The humble nacho. A staple of campouts, game days, and nostalgic childhood memories.
It’s true. You can put just about any ingredients on top of a tray of chips and call it nachos. There’s no right or wrong way to go. But it’s also true that there’s a hierarchy when it comes to nachos. All nachos are tasty nachos. But Nachos BellGrande from Taco Bell will never hold a candle to the best greasy, cheesy bar nachos at your local pub.
The same goes when you’re camping. You can make basic nachos in an aluminum foil hobo pack, warmed by the hot, ashy coals of a fire pit, or you can feast on indulgent Three Cheese Campfire Nachos perfectly “baked” in a cast iron skillet over the fine flame of a LavaBox.
Now that — the latter — THAT is the kind of camp meal that creates an experience worthy of growing into the most fondly remembered nostalgia.
Pre-Camping Trip Prep: Guacamole and Pico De Gallo
You don’t have to food prep prior to your camping trip in order to make this Three Cheese Campfire Nachos recipe. However, if you want to save sweet time spent in the camp kitchen while you’re out there trying to carpe the diem, it never hurts to come prepared.
The most laborious tasks that this Three Cheese Campfire Nachos recipe begs of you are whipping up the homemade guac and pico — so if you’re going to prep food before the trip, these are the items to knock out.
Campfire Nachos Zesty Guacamole
Ingredients
Ingredients with an * are “nice to have” but not necessary
2-3 medium-sized avocados
1 jalapeno, diced
1 round tomato, diced
½ red onion, diced
1 lime, juiced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Salt (add to taste/preference)
Black or white pepper* (add to taste/preference)
Handful of cilantro* (add to taste/preference)
Preparing this zesty guac to accompany your campfire nachos is simple.
- Remove the meat from the avocados and put them in a large mixing bowl — discard the peel and seed. I like to use a potato masher to quickly smash the avocados to the desired consistency. (I like a chunky guac, but I won’t tell you how to live your best life.)
- Dice up your jalapeno, red onion, and tomato. Add them to the mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the minced garlic and lime juice. Stir to combine.
- Lastly, sprinkle in salt, pepper, and cilantro to taste. Give it a final good stir.
Voila! Short and sweet but oh so dang good. Cover your zesty guacamole and store in a fridge or cooler.
Campfire Nachos Classic Pico De Gallo
Ingredients
4 Roma tomatoes, cored, diced, and seeds removed
½ white onion, diced
1-2 jalapenos, diced and seeds removed (add to meet your spice preference)
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
½ lime, juiced
1 tsp cumin
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
If you thought that prepping the guacamole was easy, well, prepping the pico might even top it.
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl. Stir it up.
- Cover overnight and let your pico de gallo sit in the fridge to marinate. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it does make a much more flavorful batch and if you’re food prepping prior to your camping trip it’s perfect timing to let the pico set!
Like the guacamole, keep your pico de gallo covered and cool in a fridge or cooler.
Now’s the time to put it all together. Read on to dig into the main course.
Let’s Get Camp Cooking: How to Make Three Cheese Campfire Nachos
You’re through with the hard part, now’s the fun part — cooking Three Cheese Campfire Nachos over the LavaBox is fun for the whole family. . . and makes enough food to feed the whole fam as well.
Here’s what you’ll need to pack.
Camp Cookware:
Utensils with an * are “nice to have” but not necessary
- Large cast iron skillet
- LavaBox Portable Campfire TableTop Vol-CAN-no or Hekla
- Over/Under Grill Thingy
- Aluminum foil
- Tongs*
- Can opener
- Guy Montag Fireproof Gloves or a hot pad holder
- Knife
- Pastry brush* or paper towel
- Spoon or spatula
Feeds: 5 people
Ingredients:
1 bag of your favorite tortilla chips
1tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeno, sliced
Mexican style blend of shredded cheese
Pepper jack cheese slices
Tostitos Queso Blanco Dip
1 can (15oz) black beans
½ cup sour cream
Campfire nachos zesty guacamole
Campfire nachos classic pico de gallo
Get Cookin’!
- Prepare your cast iron skillet by covering the inside of the skillet (bottom and sides) with a layer of aluminum foil. (After testing this recipe with both parchment paper and aluminum foil, I can conclusively say that aluminum foil is the way to go. It keeps the bottom of your nachos from cooking too quickly over the flame. . . As a bonus, it doesn’t light on fire, which the parchment paper did — oops.)
- Brush the olive oil over the aluminum foil using a pastry brush or, if you don’t want to tote around a pastry brush while camping, a wadded-up paper towel does the job. This helps keep your melted cheese and chips from becoming one with the foil.
- Empty half the bag of tortilla chips into the skillet and add a generous layer of Mexican style blend shredded cheese and about half of your sliced jalapenos.
- Add the rest of the tortilla chips on top.
- Drain the liquid from the can of black beans and pour the beans over the tortilla chips.
- Dress the top of your nachos with the last of the jalapeno slices, pepper jack cheese, pico de gallo, and a few heaping spoonfuls of Tostitos Queso Blanco Dip.
- Now use 2-3 sheets of aluminum foil to make a loose-fitting dome, covering the entire skillet of nachos. Lightly secure the foil by tucking the ends under the bottom of the skillet. The key is to make sure the foil is loose enough that you can pull it up to check on the nachos while they’re “baking”.
- Light your LavaBox. You’ll want a low flame that just barely licks through the grill grates. Set your aluminum-covered cast iron skillet on the Over/Under Grill atop your LavaBox and cook for about 15-20 minutes, checking to see if the chips begin to brown throughout.
- Once your cheese is melted and the chips are slightly browned and toasty, turn the regulator and propane to your LavaBox off and add the finishing touches — a few heaping spoonfuls of sour cream and as much zesty guacamole as your heart desires.
If You’ve Been Enjoying LavaBox Campfire Recipes, Keep an Eye Out for What’s Next
Cooking on the LavaBox is about to get a level up. If you’ve been loving these LavaBox Campfire Recipes and want to up your camp cooking game, make sure you’re subscribed to our email list. We’ve got something up our sleeve that every camp chef is going to want to get their hands on.