Avocado Nacho Board
Creamy avocado, smoothed onto a board like butter and blanketed with nacho-inspired toppings – smoky cheese sauce, tomatoes, olives, onions, and cilantro. The butter board meets classic nachos and it’s the ultimate coupling.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
Just like butter, fresh avocado is sweet and creamy
And everything mounded onto nachos is colorful and fresh; that’s why this board is so awesome.
To make this avocado nacho board, make sure your avocados are ripe
Ripe avocados are creamy and soft and will melt into the board when pressed with a fork. If your avocados are firm when you buy them, place them in a paper bag with an apple or banana and they will be soft in 24 to 48 hours.
Make the cheese sauce for the best flavor
It’s like chili con queso, but without all the work! It’s smoky and alive, with sharp and stretchy cheeses. Make it as fiery as you want; it’s completely adaptable. And it’s so dang good, you’ll want to spoon it over everything.
Add more ingredients for loaded nachos
Great additions include cooked ground beef and shredded rotisserie chicken. When adding meat or poultry, spoon it over the mashed avocado and under the cheese sauce.
Warm the tortilla chips!
There’s nothing better than warm chips and hot dip married in one crunchy/creamy bite. To warm your chips, spread them out on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Avocado Nacho Board
Ingredients
For the Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup half-and-half, divided
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Board
- 4 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
- 1/2 cup diced fresh tomatoes
- 1/4 cup sliced black olives
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Tortilla chips for serving, warmed if desired
- Lime wedges for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- To make the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the half-and-half and the cornstarch. Set aside.
- Place the remaining 3/4 cup of half-and-half in a small saucepan and whisk in the chili powder and smoked paprika. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the half-and-half-cornstarch mixture and simmer until the sauce thickens, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low.
- Fold in both cheeses, one handful at a time, and stir until the cheese melts. Remove the pan from the heat and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Place the avocado halves on a wooden board or serving platter of choice. Mash the avocados with a fork and spread them out on the board. Spoon the cheese sauce over top and spread it out like you’re frosting a cake. Top the cheese sauce with the tomatoes, black olives, green onions, and cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips and lime wedges.