Cheesy 5-minute Nachos

Name: Cheesy 5-minute Nachos
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese (freshly grated); 1 tbsp cornstarch; 3/4 cup evaporated milk; 2 tbsp pickled jalapeños (chopped, plus 1 tbsp of the brine); 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 8 oz tortilla chips; 2 scallions (thinly sliced); 1/2 cup salsa

Brecht

8 years ago

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Skip the jar: this cheese sauce is made with real cheddar, takes five minutes and is ridiculously smooth. Movie night, game night or a Tuesday, it all counts.

The trick to a smooth cheese sauce

Two ingredients keep this sauce silky instead of greasy or grainy. Cornstarch coats the cheese and stops it from clumping. Evaporated milk has less water than regular milk and contains proteins that help the cheese melt evenly. Together they give you a dip that stays smooth, even as it cools.

Grate your own cheese

It’s tempting to use a bag of pre-shredded cheese, but it is coated with starch to keep the shreds apart, and that coating makes the sauce gritty. A block of sharp cheddar and a box grater take two minutes and make all the difference.

Toppings

Pickled jalapeños and a splash of their brine add heat and tang.
Spoon over some black beans, sour cream or guacamole to turn this into dinner.
Swap half of the cheddar for Monterey Jack or pepper jack for a milder or spicier sauce.

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Cheesy 5-minute Nachos

A silky homemade cheese sauce with pickled jalapeños, ready in the time it takes to open a bag of chips.

Cuisine Tex-Mex

Keyword Vegetarian

Difficulty Easy

Course Snack

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 3

Total Time 5

Servings people

Calories 586kcal

Author Brecht

Equipment

Box grater
Small saucepan

Ingredients

Cheese sauce

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated
1 tbsp cornstarch
¾ cup evaporated milk
2 tbsp pickled jalapeños chopped, plus 1 tbsp of the brine
½ tsp ground cumin

To serve

8 oz tortilla chips
2 scallions thinly sliced
½ cup salsa

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Toss 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese with 1 tbsp cornstarch in a small saucepan until every shred is coated.

Grate the cheese yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is coated to stop it from clumping, and that coating makes the sauce grainy.

Add 3/4 cup evaporated milk, 2 tbsp pickled jalapeños with the brine and 1/2 tsp ground cumin. Warm over medium-low heat, stirring all the time, until the cheese melts into a smooth sauce, about 3 minutes. Don’t let it boil.
Pour the sauce into a warm bowl, sprinkle with 2 scallions and serve right away with 8 oz tortilla chips and 1/2 cup salsa.

Notes

No stove? Mix everything in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, for 2 to 3 minutes.

Leftover sauce thickens in the fridge. Warm it up with a splash of milk.

Nutrition