Easy Nacho Bowls for a Quick Healthy Dinner

Name: Fast and Easy Nacho Bowls
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: beans, prepared or canned: black, pinto, red, kidney, chili beans, etc.; meat alternatives: ground beef, chicken pieces, tofu scramble, vegan taco meat, etc.; filler veggies that are okay warmed: canned tomatoes, Rotel, roasted green chilies, caramelized onions, fajita veggies, corn, etc.; potatoes: roasted, diced and pan fried, hash browns, etc.; taco seasoning; dried spices: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt, cayenne, onion powder, ground black cumin, etc.; salt and black pepper to taste; onions: white, red, green, chives, etc.; leafy greens: cilantro, micro-greens, shredded lettuce, etc.; peppers, fresh or pickled: jalapenos, serranos, habaneros, roasted poblanos, etc.; diced avocados; cheese or cheese alternatives; queso; salsa: green, red, picante, mole, etc.; chunky salsas: mango salsa, pico de gallo, etc.; sour cream; hot sauce: Tabasco, Cholula, Franks, Valentina, etc.; ranch dressing; mayonnaise-based sauces: chipotle mayo, sriracha mayo, etc.; tortilla chips (recommended); veggie chips; potato chips

A fully customizable, incredibly healthy, wonderfully satisfying meal in under 15 minutes.

Equipment	Microwave or Single Burner
Difficulty	Very Easy

bowl of beans topped with vegan sour cream, salsa, jalapenos, cilantro and surrounded by corn chips

Need a new, quick healthy dinner idea?

It's hard to think of healthy food ideas for dinner, especially when you need fast meals! Nacho dishes are a great solution. As one of the ultimate quick healthy dinner recipes, nacho bowls require minimal preparation and cooking time, making them perfect weeknight meals.

A cheap, healthy meal!

It's hard to get much cheaper and healthier than beans and basic vegetables served with corn chips. The difference between nachos and nacho bowls is that when you make the filling in a bowl and serve it with chips on the side, each chip remains crispy and every chip can be fully loaded. No bald chips!

Tips and suggestions for your nacho bowls:

Don't be afraid to use multiple ingredients in your base.
Put a splatter guard or something over the top of beans before you microwave them.
If you're using leftover queso or some other topping that is cold but needs to be warmed, you can put it over your base before microwaving.
When you make this for a family you can set out all the ingredients on plates and let everyone "build their own" bowl! In which case it is best to heat all the warm ingredients separately beforehand.
Can also be packed for lunch. Just pack the parts that need to be warmed in an oversized bowl, and the cold ingredients in a separate bowl. After warming you can dump the cold ingredients on top. You can also choose eat the whole thing cold for lunch, but avoid ingredients that aren't tasty cold like queso.

Money Saving Tips:

Using dried beans instead of canned takes more time, but tastes better and is much cheaper. Usually I make a pan of boiled beans one night for dinner, and use the leftovers the next night for nacho bowls.

This is an excellent way to use up leftovers, such as hash browns, or chopped veggies from tacos and salads, or chili, etc. Save by not wasting!

Lets Begin:

green bowl of brown beans next to a jar of salsa and a cutting board

Put your base ingredients in a bowl and microwave it.

green bowl of brown beans topped with guacamole and diced tomatoes next to a cutting board of cilantro

Put your veggie toppings on the warmed base.

green bowl of brown beans topped with guacamole, tomatoes, cilantro and green onions

Put even more veggies!

nacho toppings in a bowl and topped with vegan sour cream and salsa

Drizzle your sauces on top.

nacho toppings in a bowl topped with vegan sour cream and salsa with corn chips on the side

Enjoy!

What can I serve with nachos bowls?

These meals are basically complete in themselves, but if you want to elevate them with other items I suggest these;

Margaritas
Corn Tortillas
Roasted Potatoes
Mexican Corn (Elote in Vasos)
Vegan Taco Meat
Mexican Rice
Sopapillas
Etc!

Storage.

The ingredients are good in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Can I reheat it? If I have leftovers from this I will often pack all the warm ingredients together in the fridge, and the cold ingredients separately. Then you can reheat the warm ingredients in the microwave and them dump the cold ingredients on top.

Can I pack it for lunch? Yes! It works easily for lunch! Just pack the parts that need to be warmed in an oversized bowl, and the cold ingredients in a separate bowl. After warming you can dump the cold ingredients on top. You can also choose eat the whole thing cold for lunch, but avoid ingredients that aren't tasty cold like queso.