Bean Central! (aka Nachos, nom nom)

[Vegetarian Nachos]

I came up with this recipe for vegetarian nachos around five years ago, when we were still living in Adelaide. It has remained a firm favourite, but something we only have as a bit of a treat. It was a public holiday here in Australia yesterday, and in true summer fashion it was a right scorcher (38*C in the Ranges), so I decided to whip up some nachos for dinner. They only take around 30 minutes to make, from start to serving, and taste absolutely fantastic. They are surprisingly refreshing on a hot day.

This recipe makes enough to serve 6 adults.

INGREDIENTS

425g tin red kidney beans, drained

400g tin brown lentins, drained

425g tin mexican chilli beans, drained

400g tin diced tomatoes

1 jar nachos sauce (with pinto beans, onion and tomato)

Paprika

1/2 brown onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

Salt & pepper

Corn chips (original/salted)

Grated cheese

Chopped iceberg lettuce

Diced fresh tomatoes

Sliced red (spanish) onion

Sour cream

Guacamole

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the corn chips in the bottom of a large baking dish. Grate a little cheese over them, and then pour over drained mexican chilli beans.

In a medium saucepan fry brown onion with garlic in a little olive oil until onion tender. Add tin of diced tomatoes and bring to the boil. Add drained kidney beans and lentils, a dash of paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes and then pour over the corn chips, followed by the jar of nachos topping.

 Generously grate cheese over the top and bake in oven at 180*C until cheese has melted and is starting to brown.

Best served fresh straight out of the oven whilst the corn chips are still crunchy. Top with chopped lettuce, red onion and tomato, a dollop of sour cream and a drop of guacamole.