Fun fact: my father is a joke repeater. Now don’t get me wrong, he is a barrel of laughs and I love every single one of his one-liners. But when he lands on a really good one, he will keep it in his back pocket and work it into the conversation whenever an opportunity presents itself. I’ll attribute that to his desire to put a smile on as many faces as possible, and trust me, it works!

One of his all-time classic jokes is about nachos. Growing up, every taco night in our house was the same: while the meat was cooking, we would make a plate of nachos, and just as we were about to start digging in, my dad would swoop by and steal the food right out from under us, yelling “those are nacho chips, those are my chips!”. We would all bust up laughing, trying to steal back the food but to no avail. That said, dad, if you’re reading this: this ones for you. I give you full permission to use my nachos as a platform for future laughs. Have at it. But be warned, if you ever steal MY sweet potato nachos from me, I will sucker punch you so hard you will think you are a sweet potato.

I love this dish because it takes a classic indulgent food like nachos and amps it up with wholesome ingredients to bring nutrition into the conversation. With fiber from the sweet potatoes, protein from the black beans, and all sorts of veggies on top, this is a super balanced dish full of flavor that is perfect for taco night traditions. This is one of my favorite ways to highlight that maintaining a balanced lifestyle doesn’t have to be boring!

It’s also a super easy recipe with very little prep time, and made with ingredients that are likely already in your pantry. Using canned black beans and corn make it a budget friendly option that does not require additional trips to the store, and topping with avocado and cilantro can jazz it up to take it from pregame to pre-madonna. (This just in, this dish also tastes great as next-day leftovers at work. People in the office were genuinely shocked I was eating something other than salad, and I got quite a few envious eyes on this tupperware.)

Sweet Potato Black Bean Nachos

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients: 

• 1 medium sweet potato, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup black beans, cooked
• 1/4 cup corn
• 1 roma tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup diced purple onion
• 1 jalapeño, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 avocado, sliced (optional)
• cilantro for garnish (optional)
• 1/2 lime (optional)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Spread sweet potato slices evenly on a coated baking sheet. Brush or drizzle with olive oil.
3. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, flipping once.
4. Remove from oven. Push potato slices together into the center of the baking sheet and top with black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, and cheese.
5. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
6. Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes.
7. Top with avocado, and cilantro, if desired.
8. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.
9. Make all the nacho jokes your heart desires.  Enjoy.