Given half a chance, a toaster oven could take over your family meals. It could cook delicious, easy food for every meal. It is about the hardest working, yet most under recognized small appliance and we have fallen head-over-heals for it. We appreciate the many benefits of the toaster oven so much, we wrote a new cookbook, Toaster Oven Takeover, and we are thrilled to announce it will be available April 20!
This cookbook has it all, and we had a great time writing it. It is fast family meals that you can get on the table quickly. It is filled with over-the-top delicious desserts, casual-yet-yummy appetizers, fantastic pizzas, great tasting, easy sheet pan dinners, scrumptious sides to round out the dinner, wonderful breads and more.
The benefits your toaster oven offers is incredible. We will share more about that underrated appliance on future posts, but for now, take our word for it that new, electronic toaster ovens are a far cry from those portable ovens available even a few years ago. The more we used ours, the more we loved it and that is going to be true for you, too.
Want a peak into the cookbook? Here is the cover and it shows oh-so-good Individual Chicken Pot Pies, and the back of cookbook showcases Chocolate Caramel Pecan Cupcakes. But what delicious recipes lie between those covers?
It is hard to pick just one recipe that we might feature. Should it be one for breakfast, lunch or dinner? A sweet or a side? We really love the variety of recipes. A few of our favorites include the Loaded Cauliflower Casserole, Sweet Chili Glazed Wings, Chipotle Glazed Meat Loaf and the Espresso Chip Muffins. We use the toaster oven constantly (and a few of those foods are in a handy chart in the book) to toast nuts, roast vegetables, or broil burgers.
To read more about the book or to order your copy, visit Amazon
So what one recipe to share today? What about everyone’s favorite—Sheet Pan Loaded Nachos! These are topped with seasoned, cooked ground beef, beans, and cheese. Then, you can dress them up and add your favorite toppings or make them quick and keep them a bit simpler for those teens that always seem to be hungry. Invite your friends for a casual snack on the patio (yes, we wrote this book during the pandemic) or watch your favorite movie and munch on these nachos.
SHEET PAN LOADED NACHOS
Everyone’s favorite bar food is as close as your toaster oven. Best of all, you can custom make the nachos with any of your favorite toppings. Gather your friends and enjoy!
Serves 4
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
½ pound lean ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 ounces tortilla chips
½ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese
½ cup salsa
Toppings: sliced jalapeno peppers, chopped bell peppers, sliced ripe olives, chopped tomatoes, minced fresh cilantro, sour cream, chopped avocado, guacamole, chopped onion, optional
1. Preheat the toaster oven to 400°F. Line a 12 x 12-inch baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil. (Or if lining the pan with regular foil, spray it with nonstick cooking spray.)
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring frequently until the beef is almost done. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently until the beef is fully cooked; drain.
3. Arrange the tortilla chips in an even layer in the prepared pan. Top with the beef-onion mixture. Top with the beans. Bake, uncovered, for 6 to 8 minutes. Top with the cheese and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
4. Drizzle with the salsa. Top as desired with any of the various topping choices.
Tip: Substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped or fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed, for the ground beef. Cook in a large skillet and season as directed, then top the tortilla chips with the cooked meat. Proceed as the recipe directs. You can also substitute refried beans, garbanzo beans or any of your favorite beans for the black beans.
Convection oven variation: Prepare the recipe as directed. Bake the beef and bean topped tortilla chips on the convection oven setting at 400°F for 5 to 7 minutes. Top with the cheese, then bake for 3 to 4 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
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