Leftover Carnitas Waffle Fry "Nachos"
with lettuce / cheese / sour cream
We use waffle fries instead of chips for a fun twist on nachos. With leftover carnitas from Monday, these "nachos" come together fast, feed a crowd, and are easy to customize with your favorite toppings. Featured in 2017, this recipe received great reviews from our Cook Smarts community.
Smarts: In testing we liked frozen waffle fries (Alexia makes a sweet potato waffle fry that was great here) as a base for their ability to hold up to toppings, but you could try these with tater tots or other frozen fries if you'd like to experiment! Tortilla chips will work too.
Ingredients
- Onions, medium - 1/2, diced
- Lettuce, romaine - 1 heart, chopped
- Tomatoes, medium - 1, diced
- Cilantro - 1/4 cup, chopped
- Waffle fries, frozen - 20 oz (use sweet potato waffle fries if you can find them; sub tortilla chips)
- Cheese, any pre-shredded blend - 6 oz
- Slow-cooker carnitas (leftover from Monday) - ~3 cups
- Lime juice - 2 tsp
- Sour cream - 1/3 cup (sub plain or Greek yogurt)
- Salsa, any type - 1/4 cup
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Onions - Dice onions. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Lettuce / Tomatoes / Cilantro - Prep as directed.
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Make
- Cook waffle fries according to package directions (if using tortilla chips heat oven to 350F / 177C degrees; spread chips out onto a sheet pan, top with toppings according to Step 3 below, and then bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until cheese has melted).
- When fries are cooked, remove pan from oven and turn on oven's broiler (skip this step if using tortilla chips).
- Top fries (or chips) with cheese, onions, and then leftover carnitas. Place under the broiler and broil until cheese is melted and carnitas are warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes (watch the nachos closely so they don't burn).
- Finish nachos with a squeeze of lime juice and cilantro. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and salsa at the table so that everyone can customize. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
15 reviews
We have made this one many, many times. We swap the lentils for black beans since it is even easier & faster. This is a good crowd-pleasing meal as well - everyone can bring a side!
0 HelpfulA good junk meal for a night at home hanging with the family. Wouldn’t make it a regular thing but it was enjoyed by all!
0 HelpfulThese were delicious! As others have said, not the healthiest but definitely a hit when you want a splurge meal.
0 HelpfulUsed both normal and sweet potato fries and this was an easy and yummy if not the most healthy way to eat leftover carnitas.
0 Helpful