Spicy Sausage Nachos Recipes

SPICY SAUSAGE, BEAN, AND CHEESE NACHOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking meat apart with a wooden spoon, until sausage is browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towels to drain.
• Add scallion whites and garlic to skillet; cook until fragrant and soft, about 20 seconds. Stir in beans and cook 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, cumin, and salt. With a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, mash beans until chunky-smooth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Spread half the tortilla chips in a large ovenproof platter or baking dish. Top with half the beans, half the sausage, half the cheese, and half the jalapenos (if using). Repeat with remaining ingredients. Bake until cheese melts and nachos are hot, about 5 minutes. Serve nachos topped with scallion greens, salsa, and sour cream.

SWEET AND SPICY SAUSAGE RAGU NACHOS WITH PICKLED ONIONS

Steps:

• For the ragu: Put the garlic, celery, onions and fennel in a food processor and puree to a coarse paste.
• Coat a wide, deep pan with olive oil. Add the pureed veggies, season with salt and bring to medium-high heat. Cook the veggies until all the liquid has evaporated and they begin to stick to the pan - you want to brown the crap out of these guys until crud starts to form on the bottom of the pan. Stir occasionally to scrape up the brown bits, and then let the crud form again. Be patient here and don't rush it, this is where the big flavor develops; it will take up to 30 minutes.
• When the lovely brown crud has formed and been scraped down a couple of times, add the tomato paste, stirring to combine. Let it start to brown a little and continue stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. There's not much liquid at this point to keep things from burning, so be careful and move fast. Add the wine, stir to combine and scrape up any remaining brown bits. Cook until about half the wine has evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add both the spicy and sweet sausage and, using a spoon to break it up, cook until the meat is brown (this is where another round of big brown flavors is formed, so take your time), 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add enough water to the pan to cover the meat by about 1/2-inch. Stir to combine well, and then add the bay leaves and thyme bundle. Taste, season with salt and taste again; it's by no means done, but it should taste good. Bring the sauce to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS). Continue cooking, checking occasionally, for 3 hours, tasting, seasoning and adding more water as needed.
• For the pickled onions: In a medium bowl, combine the red wine vinegar with 1/2 cup cold tap water. Stir in the sugar, salt and hot sauce.
• Add the sliced onions and let sit for at least 1 hour. To assemble: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a large platter, spread out a layer of tortilla chips. Spoon a layer of the ragu over the chips. Cover with a layer of Parmigianino and fontina cheeses. Place in the oven until the cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle a layer of arugula over the top and finish with a large dollop of mascarpone cheese. A gooey cheesy treat. Delish.

SPICY SAUSAGE RAGU NACHOS WITH PICKLED ONIONS

Steps:

• Make the ragu: Put the garlic, celery, onions and fennel in a food processor and puree to make a coarse paste. Coat a wide, deep pan with the olive oil and put over medium-high heat. Add the pureed veggies and season with salt; cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the veggies begin to stick to the pan-you want to brown the crap out of these guys until crud starts to form on the bottom of the pan. Stir occasionally to scrape up the browned bits, then let the crud form again. Be patient here and don't rush it: This is where the big flavor develops; it will take up to 30 minutes.
• When the lovely brown crud has formed and been scraped down a couple of times, stir in the tomato paste. Let it start to brown a little, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. There's not much liquid at this point to keep things from burning, so move fast: Add the wine, stir to combine and scrape up any remaining browned bits. Cook until about half of the wine has evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. (This is where another round of big flavor is formed, so take your time.)
• Add enough water to cover the meat by about 1/2 inch. Stir to combine well, then add the bay leaves and thyme bundle. Taste, season with salt and taste again; it's by no means done, but it should taste good. Bring the sauce to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS). Continue cooking for 3 hours, tasting, seasoning and adding more water as needed. Discard the bay leaves and thyme.
• Meanwhile, make the pickled onions: Combine the vinegar, 1/2 cup cold water, the sugar, 1 tablespoon salt and the hot sauce in a bowl. Add the sliced onion and let sit, at least 1 hour. Drain.
• Assemble the nachos: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread a layer of tortilla chips on an ovenproof platter. Top with a layer of the ragu and cover with the parmigiano and fontina cheeses. Bake until the cheeses melt, 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the chopped chipotle, adobo sauce and mascarpone in a bowl. Sprinkle the arugula over the nachos and finish with dollops of the chipotle mascarpone and the pickled onions. A gooey cheesy treat. Delish.

SLOW-COOKER SPICY SAUSAGE NACHO DIP

Steps:

• Cook sausage, onion and garlic in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain well.
• Place chorizo mixture, cheese and tomatoes in 2 1/2- to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on Low heat setting 3 to 4 hours, stirring halfway through cooking, until cheese is melted and mixture is hot.
• Stir in cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping. Dip will hold on Low heat setting up to 1 1/2 hours; stir occasionally.