Meera Sodha’s recipe for vegan seven-layer nachos | Mexican food and drink

There are several great women on my street, but two of them, Anna and Marina, make seriously good nachos. Or, more accurately, Marina makes great vegetarian nachos with all the fixings and Anna makes a glorious seven-layer dip, which is a Tex-Mex party classic that involves a very specific layering of ingredients, always starting with refried beans followed by soured cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, cheese, olives, herbs or jalapeños, and always eaten with tortilla chips for dipping. In a show of affection for both women and their cooking, I’ve merged the two to create these seven-layer nachos.

Seven-layer nachos

You’ll need a 30cm x 40cm tray for the nachos. You can make all of the elements ahead of time, cover and refrigerate them, then pop the bits that need heating in the oven just before serving. Don’t be put off by the long ingredients list – many of them are repeated across the various different elements, and I’ve divided them up like this to make it easier to follow.

Prep 15 min
Cook 55 min
Serves 4-6

For the refried beans
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp chipotle in adobo
1 tsp fine sea salt
800g tinned pinto beans in water (ie 2 x 400g cans), not drained

For the pico de gallo
350g cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp pickled jalapeños, finely chopped
10g coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
¾ tsp fine sea salt

For the guacamole
2 avocados, halved, stoned, peeled and flesh chopped
1½ tbsp lime juice
50g cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp pickled jalapeños, finely chopped
10g coriander leaves, finely chopped
½ tsp fine sea salt

For the nachos
340g salted corn tortilla chips
280g vegan cheddar, grated – I like Cathedral City
200g vegan creme fraiche
15 pitted black olives, sliced
A few pickled jalapeños, to garnish

First make the refried beans. Put the oil in a wide frying pan on a medium heat and, once it’s hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until golden and singed. Add the garlic, cook for three minutes, then add the cumin, tomato puree and chipotle, and cook, stirring, for another two minutes. Stir in the salt and the beans and their tin water, leave to bubble away for five minutes, then mash with a potato masher to break up the beans a bit. Cook for another five minutes, until nice and thick, then take off the heat.

To make the pico de gallo, put everything in a large bowl and mix well.

Finally, make the guacamole. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mash with a fork until semi-smooth/semi-chunky.

When you’re ready to cook, heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Lay out the tortilla chips evenly on a large oven tray. Spread out the beans over the top of the nachos, leaving a roughly 5cm border all around the outside, so people can get their hands in later. Sprinkle over the cheese and pop the tray in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.

Take the nachos out of the oven and, using a tablespoon, dollop the guacamole all over the top. Clean the spoon, then dollop on the creme fraiche and, finally, the pico de gallo. Top with the olives and a few more jalapenos, and serve immediately.

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