nacho libre (recipe)

This is my all-time favorite dip-and-nacho recipe, perfect for any Parrothead party. But here’s the thing . . . I never had a name for it. Then I found out that nacho libre was an empty nodeshell here on e2, and I saw the writing on the wall.

So here I give you my recipe for nacho(s) libre.

nacho libre

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

• 1 large can (15.5 oz.) Goya black beans, drained and rinsed.
• 1 can (8 oz.) diced tomatoes with mild chiles, drained but not rinsed.
• 4 plum tomatoes.
• 4 ears of corn, cooked and cooled.
• 1 cup chopped vidalia onions.
• ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro.
• juice of 1 squeezed lime.
• juice of 1 squeezed lemon.
• 1 cup Margaritaville salsa, medium heat with Peppadew peppers.
• 8 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese.
• 6 cups finely shredded fiesta blend of Monterey Jack, cheddar, Queso Quesadilla, and Asadero cheeses.
• ½ cup Mexican secret sauce.
• 1 bag restaurant style tortilla chips, preferably with lime.

Directions

Wash and dice plum tomatoes, cutting them into small (1/4 inch) chunks. Cut corn kernels off the cobs with a sharp serrated vegetable knife, taking care not to cut too close to the cob. Pour black beans into a large airtight mixing bowl, adding canned and fresh diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lemon and lime juice. Add Margaritaville salsa, and mix gently.

For added sweetness, milk the corn cobs by running the back of the knife along the cob, adding the milky juice to the mixture. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 400º F, placing oven rack on lowest rung so as to allow cooking from the bottom up.

Pour salsa-bean mixture into large (9x12) Pyrex bowl. Cut cream cheese into 1-inch strips, and place on top. Do not mix cream cheese in with salsa and beans. Drizzle Mexican secret sauce on top of cream cheese strips. Spread finely shredded blended cheese over top, place on oven rack and cook until cheese has melted on top and beans have begun to bubble up around edges, about 20 minutes. The cheese should not brown.

Place chips on large baking sheet, and warm in oven for 4-5 minutes. Remove chips and salsa-bean mixture. Arrange tortilla chips on serving platter and spoon heated mixture onto chips. Serve immediately.