What happens when you cross delicious pulled pork fajitas with the ultimate nacho piled high with deliciousness? Fajita nachos. Oh wow, you're going to love this recipe full of cheesy goodness, crunchy chips and fantastic Mexican flavors. Let's take a look.
This fajita nachos recipe is gluten free.
THESE FAJITA NACHOS ARE PILED HIGH WITH GOODNESS.
You could say that I love nachos... but that would be an understatement. Nachos are good any time of year, winter through summer. They are perfect for holiday gatherings and pair great with beer, margaritas or sangria. Nachos may be one of the most widely accepted foods available. When have you passed by a delicious looking plate of nachos and thought "nah. I don't want a bite." The only time I do that is at a sporting event with those stale chips and fake cheese. Not thanks. These fajita nachos are made with love... and crispy shredded boneless country pork ribs. The smell coming from the oven is intoxicating. As you build layer upon layer of flavors the whole thing comes together with your first bite like a perfectly planned Mexican flavor blast. Oh it is so good.
Yes. I love nachos. But recently I have been having another love affair. I'm not sure if you have tried the Food Should Taste Good Multigrain chips... but they are addicting. Wow. They are just perfect for these fajita nachos, but they are equally as good with a nice slice of white cheddar cheese. Or some salty Manchego or creamy Jarlsberg. I've never eaten chips with cheese, but the pairing is just delicious. For the nachos, I used the multigrain and the blue corn. They have distinctive flavors making each bite just a bit different than the last. A true eating experience! Who would have thunk nachos could deliver all that?
QUICK COOKING TIP: For the pork, I used boneless country pork ribs. They are really inexpensive if you can find them. They're even less expensive than pork shoulder or pork butt. The best part is that they braise to shreddable perfection in less than 2 hours. So here's the tip: to make the meat really flavorful, make sure that you sear it after it has braised. Just put it in a hot pan with some cooking fat and don't move it for at least five minutes. You'll love how the flavors concentrate and the crisp edges add dimension to the meat. It's so good!
Fajita Nachos: Four Layers of Flavor
An awesome Fajita Nachos recipe with layer upon layer of flavor. This will be a knockout at your next gathering... make sure you come hungry because this will feed a huge crowd!
Ingredients
For the Shredded Pork
- 1.5 Lbs Country Style Pork Ribs, boneless
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Fresh Cracked Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
- ⅓ Cup Pickled Jalapeno Slices, I used HOT
- ⅓ Cup Jalapeno juice, from the jar
- ¼ Cup water
- 2-3 tablespoon cooking fat (oil, lard, rendered fat)
For the Fajita Nachos
- 1 Red Onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 Orange Pepper, seeded and sliced
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Pinches Kosher Salt
- 1 Bag Blue Tortilla Chips, I used Food Should Taste Good
- 1 Bag Yellow Tortilla Chips (again, I used Food Should Taste Good)
- 3 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 Can Sliced Olives
- 1 Vine-On Tomato, seeded, cored and diced
- ½ Cup Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
For the Pork
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
- Add the pork to an oven safe baking dish. Coat both sides with the salt, pepper and cajun seasoning. Add in the jalapeno juice and water to the dish. Top the meat with the sliced jalapeno rings. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours.
- When the meat is cooked, remove the cooked jalapenos and set aside. Next, carefully shred the meat with two forks in the baking dish. While you are shredding, heat a cast iron or other heavy bottom pan with the cooking fat until the fat shimmers in the pan.
- After you are done shredding and the pan is hot, use tongs to add the pork to the pan. Be careful as it may splatter some of the cooking fat. When all the pork is in the pan, allow to cook over high heat for 4-5 minutes without moving the pork. It will get a really nice sear to the meat.
- After the meat is seared, add in the remaining braising liquid to deglaze the pan. It should all cook off within about a minute, but leave the pork super juicy. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
For the Nachos
- (After the pork comes out of the oven, increase the temperature to 400 degrees)
- Add the olive oil to a heavy bottom pan heating at the high setting on your range. When the oil shimmers, add in the sliced onions and a good pinch of kosher salt. Break up the onions a bit with a wooden spoon or spatula. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, then add in the peppers and another pinch of salt. Allow to cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions and peppers are soft and delicious. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easier clean-up later. Add in both types of chips and cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with cheese and place in the oven for 2-3 minutes until the cheese melts.
- Add another layer of chips, more cheese and some of the peppers, onions and pork. Place back in the oven for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Repeat one more time with the remaining peppers, onions and pork. Cook again for 4 or so minutes until all the cheese has melted.
- Remove from the oven and top with the sour cream, olives, tomato and cilantro. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
PLEASE NOTE: The cook time for this recipe is assuming that you have pulled pork or pulled chicken ready. If not, please add on another hour and a half or so!
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Amount Per Serving Calories 552
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THIS AWESOME FAJITA NACHOS RECIPE:
For this post, the good people at Food Should Taste Good provided me with a bunch of different flavors of their chips. When I owned my catering company, we used their products consistently. It's just tasty and always Gluten Free, which I love. All that being said, the chips keep their crispness even when loaded up with cheese, meat and veggies. That's hard to find in a chip. I've made plenty of nachos and had the chips get all soggy on me in no time flat. These stay crisp and add a really nice flavor to the whole dish.
If you're looking for other Mexican style recipes, I've got a few for you to check out. You might want to top these fajita nachos with some Easy Guacamole or pair them up with some delicious Pulled Pork Tacos. If you have leftover pork, onions and peppers... save them for the morning and make an awesome Fajita Frittata. However you make it, please enjoy!
David Summerbell says
Thanks for sharing this gluten free recipe. I can see why you are addicted to those multigrain chips, they taste amazing.Will try this out soon. Thanks for sharing. The pics look scrumptious!
Scott Groth says
Hi David,
They are ridiculously good and I rarely say that about any commercially made items. Not sure what it is about them- but they have a wonderful balance of salty, crunchy and a touch of sweet.
I hope that you try the recipe- let me know what you think!
Take care and happy eating-
Scott
Karly says
OMG. These are just insane. I absolutely NEED these in my life ASAP!
Scott Groth says
Hi Karly:
Thank you. Hope you had the chance to try them.
Have a fantastic weekend!
Scott
Megan Lasky says
Yummy, crunchy and packed with all the things I love on Nachos! The fajita twist is brilliant!
Scott Groth says
Hi Megan:
I really appreciate your nice thoughts.
Thank you for stopping by and happy eating!
Scott