If you ever want to eat nachos for dinner and call it a meal, this is your chance.
I have memories from junior high (and college) of taking Doritos and laying them on a plate, adding shredded cheese or any kind of cheese I could find at the moment, and nuking the plate until the cheese bubbled like crazy in that very uneven microwaved-heat kind of way.
This is the grown up version of that.
It doesn’t begin with Doritos, but instead with white corn chips. Better? Maybe?
Not sure if corn chips are any better than Doritos. I love both. For this recipe I used these Santitas white corn triangles.
Two bucks for a big bag, readily available at almost any grocery store, and they have perfect amount of oil, salt, and crunch. Guacamole anyone? They’re my fave for guac.
Or how about a casserole made with said chips and shredded cheese and chili.
This is a freezer-friendly and family-friendly recipe.
It’s also vegetarian (and vegan if you use vegan cheese and vegan sour cream). It’s gluten-free, and packed with protein. Beans, beans, great for the great source of protein.
I only made a 9-by-9-inch pan but this makes plenty of planned leftovers, which I promptly put into a Glad Freezerware container.
I took the leftovers from refrigerator or freezer to microwave to table to dishwasher. Simplicity. A beautiful thing.
Let’s begin assembling nachos for dinner the casserole:
I used corn chips but use what crunchy items you have on hand. Potato chips, Doritos, corn chips, saltine crackers, pretzels; the bottom of your half-opened bags of this’es and that’s are perfect here.
Same goes for the mixture of beans, chili, salsa, or red pasta sauce used. That random jar of red peppers, canned corn, black olives, or whatever it is you need to clean up and out of your pantry or freezer, toss it in. This is a very flexible recipe.
Take five or six big handfuls of chips and put them into a bowl and chop-chop-chop with a wooden spoon, crushing the chips into dime size pieces. I almost felt bad taking perfectly-formed whole chips and crushing them. Where are those bottom-of-the-bag-chip-crumbs when you need them?
To the chips, add a can each of chili, beans, and salsa. Or whatever it is you want to use. As noted in the recipe section, ripe with options and substitutions. Add a couple big handfuls of shredded cheese to the mixing bowl and give it a stir.
Pour it into a foil-lined baking pan. Do not skip lining your pan with foil or you will literally have a hot mess on your hands when it comes time for the dishes. Nachos and melted cheese is great in your mouth. Not on your bakeware.
Bake for 20 minutes, top with a layer of sour cream, add more chips ‘ n cheese.
Bake again for 10 more minutes to get a nice browned top to your casserole. The microwave can’t make nachos like that.
Dig in.
This is perfect tailgating food. It’s May and not November, I realize that.
But there is never a wrong month for chili and chips and cheese.
Or for nachos-for-dinner disguised as a casserole. Or for meals that make planned leftovers. To say the family went ga-ga for this is an understatement.
And like most lasagna, spaghetti, or chili recipes, this got better the second and third day in the refrigerator as the flavors married.
One tip to perk up re-heated leftovers is to garnish with a dollop of sour cream, salsa, or a sprinkling of fresh cheese.
Pin This Recipe
Enjoy AverieCooks.com Without Ads! 🆕
Go Ad Free
Chips and Cheese Chili Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 ½ cups whole corn chips, crushed (about 2 1/2 cups after crushing to the size of a dime)
- one 10-ounce can chili
- one 10-ounce can black beans, red beans, refried beans, bean medleys
- one 10-ounce jar salsa or tomato sauce
- one 8-ounce package shredded cheese blend such as Mexican-style or similar, both store-brand and name-brand packages will say “2 cups” on the package
- 1 ¼ cups sour cream
- 2 ½ cups whole corn chips, crushed (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups after crushing to the size of a dime)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add 5 to 6 cups chips (about 5 big handful of chips from the bag) and with a wooden spoon or similar, poke and crush the chips to the size of a dime. You don’t want powder, but make them small. Add the chili, beans, salsa, 2 loosely-packed cups cheese (about two-thirds of the package), and stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove pan from oven and spread sour cream in an even, flat layer over the casserole. Sprinkle 1 to 1 1/2 cups loosely packed cheese (the remaining cheese in the package) evenly over the top of the sour cream. Sprinkle 1 to 1 1/4 cups crushed corn chips over the top and bake for 9 to 12 minutes, or until top is browned to desired level.
- Serve immediately. Optionally, garish with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of cheese, or a pinch of chopped cilantro or onion. Store leftovers in a Glad Freezerware container or similar airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Related Recipes
“Spicy Doritos” Cheezy Dip (vegan, GF)
Spicy Baked Black Beans with Mixed Vegetables (vegan, GF)
Cheezy Vegetable Bake (vegan, GF)
Salsa & Cheezey Baked Beans & Vegetables (vegan, GF)
Cheesy Taco Casserole (vegetarian with vegan option, GF)
Are you a fan of nachos? Chips and cheese?
