. 2

   Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5–6 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

1. 3

   Add the beef and spices and cook, breaking up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes, or until the meat is lightly browned.

1. 4

   Stir in the tomatoes and beans and season with salt and pepper.

1. 5

   Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the mixture reaches a thick sauce consistency.

1. 6

   Pour the sauce into a shallow 3.5 litre (122 fl oz/14 cup) capacity baking dish, cover with the corn chips and scatter over the cheese.

1. 7

   Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden.

1. 8

   Serve with sour cream, smashed avocado dip and some coriander leaves scattered on top.