super bowl nachos two ways

It’s almost the end of January (what?!) and we have 2 important things to talk about.

  1. Football season is basically over, and I am super sad. Thankfully we still have a few options to watch and cheer along, and the biggest game of the year is coming up: Super Bowl! Which means, we need good, easy, fresh food for snacking.
  2. I am completely addicted to ClickList online grocery shopping and pickup. Do you have ClickList in your area yet?! I can put my grocery list in online, see the total, put the order through, then pick the time I want to go to the store and pick up my order. When I get there, I just call a number and they bring the groceries out to my car. This is heaven-sent, especially with a sleeping and/or cranky toddler with you – no getting out of the warm car into cold / snowy / rainy weather. I’m telling you….I’m obsessed.

Is this how you really know you’re an adult now? You get THIS EXCITED about online grocery shopping and pick-up? If so, I am completely okay with it.

And even more exciting for this coming year, we’re working with Kroger on the blog and I am so excited to share my love for that store with you all AND all the great recipes we make with the goods we buy there each week. Grocery shopping is often my time for quiet time – in the car, in the store, on the way back home. And I love it. Maybe a little more than most people do.

super bowl nachos and tater tot nachos

You guys – I’m so excited to be working with Kroger this year! They are our go-to grocery store and absolute favorite option. This post was sponsored by Kroger; as always, recipes + opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support us! I can’t wait to bring you more posts inspired by our shopping trips at Kroger this year. 

Living in a super small town means we don’t have many shopping options for anything, but THANK GOODNESS we have multiple Kroger stores nearby. I’m able to get everything we need and want every week and stay on budget (which is really important to us). Great food at a good price is a double bonus, especially with their Simple Truth line. We’ve really been enjoying everything we’ve bought in the last couple of years – I love that I’ll get to share some of our favorites here with you!

So for Super Bowl, I decided to take some of my current Simple Truth favorites and make 2 different kinds of nachos for a game day treat. Nachos are kind of the perfect football-watching food, right? You can make giant trays of them in no time. You don’t need utensils. And, they’re delicious.

super bowl nachos and tater tot nachos

I’m usually a purist when it comes to nachos – tortilla chips, all the way! – but I’ve been wanting to try my hand at throwing all our favorite toppings on some of the Simple Truth potato puffs, so we did both. And they were insanely good.

One of my favorite things about nachos is how easy it is to put them together. I’m not especially gifted at making “fancy food” or things that need to be decorated (cakes, sugar cookies, etc), so nachos are right up my alley! They are gorgeous, even when they’re a little messy. Just how I like them.

super bowl nachos and tater tot nachos

Instead of loading them up with shredded cheese and letting it melt, I went a step further and made a cheese sauce to pour on top of the toasted chips and potato puffs. That, along with the spiced ground beef, beans, corn, salsa, avocado, cilantro, scallions, and a dollop of sour cream made these the perfect nachos.

For Super Bowl!

For dinner!

For lunch!

For…anytime, really. Throw an egg on top, and they could definitely be breakfast.

super bowl nachos and tater tot nachos

Kroger is definitely my top place for one-stop shopping – from food to kitchenware to even apparel! And if getting fresh (and local!) ingredients wasn’t enough, the Kroger ClickList online shopping option takes it over the edge.

Have you tried ClickList yet? And what’s on your Super Bowl menu?

super bowl nachos two ways

Who says you can't have more than one tray of nachos at your get together? Everyone loves them, they're easy to customize, and you can put ANYTHING you want on them. Make a tray all put together, or leave the toppings off and let people make their own! No matter how you do it, nachos are a great choice for game day snacking for the Super Bowl - or anytime!

Ingredients:

Spiced Ground Beef
  • 1 pound Simple Truth Organic Ground Beef
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup water
Cheese Sauce
  • 3 Tbsp butter or oil
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 and 1/4 cups Simple Truth Organic Whole Milk
  • 1 cup Simple Truth Colby Jack Cheese, shredded
Base and toppings
  • 1/2 bag each Simple Truth Blue and Yellow Tortilla Chips
  • 1/2 bag Simple Truth Potato Puffs
  • pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • corn (canned and drained or thawed from frozen)
  • 1/2 cup scallions, sliced
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 lime

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil, making a division down the center of the pain (fold the foil up, so you can have two sides on the pan). Put the potato puffs on one side of the pan and bake for 20 minutes.
  2. While the potato puffs are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. When the meat is almost cooked through, add all the spices, tomato paste, and the water and stir together. Let the mixture simmer over medium-low heat until the water has cooked down, then remove and set aside.
  3. Once the potato puffs have cooked for 20 minutes, take the pan out and add the tortilla chips to the other side of the pan. Place the sheet back in the oven and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the potato puffs are done and the tortilla chips are toasted.
  4. Place a small saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. Once it's melted, add the flour and whisk together until the flour is completely incorporated. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Let the mixture come to a bubble over medium heat, then lower the heat a little and let it thicken, whisking while it cooks. Once the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat and stir in the shredded colby jack cheese until the cheese is completely melted.
  5. Take the sheet out of the oven. Divide the spiced ground beef between the chips and the potato puffs. Pour the cheese sauce over the meat, then add all the rest of your toppings.
  6. Squeeze a little fresh lime juice over the top just before serving.