I really don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t like them but I’d love to hear your favorite combinations and recipes.
Do you have a favorite casserole or freezer-friendly meal that makes planned leftovers?
Link it up
Until I had a family I really wasn’t that into leftovers and didn’t see the big deal about make-ahead meals. I see the big deal now.
They are such a time saver and even if I didn’t have a family, the whole “cook once, eat twice” strategy would be in full-swing. Knowing I have something in the freezer or fridge already made and all I have to do is re-heat it, makes the dinner hour so much more sane not having to start from scratch. Add a salad and dinner is ready.
As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a stipend and coupons for free Glad® FreezerWareTM containers.
I used to just microwave cheese straight and eat it :P
Ok that trumps me!
This looks so good! Right up our alley.
Gotta love anything that makes a boatload for planned leftovers :)
gah! i already had dinner but want to go and make this right now! my boys especially will love to see this in the freezer :)
Glad I made you hungry!
In high school and college I was renowned for my nacho-making prowess. I perfected the art of the nacho. I usually went the simple is best route – chips and cheese – but sometimes I went a little wild with the add-ins.
“good” nachos MUST be made with crap cheese – velveeta is the best. I would nuke the mexican velveeta, thinned with a bit of milk, utnil it was pourable. Spread out some tostitos bite size white chips on a cookie sheet. Pour on the cheese and broil for about 5 minutes. Perfection everytime. nice and warm throughout with some little crowned crispy cheesy bites.
YUM.
Ok I want to try your nachos! You are from Wisc and an official Cheesehead after all! And yes, the crappier the cheese, the better the nachos. I like your melt, then pour, then broil method in all seriousness though!
this is the recipe i’ve been waiting for, averie!
Wow that looks soooo good!
My BF is a huge fan of Doritos. I think I will have to save this for our next potluck! He will love it!
It almost reminds me of walking tacos…have you tried those? You take yoru meat, cheese, and fixin’s and add them to a bag of Doritos or Fritos. So good!!!
I dont eat meat but I have heard/seen the walking tacos idea. It’s pretty much what I see people doing after they hit up the sidewalk taco shops around here!
Oh man, this is EVERYthing I love about nachos in one pan – trouble! I know I’ll be trying this one :) I adore nachos…I make them all the time at home, serve them to guests for lunch, and always have to be talked out of ordering them at restaurants…I recently started throwing an old cookie sheet loaded with nachos on the bbq and the smokiness and nice even cheese melting is aMAZing!
nachos on the bbq..I LIKE that idea! I bet the smokiness is fabulous!
This is the best casserole I have ever seen!!! It sounds amazing, and I love all the ingredients!
Best ever? Well thank you!
YUM!!! This reminds me of something we had as kids, been a long time! Might have to make it soon!
oh good gravy.
a friend of mine elaborated on her favorite dinner (pre-pregnancy, when she’s forced to do things like drink water! haha). multigrain tostitos + extra sharp cheddar cheese. she broiled (i microwaved, because i simply didn’t have time for that), and dipped in salsa.
it is heaven. this sounds amazing! does it get less crunchy because of all the toppings or day-after reheating? still sounds delicious, just wondering if i should save chips to sprinkle afterward. :-)
It’s still got some crunch…more of a chew than crunch b/c the chips get all coated in sauce and beans and salsa before baking so they lose some crunch but by no means is it all lost. Big step up from microwaved nachos :)
Oh my word…I think I’m in love and I just drooled all over myself. This looks sooooo insanely good. Mmmm. :)
I’ve actually been thinking about your sour cream-infused muffins all day. Read it on my ‘Reader and LOLed at your better use full-fat sour cream one-liner :)
I know my stepdaughter would love this! I’ve made a similar dish with the same basic ingredients but instead of the chips I layered it between flour tortillas. I like the chips in there for some texture and casseroles are such a time saver. Great recipe Averie!
Yes I am big on textures so the chips were nice and big yes on the timesaver!
Ok, this is totally up my alley! Lovely!
Making Doritos on nachos, I totally did that in HS too!! My dad would love this casserole, he is the biggest nachos fan. Saving this one, thanks Averie!
It’s funny; another commenter was asking about Doritos in cookies and I said, Liz made them! Well, in brownies. I just did potato chips in cookies with the Compost Cookies…but I LOVE Doritos!
I love a good casserole. Mainly because they don’t take a ton of time and you have days of leftovers. Here is one of my favorites – Tater Tot Casserole:
https://shesontherun.com/2011/01/game-day-tater-tot-casserole/
Oh I ate plenty of Tater Tot Casserole growing up!
this looks A-mazing. I adore the make ahead meal!
and the provides-leftovers meal, too :)