nachos
cheese
game day
appetizers
comfort food

Guy Fieri shares the recipe for his Super Melty Cheese sauce, plus his best nacho-making tips: 

• "Find a nice big crunchy tortilla chip that can survive the Super Melty Cheese," Guy says—he's a big believer in frying up flour tortillas for homemade chips! 

• Shred the cheese yourself: "They coat pre-shredded cheese so fresh grating is key so the cheese doesn't coagulate," Guy says. 

• Use achiote paste in your meat topping: "It puts that great beautiful red hue in the meat that we love so much," Guy says. "Chop it nice and fine so it evenly disperses."

• Puree half the beans, and leave the rest whole: "That way you get the nice silky texture for some creaminess and some chunky. And season the beans! Use chorizo, soy chorizo, onions, garlic, all that good stuff."

• Don't rush the cheese sauce, or else it will ball up on you. "Cook it nice and slow, and stir it a lot."

• If you use jalapeños, soak them in water to remove some of the heat.  

• Make a quick and easy salsa rojo by roasting tomatoes with onions, garlic and cilantro, then pureeing it.  

• For an easy crema, whip sour cream with an immersion blender and a little milk.

Ingredients

For the Super Melty Cheese (SMC) Sauce:
  • 2 ½ cups half-and-half
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 10 ounces easy melt cheese (such as Velveeta), shredded
  • 5 ounces provolone cheese, shredded
  • 5 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 5 ounces smoked gouda cheese, rind removed, shredded
For the Nachos:
  • 6 ounces tortilla chips
  • About 3 ladles black beans (half beans/half puree – see tip above)
  • About 3 ladles Super Melty Cheese Sauce
  • Shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
  • About 1 ½ cups carne asada, pulled pork or your choice of protein
  • Sour cream or crema, for topping 
  • Chopped avocados
  • Salsa rojo and/or pico de gallo, for topping (see tip above for tip on salsa rojo) 
  • Chopped avocados, for topping
  • Pickled red onions, for topping
  • Sliced jalapeño, for topping
  • Fresh cilantro leaves, for topping

Yield

Serves: 4

Preparation

For the Super Melty Cheese Sauce, in a 2 quart saucepan, bring ½ cup water and the half-and-half to a simmer over medium heat, then add the Worcestershire and hot sauce. Using a whisk, mix in the Velveeta a handful at a time until fully incorporated, then gradually add the remaining cheese. Mix until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.

For the nachos, preheat the oven to 350°F. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread the ingredients evenly and layer in the following order: tortilla chips, cheese sauce, black beans, protein and shredded cheddar. Place in the oven or under the broiler until the cheese melts, about 4 minutes.

Remove from the oven, then scrape them into a cast iron skillet so they’re coated all over with the toppings. Add the rest of desired toppings such as sour cream or crema, avocados, salsa rojo and/or pico de gallo, jalapeño and cilantro and serve.