Everybody loves a plate of nachos, right? A tall stack (or sheet pan—our go-to) of ooey, gooey deliciousness packed with savory bites, creamy bits and sometimes a bit of a spicy punch. What's not to love?
But here's the real question: have you ever considered Italian Nachos?!
Think about it... all the good stuff about nachos—finger food, shareable, good for snack or dinner, gooey, crunchy, salty, spicy, delish—but with a big Italian twist.
In fact, we'll actually swap everything we think we know about nachos for the Italian equivalent.
So, how do you make Italian Nachos?
Easy with just a few simple swaps:
Chips ---> Toasted Italian Bread
Ground Beef ---> Spicy Italian Sausage
Chopped Tomatoes ---> Fresh Tomato and Cherry Pepper Relish
Nacho Cheese Sauce ---> Pesto Alfredo Sauce
Cheddar Cheese ---> Parmesan
Cilantro ---> Fresh Basil
Simply toast up some slices of Italian baguette or ciabatta bread, saute some spicy Italian sausage, mix up a quick tomato and cherry pepper relish and make a to-die-for Pesto Alfredo.
It may sound like a lot of steps and dishes, but I promise you won't regret it after a single bite. Every element of these Italian Nachos are stellar on their own, but all layered up together... bam!
We love making a big batch of these for dinner and then snacking on the leftovers the next day. They're also awesome for a game day dish! Prep all the components in advance, then put together a few big, loaded sheet pans just as the game kicks off and you'll have loaded Italian Nachos before the first touchdown.
Here's the real deal though:
Of all the components, THE best is the Pesto Alfredo. The recipe makes just a bit more than you may think you need because you'll either want to A) drizzle ALL of it on after you taste one bite B) have a bit leftover to use the next day with pasta, toast, veggies or just a spoon 😉
It's a classic alfredo sauce made with almond milk to lower the dairy in this recipe with a big dollop of pesto added to the sauce at the very end. It turns out to be a fun green color and smells like heaven.
Make these Italian Nachos for gameday or a get together this weekend. I promise, your friends are going to be wildly impressed.
... or do with Luke and I usually do and hoard it all for yourselves. Life's short. Eat nachos for dinner.
Italian Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 lb sausage
- 1 baguette
- 2 vine tomatoes chopped
- 3 pickled cherry peppers drained and chopped
- 1/4 red onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Pesto Alfredo Sauce
- 1 tablespoon pesto
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 cups almond milk
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, start the pesto alfredo. Melt the butter over medium heat until bubbling, then add in the flour. Stir to completely combine, then let cook for 2 minutes. Add in the crushed garlic and let cook another minute. Slowly add in the almond milk and stir well. Pour in the pesto, Italian seasoning, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper and onion powder. Whisk together and let cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until thickened. Add in the Parmesan and cream cheese and stir to melt completely. Set aside.
- In a saute pan over medium-high heat, crumble the sausage and brown, stirring frequently. Cook for 8-10 minutes until cooked through and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, cherry peppers and red onion. Drizzle in the olive oil and stir together. Set aside.
- Slice the baguette in thin, 1/2 inch slices. Place on a sheet pan and spray with olive oil. Put it under the broiler and toast for 2 minutes. Flip and toast the other side.
- Time to build the nachos! Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Layer the toast, sausage, pesto alfredo, tomato and cherry pepper relish, shredded parmesan and fresh basil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, then dig in!
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