Pumpkin Queso And Black Bean Nachos Recipe

The best season of the year is upon us, and with it comes a few of our favorite things. Pumpkin, of course, finds its way into every soup, stew, drink, and dessert — for good reason — and football takes over your TV screen from Thursday to Monday night (along with tasty game-day snacks). So what better way to enter the fall season than to combine the two?

In this recipe by Michelle McGlinn, football's favorite food gets a spooky-season upgrade by mixing creamy Velveeta with pumpkin purée. Don't worry, it isn't anything like a pumpkin spice latte; instead, it's creamy, cheesy, and a little bit spicy. We're talking about nachos, and this autumnal take on the classic features spiced black beans, guacamole, and sour cream for a loaded vegetarian nacho plate that's fit for a crowd. The best part? This recipe is easier than it sounds and comes together in barely 15 minutes, meaning you can put it together during halftime and then get right back to the game.

You can't have nachos without chips. Pick up your favorite tortilla chips, or lean into the Halloween theme and use blue corn tortilla chips for a spooky twist. Next, you'll need Velveeta, canned tomatoes with chilies (the most popular choice is Rotel), and a can of pumpkin purée. For toppings, you'll need a couple of avocados, salt, lime, a can of black beans, cumin, chili powder, sour cream, and jalapeno.

Place the Velveeta cubes, pumpkin purée, and diced tomatoes and green chilies in a microwave-safe bowl and stir to combine.

Microwave the Velveeta mixture for 1 minute, then stir. Continue to microwave in 1-minute intervals until completely melted, stirring in between.

Meanwhile, mash the avocados on a plate with 1 teaspoon salt and the juice from ½ a lime.

Add the black beans, cumin, chili powder, and remaining salt and lime juice to a small bowl. Toss well to combine.

To assemble the nachos, spread the chips on a baking sheet or platter. Cover in pumpkin queso, then sprinkle the black bean mixture over the top.

Drizzle the nachos with sour cream, then top with the avocado mixture and jalapenos. Serve immediately.

Nachos should be a quick and easy snack on game day (or any time), but if you want to avoid using cans, you can certainly use fresh pumpkin instead. Just remember, to purée the pumpkin, the squash has to be roasted until soft first. Once you've done that, blend the softened flesh into a homemade pumpkin purée and continue with the recipe as written.

If you really want to make things from scratch, the Velveeta and the canned diced tomatoes and green chilies can be swapped for homemade versions, too. There's no denying that there's no real substitute for Velveeta — it's a magic brick of squishy cheese that melts effortlessly into creamy, smooth queso. You can, however, get pretty close by using shredded cheddar and American cheeses. Because of the difference in milk fat (and other mysterious ingredients), freshly shredded cheese won't melt quite as effortlessly without a roux and some milk. We recommend melting fresh cheese over the stove with butter, flour, and milk to create the same consistency.

As for the diced tomatoes and green chilies, the swaps are easy enough. You can stick with canned and use plain diced tomatoes and canned green chilies, or you can dice your own Roma tomatoes and cut up a few jalapenos for a similar effect. We recommend doing this if you want a fresher tomato flavor or a spicier chile note in the queso.

Like any nacho, these pumpkin queso nachos can be loaded up with toppings. Black beans and avocado are simple and satisfy a vegetarian diet, but if you would prefer some meat on your chips, we recommend adding cooked and crumbled chorizo (or soyrizo, for the vegetarian chorizo lovers). If chorizo is not your thing, you can also add crumbled ground beef taco meat.

You can get creative with the toppings, adding things like sliced black olives, shredded lettuce, or pickled red onions. You can also double up on the cheese, adding another layer of freshly shredded pepper jack, cheddar, or monterey jack cheese over the queso. No matter what toppings you decide on, the nachos should be eaten immediately — no leftovers, as the queso makes the chips soggy overnight. However, to save some time when making these, you can prep the queso and black bean mixture ahead of time. That way, the queso will only need a quick zap in the microwave to come back to life.