Free Diet Menu #12 - Zippy Cheese Nachos

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

Zippy Cheese Nachos Recipe

Just a little zip will do it when it comes to these Zippy Cheese Nachos.

Cheese Lovers, we have to face facts. There just isn't much to speak of when it comes to the nutritional values of traditional nachos: basically, cheese sauce and tortilla chips.

Real cheese will add nutritional values, as will the grains found in the tortilla chips, but unfortunately the gross amount of fat and salt contained therein equals Calorie Overload to the 10th degree.

Not good news for anyone watching their waistline or trying to losepounds.

Therefore, let's see if we can take those nachos up a notch by adding a few more nutritional elements.

Beans Add Dietary Fiber to the Recipe

Beans. Packed with fiber, they stick with you - and they taste great. So let's take one serving of tortilla chips and add 1/2 cup of mashed beans to the mix. And while we are at it, let's use baked chips - about 150 calories worth. Combined with the calories from the beans, we're up to about 260 calories.

And if you want to add more flavor, mix the beans with a bit of your favorite salsa before smearing them on the chips. Be sure to warm the beans first.

Next, let's get some healthy veggies in the mix. Add any of the following veggies which have first been sauteed using cooking spray:

sliced mushrooms, baby spinach, chopped cilantro and chopped onions.

Now, let's sprinkle on the cheese. We have several options here but let's use jarred queso sauce for 40 calories per serving. Let's use 80 calories worth.

The total calories for this lower calorie recipe for Cheese Nachos is about 375 calories. We've saved enough calories so that we can enjoy a bit of light sour cream with our cheese nachos (40 calories per serving) and salsa!

If you'd like to add meat proteins that are lean - as depicted in our recipe picture, you can certainly do such.

Calories in Taco Bell Nachos

If you're feeling like fast food and only nachos will do, just be sure you know the calorie amount before you order. All make great choices when it comes to nacho calories EXCEPT the Nachos BellGrande. Be sure to share this order with a friend.

Taco Bell's Regular Style Nachos - 330 calories, 21 fat grams>

Nacho Cheese Sauce, Nacho Chips>

Taco Bell's Nachos Supreme - 430 calories, 24 fat grams>

Beans, Nacho Cheese Sauce, Nacho Chips, Seasoned Ground Beef, Reduced Sour Cream, Tomato

Taco Bell's Triple Layer Nachos - 340 calories, 18 fat grams>

Beans, Nacho Cheese Sauce, Red Sauce, Nacho Chips>

Taco Bell's Nachos BellGrande - 760 calories, 42 fat grams>

Beans, Nacho Cheese Sauce, Nacho Chips, Seasoned Ground Beef, Reduced Sour Cream, Tomato