Nachos are a great group meal to eat with friends. This particular version comes with a satisfying bean base to make it a proper meal that can be scooped with tortilla chips as you go.

• half of an onion (I like a red onion for decorative purposes)

• olive oil

• soy sauce

• one can of beans (I like chili beans)

• ketchup¹

• cayenne pepper (you could use another source of spiciness such as chilly flakes)

• black pepper²

• cumin

• paprika

• tortilla chips (I like the purple ones because of their color and because they are reliably good, no need for flavored ones)

• cheese slices (you want something that will taste satisfying once melted, I like mixed-color cheddar slices for their look)

• dice the half onion finely and put it in a wok
• had the olive oil and soy sauce
• add the can of beans (you can drain the excess liquid but do keep most of it)
• add a generous amount of pepper, two pinches of cayenne pepper (careful not to put more, this is concentrated spiciness), cumin to taste and a very generous amount of paprika
• add a splash of ketchup
• cook until the sauce thickens significantly (you want all of your ingredients warm enough to eat as it except maybe the onions)

• pour the sauce into the bottom of a glass or ceramic dish³
• cover with a generous amount of tortilla chips
• cover with a generous layer of cheese (I go with a one-slice thick amount)

• put in an oven and bake until the cheese is melted to taste (the sauce is already cooked)

This recipe was inspired by Adam Ragusea’s nachos recipe (mixed with my own tortilla recipe) which made me realize that I can and should cook nachos at home.