Mexican street corn is almost a staple here in Texas. It's perfectly roasted and smoky corn goodness that's covered in spices and cheese. Heaven in the form of corn. Today though, I wanted to take that corn amazingness and move it a step forward into some nachos! These nachos aren't your average nachos either. They're a full blown meal in one. Hearty and loaded up with plenty of vegetables and bursting with flavor.
The zucchini is a perfect pairing to the corn. It's sweet and adds just enough texture to the nachos to not leave you missing meat. That's right. These are vegetarian too and bean-less. It's really a great 'warm weather' dish since it's light but also really filling without weighing you down.
I've made these nachos a bit more wholesome by using some baked tortilla chips along with plenty of zucchini, corn and pico to bulk them up. The cheese sauce is homemade too, and it's so quick and easy to make that you're sure to fall in love and only ever make your own cheese sauce from this point on. It's so quick and easy to do, plus there's nothing artificial to it. Just the good stuff!
I did use whole milk for this sauce since anything lower in fat than that has a much higher chance of curdling while cooking. The cheese isn't quite as finicky since you're adding that in once it's off the heat. Just be mindful and cautious not to overheat it.
These are a little bit higher in calories than I generally like, but you've got to remember that this is a meal and not just a part of a meal. You're getting everything all in one.
Next time, I may just try making this without the tortilla chips at all! Just pile all the corn and cheese goodness over the top of some 'zucchini nachos'! That too would be a tasty alternative if you aren't in the mood for a more 'traditional' chip.
Don't skip out on the lime juice over the top of these nachos either. It adds the perfect bright pop of citrus, just like you get with traditional Mexican street corn. Yum! It's the absolute best, I tell you.
Mexican Street Corn & Zucchini Nachos
TheSkinnyFork.com
The Skinny:
Servings: 2 • Size: 1/2 Prepared Nachos • Calories: 413.3 • Fat: 17.7 g • Saturated Fat: 7.6 • Carb: 49.5 g • Fiber: 6.4 g • Protein: 21.3 g • Sugar: 7.2 g • Sodium: 769.1 mg
Ingredients:
Jack Cheese Sauce:
1 Tbsp. Light Butter
1 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 C. Whole Milk
3 Oz. (3/4 C.) Light Jalapeño Jack Cheese, Shredded
1/8 Tsp. Salt
Nachos:
1/2 C. Corn Kernels
1 Medium Zucchini, Cubed
30 Baked Corn Tortilla Chips (About 2 servings.)
2 Tbsp. Grated Cotija Cheese
Dash of Paprika
2 Tbsp. Fresh Pico
Lime Wedges
Directions:
Preheat the oven to broil and line a baking sheet with foil; give the foil a light coat of non-stick cooking spray.
Place the 1/2 C. corn kernels and zucchini onto the prepared baking sheet and place under the broiler for about 10 minutes or until the corn is starting to roast.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the veggies to a plate; set aside.
Replace the foil on the baking sheet if need be and set that aside as well; reduce the heat of the oven down to 375 degrees F.
Place the 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. flour to a small sauce pot. Whisk and heat the butter and flour together over a medium-low heat until they become bubbly; continue to cook and whisk the roux for about a minute.
Whisk the 1/2 C. milk into the roux and turn the heat up to medium; Allow the milk to come to a simmer, whisking constantly. Once the mixture starts to thicken, turn the heat off.
Stir in the 3/4 C. shredded cheese, one handful at a time, until melted into the sauce.
If needed, place the pot over a low flame to help the cheese melt. DO NOT OVERHEAT.
Once all the cheese is melted into the sauce, stir in the 1/8 Tsp. salt.
If the sauce becomes too thick, simply whisk in an additional splash of milk.
Line the prepared baking sheet with the 7 Oz. corn tortilla chips and top them with the roasted corn and zucchini, followed by the cheese sauce, 2 Tbsp. cotija, and paprika.
Place the pan into the oven for about 10 minutes; just long enough to get everything nice and hot.
Once ready, remove the pan from the oven and top with the 2 Tbsp. pico.
Serve right away with a lime wedge and enjoy.
