The Lucy Diaries: Cheesy Chilli Beef Nachos [RECIPE]

Who doesn't love Mexican food? Tacos, enchiladas, chilli con carne... oh and a cheeky Margarita to help wash it all down!
Today I wanted to try something new on The Lucy Diaries. So, I am going to show you how to make my incredibly highly praised 'Cheesy Chilli Beef Nachos'. They really are delicious but I must warn you of the giant food baby that will be expected immediately after licking your plates clean (and he/she will grow at a very rapid rate so this should only ever really be a treat meal!). It's incredibly easy to do, if you know how to make chilli con carne or even a bolognese sauce, you're halfway there.

To make your Nachos you will need:

• 500g minced beef
• A large onion
• Two cloves of garlic
• A tin of tomatoes (400g)
• Red kidney beans (410g)
• Chilli Con Carne mix (though if you want to be more authentic or your own personal chilli recipe includes an actual chilli/chilli flakes you are more than welcome to use that alternative)
• Cheddar cheese
• Guacamole
• Salsa
• Crème fraîche or soured cream (soured cream is better in my opinion but crème fraîche works just as well)

 1. Chop your onion and garlic

 2. In a large pan/wok (I prefer a wok as the pan gets hotter faster making it a much speedier process, thus nachos on your plate sooner!), add about a tablespoon of vegetable oil to your pan and gently fry your onions and garlic until the onions become clear.

 3. Add your mince. Break it up and keep stirring so you brown all of the meat.

 4. Once all of the meat has browned, add your chopped tomatoes.

 5. Pour your kidney beans into a sieve over the sink, draining the excess juices. Then carefully transfer the drained kidney beans into your pan and give it a good stir.

 6. Pour in the chilli mix/chopped chilli/chill flakes (depending on what you're using), making sure it's well mixed into the rest of the mixture. Now your meat is done, take it off the heat and let the sauce reduce. Stir occasionally if you need to but it should become a thick meaty mixture!

 7. Now the fun part! I must add, this is my younger brothers portion with a VERY large appetite! You don't even want to know how measly the portion I had was....
Arrange your tortilla chips onto a plate and add a dollop of the meat sauce into the middle. Top with grated cheese and pop it in the microwave until it's melted (usually between 45 seconds-1 minute, the heat from the meat should help). Now top with spoonfuls of guacamole, salsa and crème fraîche/soured cream...

And here is the finished product! Tuck in and if you happen to have some Tequila and lime lying around, feel free to add a Margarita to your meal.

Let me know if you try this out or if you'd like to see more recipe's like this in the future.

Lucy xxx