What to do with leftover nachos?! Make this intensely flavorful, quick and easy Gluten Free Leftover Nacho Soup.
ME BEFORE THE RECIPE…
If you’ve ever felt down on yourself, throw an epic party for ten pre-teen girls who will “oooooh!” and “awwww!” over every detail you arrange for the evening. Between playing Truth or Dare, applying mini-makeovers, and dancing to the Nintendo Switch, Braelyn’s late night birthday party was a huge success!
Every year I struggle with the idea of throwing Braelyn a birthday party. Her actual birthday is an excruciatingly inconvenient three days after Christmas. Are you feeling my parenting pain???
Now don’t get me wrong. I absolutely LOVE Christmas. Like most, it’s my favorite holiday. But no matter how much I vow to focus solely on the “true meaning of Christmas”, of course I get drawn into the commercial aspect as well; buying, wrapping, baking, decorating…and the list goes on. And then three days later, I’m expected to do it all over again, birthday style.
I usually tell Braelyn that we won’t be celebrating her birthday while on Christmas vacation, but then the guilt settles in and I get suckered into throwing a last minute birthday party with family and few local friends. However, it’s not fair for her if every birthday party consists of only aunts, uncles, grandparents (as hip as they may be), and friends she hasn’t seen in months. So then we throw her yet another birthday party mid January when all of her besties can attend.
Phew! By this time I’m wondering if I’ll ever get a break.
As much as I complain during the planning of her parties (people, I am NOT a party planner; just the thought of party planning makes me want to hurl.), I always end up enjoying every last minute of the actual party.
It’s hilarious observing Braelyn in her own element and listening to the conversations that spark the interest of preteen girls. Ben literally busted up laughing listening to squeals of, “Oh my goodness!!! It’s lipstick AND lipgloss!!! Best. Party. Ever!!!”
The dollar store prevails once again.
My favorite memory of the entire party was the moment following opening presents. Braelyn invited (or perhaps demanded) everyone to line up single file, biggest to smallest, so she could thank them for their presents. Within seconds, all the girls were lined up according to Braelyn’s request and she proceeded to make her way down the line, hugging each friend for about two seconds before saying, “Okay now, go away.”
Insert face palm emoji right here. Where does this girl get her sass? I mean, of course she was just being goofy, and no one took offense. But really??? Okay now, go away??? Sigh. What a twerp.
However, in her defense, she had every thank you note written and passed out the very next day. I’m not sure if that would have been accomplished sans my nagging, but at least she did it.
My other favorite element of Braelyn’s birthday party was all the delicious food. I’m the mom that can’t just order pizza for my kid’s party. For some reason, even though I know they will get neglected, I feel a duty to provide fruits and veggies to complete a well-balanced meal. Let’s just say I was thrilled to spot a half eaten fruit tray on my counter as well as overhearing a conversation about my tasty guacamole that they could “eat by the bowlful.”
HERE COMES THE RECIPE…
I wanted to serve one of Braelyn’s favorite meals for her party, so naturally I let her choose the menu. She immediately resorted to nachos. Simple enough: chips, shredded chicken, beans, and cheese. I think I can handle that.
Altough the girls scarfed down the nachos, I made an entire pan too many. Ooops! What am I going to do with a pan full of leftover nachos? Nobody wants to eat day old stale nachos…unless I pack them in my kids’ lunches. Then they have to eat them.
But, a tastier and less vindictive way to use up leftover nachos than pawning them off on your poor helpless children is whipping up a batch of this Gluten Free Leftover Nacho Soup. Don’t let the title confuse you. It’s delicious!
Braelyn literally said this was the best soup I’ve ever made. Seriously, the soup I made from leftover nachos???! You’ve got to be kidding me. I was as equally flattered as I was furious.
In any case, this gluten free leftover nacho soup has got to be one of the easiest dishes I’ve ever made. Plus, we had all kinds of leftover nacho toppings to throw on top as well. I’m all about the fun toppings when it comes to soup: cheese, sour cream, pico, cilantro, guacamole, you name it. The more, the merrier!
This gluten free leftover nacho soup begins with a basic sauteing of some veggies in tomato paste, adding some liquid, and jazzing it up with seasoning. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, and viola, your base is done. Then you just throw in your chopped up nachos and stir until heated through.
Bingo! Weeknight dinner is served! Not only did you create a wonderful new meal, but you extended the shelf life of those stale old nachos. Good for you!
So next time you’re stuck with a heaping plate of nachos, do not discard them in the trash thinking they’ll never be eaten. You now have a secret weapon. Let’s hear it once again for this convenient gluten free leftover nacho soup!
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY…
- Vegetarian Pumpkin Sage Vegetable Soup
- Vegetarian Quinoa Tomato Soup
- Vegetarian Roasted Poblano and Tomato Soup
- Honey Lime Tropical Cucumber Salsa
- Fully Loaded Nachos
Gluten Free Leftover Nacho Soup
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other cooking oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 small green bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more for seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper plus more for seasoning
- 1 jalapeno seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes 15 oz.
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
- 2 cups leftover nachos roughly chopped
Toppings:
- cheddar cheese shredded
- pico de gallo
- olives sliced
- sour cream
- guacamole
- lime wedges
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Prepare all veggies by chopping onion and bell peppers and dicing jalapeno. Mince garlic. Set aside.
- In a large pot or dutch oven, heat avocado oil over medium high heat. Once oil is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles, add diced onions and bell peppers. Stir and reduce heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Add jalapeno and cook 1 minute more. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.
- Add tomato paste, chili powder, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and cumin. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until a dark paste forms.
- Add diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
- While soup is simmering, roughly chop leftover nachos. Once soup is done, remove lid and add in nachos and cilantro. Stir on low heat until just heated through. Do not boil or simmer or cheese will curdle.
- Season soup to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve with desired toppings such as extra shredded cheese, fresh pico de gallo, sliced olives, sour cream, guacamole, lime wedges, and tortilla chips.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat slowly on stove top to avoid curdling cheese.
