It was love at first bite when I tasted the Brussels Sprout Nachos at Diego Pops in Scottsdale – and I just had to recreate them at home. Charles very enthusiastically devoured these Brussels Sprouts Nachos and declared that my version is close to the original.
One of the things that I love about social media is that it helps me connect with friends in real time. When I posted on Instagram saying that I was in Scottsdale, my friend Jocelyn immediately suggested that we dine at Diego Pops and to order the Brussels Sprout Nachos. Jocelyn takes food pretty seriously, and I know not to question her recommendations. As always, she helped me discover something truly delicious.
These are not your ordinary nachos. Brussels Sprout Nachos are topped with melty cheese, crispy roasted brussels sprouts, pickled red onion, fresno chili, corn, and a fried egg drizzled with a bright pink roasted garlic and beet crema. It isn’t just delicious – it is beautiful. I love all the bright vibrant colors!
There is a bit of work that goes into preparing these nachos. It is a time commitment. This is the type of recipe that you make on a Sunday night while drinking a beer with your friends.
First you want to pickle the red onions – I recommend doing that the night before. Next you want to prepare the roasted garlic and beet crema. Then you roast the brussels sprouts. I used a food processor to whip chihuahua cheese and queso fresco together, then I piped that over the nachos, and placed them in to oven so that the cheese would get melty and hot. I wasn’t sure how Diego Pops created the melty cheese for their nachos, but my technique yielded a similar taste. Plus, this technique is much faster than making queso.
The last thing that you want to do is to prepare a sunny side up egg and assemble the nachos. The runny egg yolk add a richness of flavor to the nachos, and I would argue that it turns the nachos into a complete meal. Charles and I ate this tray of nachos on a Friday night can called it dinner.
This recipe is a little involved, here are some key resources:
Roasted Garlic and Beet Crema
How to Pickle Onions
How to Perfectly Cook a Sunny Side Up Egg
How to Make Brussels Sprout Nachos:
Brussels Sprout Nachos
Ingredients
For the Roasted Brussels Sprouts:
- 2 cups Quartered Brussels Sprouts
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
For the Cheese Sauce:
- 1/4 cup Queso Fresco
- 1/4 cup Chihuahua Cheese
- 2 tablespoons Cream Cheese
- 2 tablespoons Cream
For the Nachos:
- 4 handfuls of Tortilla Chips
- 1/4 cup Roasted Garlic and Beet Crema
- 1 ear of Corn cooked, buttered, salted, and cut off the cob (or canned corn)
- 1/4 cup Pickled Onion
- 1 Fresno Chili thinly sliced
- 1 Egg
Instructions
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Make sure that your pickled onions, roasted garlic crema, and corn are ready to go.
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Then get to work on roasting the brussels sprouts. Head your oven to 350 degrees. Place the brussels sprouts in a bowl, pour the olive oil over, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Stir to evenly coat the brussels sprouts. Then spread them out on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast them for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
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Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the cheese sauce in a food processor or electric mixer. Then place the cheese mixture in a piping bag or plastic baggie.
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Once the brussels sprouts have been in the oven for 15 minutes, start prepping the nachos. Place the tortilla chips on a parchment lined baking sheet, and then pipe the cheese mixture over the chips. Place in the oven to bake for about 7 minutes, until the cheese is melty.
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Next you need to fry that egg. See the directions that I linked to in the body of the blog post.
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Then take the cheesy chips out of the oven, and top them with the corn, pickled onions, fresno chilis, brussels sprouts, roasted garlic and beet crema, and finally the fried egg. Then devour those nachos.
Recipe Notes
First you want to pickle the red onions - I recommend doing that the night before. Next you want to prepare the roasted garlic and beet crema. Then you roast the brussels sprouts. I used a food processor to whip chihuahua cheese and queso fresco together, then I piped that over the nachos, and placed them in to oven so that the cheese would get melty and hot. I wasn't sure how Diego Pops created the melty cheese for their nachos, but my technique yielded a similar taste. Plus, this technique is much faster than making queso. The last thing that you want to do is to prepare a sunny side up egg and assemble the nachos. The runny egg yolk add a richness of flavor to the nachos, and I would argue that it turns the nachos into a complete meal. Charles and I ate this tray of nachos on a Friday night can called it dinner.
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