This started as a way to use up leftover potatoes, but potato nachos quickly became one of my new favorite easy dinners. Enjoy!
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It started with a bowl of leftover boiled potatoes. I’m a huge fan of the cook once eat twice concept, but sometimes it comes back to bite me. Like when I make too much of something and have to scramble to find ways to use it.
That happened with potatoes.
How to Make Potato Nachos
Potato nachos are the most delicious (and easiest!), crowd-pleasing fix for leftover potatoes.
All you do is take your favorite nacho toppings (or baked potatoes toppings), spread them across diced, cooked potatoes, and bake it for a little bit.
Simple.
Delicious.
Real Food.
If you need more ideas to use up leftover potatoes, check out my list here!
Ingredients for Potato Nachos
For this recipe, I’m going to share classic nacho toppings. But you can use any of your favorites or whatever you have on hand (even classic baked potato toppings, which I demo in the video!).
The main ingredients you want are:
Leftover Potatoes:
These can be boiled, baked, leftover home fries, anything. Just dice them up before using them in this recipe.
Salsa:
I like a good, high-quality salsa. But we go through so much of it (in burrito bowls, creamy salsa dip, nacho dip, etc.) I usually just use an inexpensive jar from Aldi.
Cheese:
Use whatever you have – cheddar is good for a strong flavor. Mozzarella is good for melting. We usually have some combination of that and pepper jack. Potato nachos are a great way to use up the odds and ends of cheese in your fridge!
Potato Nacho Toppings:
Beyond that, you’ll want any combination of your favorite nacho toppings.
- Black beans
- Pinto beans
- Beef (shredded or ground)
- Chicken (diced or shredded)
- Sour cream
- Jalapeños
- Hot sauce
- Cilantro
- Red onion
- Green onion
- Black olives
- Queso fresco
Potato Nachos Recipe
Typically, I spread the diced potatoes out on a baking sheet, top them with salsa and cheese, and then bake them until the cheese is melted and just a touch brown. Remove it from the oven and top as desired (sour cream, diced onion, cilantro, pickled jalapeño, etc.).
Tips for Making Potato Nachos
- Use several kinds of cheese if you have it.
- Top it with protein to make a full meal.
- Serve it on a bed of lettuce for a really delicious salad.
- Just use whatever toppings you have! No need to get fancy.
Potato Nachos
This recipe is:
- Gluten-free
- Easy
- Delicious
- Real food
- Corn-free nachos!
- No food waste
- Kid-friendly
- Budget-friendly
- Vegetarian option
Potato Nachos (Potachos)
This started as a way to use up leftover potatoes, but potato nachos quickly became one of my new favorite easy dinners. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 4-6 potatoes, boiled and diced (leftover potatoes are perfect for this!)
- 1/2 cup ground beef or turkey (usually this is also leftover)
- 2 cups salsa (optional – sometimes the nachos turn into loaded baked-potato nachos, in which case, salsa is unnecessary. But also, salsa is always delicious and appropriate in my opinion)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (anything that you have – those last bits of block cheese, the crumbs left in the bottom of the bag? It all goes.)
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (I like sourcream better but we usually have plain yogurt on hand, so I use whichever)
- Any other favorite nacho toppings:
- Black beans
- Pinto beans
- Beef (shredded or ground)
- Chicken (diced or shredded)
- Sour cream
- Jalapeños
- Hot sauce
- Cilantro
- Red onion
- Green onion
- Black olives
- Queso fresco
- Hot sauce
- Pickled jalapenos
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Dice the leftover potatoes and spread them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Unlike chips when you’re making nachos, you don’t want the potatoes to overlap much.
Top them with the meat, salsa, and cheese (beans as well if you're using beans). Don’t be stingy. The best part of nachos is the toppings.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned at the peaks.
Remove from the oven and top with sour cream, green onions, and any other toppings.
Serve and enjoy (Pair it with a big salad - or serve it on top of a salad - for extra plant points!).
Notes
Vegetarian:
Omit the meat and top with beans.
Dairy-free:
Top with Salsa and meat/beans, bake till heated through, then top with your favorite dairy-free taco toppings. I recommend this Dairy-Free Magic Sauce in place of the sour cream. It’s a game-changer if you’re dairy-free.
Vegan:
Use the Vegetarian and Dairy-free recommendations.
Baked Potato Nachos:
Omit the salsa and top with everything you would want on loaded baked potatoes - cheese, crumbled bacon, sour cream, green onions, etc.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 873Total Fat 45gSaturated Fat 20gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 166mgSodium 1410mgCarbohydrates 68gFiber 12gSugar 12gProtein 52g
Please note: The actual calories and nutrition of this dish will change depending on what ingredients you use. Additionally, the nutrition information in this card is generated automatically and is not always accurate.
Where is the recipe for dairy free magic sauce. Looooove your site.
Hi Ingrid! I updated the recipe to include the link, but here it is as well: https://www.kitchenstewardship.com/homemade-cashew-cream-recipe/
Do you use the DF magic sauce for anything else? I’m thinking about DF stroganoff. I wonder if I could sub it for the sour cream in that?
Yes! In fact, I use it to make DF lasagna here: https://www.kitchenstewardship.com/gluten-free-dairy-free-lasagna/. I’m not positive it would be a perfect sub in stroganoff, but it works great in lasagna.