The World Cup is getting more and more exciting, so today we wanted to share one of favorite game day party foods—carne asada nachos with grilled pineapple pico de gallo. What can we say, they’re crunchy, cheesy, savory, spicy, and a little sweet. So many flavors in one dish, perfect for going through all the emotions of the World Cup games. It’s also a great recipe those of you who enjoy summer grilling. Not your average nachos.
This recipe is fairly straightforward, but it does involve a few steps in the kitchen plus grilling, so it’s great if you have an extra set of hands to help out. I recommend making the pico de gallo first, and prepping everything before you start grilling. Side note—we get our Ranchera meat marinated from our favorite butcher. If you don’t have this at your market, John likes an overnight marinade consisting of French vinaigrette (pre-made), lime juice, chopped serrano chilies, and chopped cilantro.
As far as the dairy, Crema Mexicana is a mild and buttery cream and a personal favorite since I grew up with it at home. It offsets the sour cream so well. Cotija cheese is like a sharper and drier Feta, and super tasty. John chose Monterey Jack cheese for that melty touch essential to nachos. Enjoy!
- 2 Medium Tomatoes
- 1 Small White Onion
- 2 Serrano Chilies
- 1 Small Bunch Cilantro
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Lime
- 4 Slices Pineapple
- 1 Wedge Red Onion
- 1¼ lbs Carne Ranchera
- 1 avocado
- 3 Tblsp Sour Cream
- 3 Tblsp Crema Mexicana
- 1 Sprinkle Queso Cotija
- ½ Cup Jack Cheese
- 1 Tblsp Flour
- ½ Cup Milk
- 2 Tblsp Butter
- 1 Bag Tortilla Chips
- 1 Can Black Beans
- Sea Salt
- Chop tomatoes, white onion, serranos, cilantro, and garlic. Add juice of half a lime and sprinkle sea salt to taste.
- Drain and rinse black beans, place in a skillet for a quick warm up later.
- Grill meat, (we get ours marinated from a Mexican market), pineapple slices, and red onion wedges. Remove.
- Cut away the hard core of the pineapple slices and discard. Chop rest and add to pico de gallo.
- Chop up carne asada and set aside.
- Slice up avocado, sprinkle with sea salt, and set aside.
- For the cheese sauce, melt butter into a sauce pan, drop in flour, (stirring frequently), add milk, and cheese. Stir until cheese is completely melted. Now is a good team to quickly heat up the black beans in their separate skillet.
- Arrange platter with chips, pineapple pico de gallo, red onion pieces, sliced avocado, Mexican crema, cotija cheese, sour cream, black beans, and jack cheese sauce.
