Healthy Turkey and Black Bean Sweet Potato Nachos for Two

There’s little as simple and comforting as diving into a big old plate of nachos smothered in cheese*.  What’s usually much less comforting is the reality of what you’re putting in your body: a pile of salt and fat that rarely contains much, if any, nutritional value.  But it doesn’t have to be that way!

*And I mean shredded cheese.  Chips covered in that horrid liquidy faux-cheese sauce are a sad excuse for nachos!  The only thing that can make that worse is those awful chips they dye red and blue!  Keep food real, people!

Take this pile of cheesy goodness, for example.  It’s just as satisfying as the nachos you’ll find at any bar (don’t trust me?  Ask my husband!), but you can take comfort in the fact that you’re actually fueling your body with all sorts of super foods.  Replace traditional tortilla chips with thinly sliced sweet potato that has been baked until crisp.  Then top them off with a homemade corn and black bean salsa, lean ground turkey and light mozzarella cheese.  What you’ll have is a big ol’ perfectly balanced plateful of complex carbohydrates, lean protein and fiber.  They’re also gluten-free, should you care.

The other great thing about this dish is that it’s a cheap and easy option for a dinner for two that can often be made with ingredients on hand.  And don’t worry, I won’t tell you not to eat these while sitting on the couch watching men in funny outfits throw a pig skin around.

Turkey and Black Bean Sweet Potato Nachos

A Messy Kitchen Original

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato (~500g)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ~1 tsp chili powder
• Sea salt
• 1/2 cup canned corn
• 1/2 cup diced tomato
• 1/2 cup black beans, drained an rinsed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• A dash of cayenne
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 oz lean ground turkey, cooked
• 4 oz light mozzarella
• Thinly sliced lettuce, to garnish (you can also use cilantro, red onion, black olives, avocado, etc.)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Very thinly slice sweet potato.  Toss with olive oil, salt and chili powder.  Spread evenly and single file on a baking sheet.  You may need two baking sheets.  Bake at 400 degrees until they begin to get crispy.  You will want to flip them once.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the remaining ingredients except for the cheese.
3. Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, you can transfer them onto one baking sheet and allow them to overlap as you would the tortilla chips when making nachos.  Top with the black bean salsa and turkey mixture.  Finally, sprinkle with shredded cheese.
4. Cook for an addition 5-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.  You may want to switch to broil to get the cheese nice and golden brown.
5. Garnish as desired and serve!

Serves 2

Johanna