Friday is the end of the working week and it could be very easy to slip into the ‘routine’ of takeaway on a Friday night.  It was not a tradition at home when I was growing up but I know for many families takeaway is a Friday night staple.  In order to avoid succumbing to takeaway on a Friday (or any other night) it is important to have a meal planned.  As part of my menu plan I often factor in an easy meal for Friday night.

Tonight was no exception – we had nachos.  It is about as easy as you can get and there are only 4 ingredients.  There are no quantities – just use as much as you need.

NACHOS

Corn chips
Tomatoes
Refried beans
Grated cheese

Layer the corn chips on a tray or shallow ovenproof dish, add dollops of tomato and refried beans then sprinkle with grated cheese.  Repeat the layers until ingredients are used.  Bake in the oven at 170C for 12-15 minutes.

To make things a bit fancier you can serve with sides of sour cream or good-quality natural yoghurt and guacamole.  A green salad is another option.

I make my own refried beans in the slow-cooker and freeze them in 500g tubs.  You can find the recipe here. I have used canned tomatoes, diced fresh tomatoes or home-grown tomatoes that have been cooked down to a pulpy mixture.  Some extra chilli can be mixed into the tomatoes if you prefer a spicier dish.

This recipe is vegetarian but you can add a small amount of minced beef mixture or shredded cooked chicken if you wish.  However, I would recommend that you try the vegetarian version on the carnivores in your household as the beans make a substantial and tasty meal.

Do you have alternatives to takeaway?