Flaky, crispy, cheesy, spicy Nacho Puffs are a cross between a nacho and a cheese puff. Store-bought puff pastry is stuffed with chili-spiced ground beef and shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses, then cut into triangles and baked until tall and puffy and oozing with gooey cheese that turns crusty and lacy where it spills out the edges and browns against the pan.
When you bite into one of these Nacho Puffs, the buttery layers of puff pastry will shatter and collapse into the softness of the filling. That crispy-on-the-outside/melty-on-the-inside play of textures is what makes these puffs so addictive. (If you love the contrast of crispy with melty, you might also want to try these Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms, or this grilled cheese.)
Nacho Puffs would be big hit at a Super Bowl party or any time you’re putting out a spread of finger foods for friends, but we don’t bother to wait for company or a special occasion. John loves anything involving puff pastry and cheese, so I made them one Saturday night recently just for the two of us. We nibbled on a few out on the deck before dinner, then saved the rest to snack on while watching baseball on TV on Sunday afternoon.
A note on one of the ingredients: This is yet another Tex-Mex-themed recipe I’ve developed using Better Than Bouillon Chili Base. (No, I’m not being paid to feature this ingredient, I just find it indispensable in Tex-Mex cooking.) If you don’t have BTB on hand, you can substitute 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning, and more kosher salt, to taste.
Making these ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Anything made with puff pastry is best served fresh and hot from the oven, and Nacho Puffs are no exception. But don’t worry if they cool to room temperature while they’re sitting out on your coffee table during the game; they’ll still disappear.
- Leftovers may deflate slightly as they cool, but will still taste great reheated in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Don’t tell anyone but I might have even grabbed a cold one out of the fridge when no one was looking.
Nacho Puffs
The puff pastry needs to thaw overnight in the fridge, so start a day ahead.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about ¾ cup)
- 2 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese (about ½ cup)
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as expeller-pressed canola oil
- 4 ounces ground beef, preferably 90% lean
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon chili base (or substitute 1 tablespoon taco seasoning)
- 4 shakes of Tabasco or other hot sauce (about 1/8 teaspoon)
- 2 tablespoons water, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 sheet (half of a 17-ounce package) frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
Directions
- Step 1 Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. While the skillet heats, toss the cheeses together in a medium bowl to combine them. Transfer 1½ ounces (about 3/8 cup) of the cheese mixture to a cutting board, and use a large chef’s knife to chop the cheese into smaller pieces. The cheese will be sticky and won’t cut neatly – don’t overwork it, you just want to break up the long strands a little bit. Transfer the chopped cheese to a small bowl, add the chili powder and cayenne and toss to combine.
- Step 2 Add the oil to the skillet. When the oil is hot, crumble the beef into the skillet and season it lightly with kosher salt. (Use a little bit more salt if you’re substituting taco seasoning in place of the chili base.) Cook, stirring, until the beef is starting to brown, 3 minutes. Add the chili base, hot sauce, and 1 tablespoon of the water. Cook, stirring, until the water is completely evaporated and the beef is coated with the chili base. Transfer the beef to the same cutting board you used for the cheese, and spread it out in a thin layer. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Step 3 When the beef is cool enough to handle, mince it into tiny pieces. Transfer it to a small bowl, using the side of the knife to scrape up any chili sauce that’s left behind on the board. Chill the beef until it’s completely cold, about 15 minutes.
- Step 4 In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the remaining 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (Make sure you have enough room in your refrigerator for the baking sheet. If you don’t, use a smaller one at this stage, and transfer the pastries to a larger, parchment-lined sheet in Step 6.) Unfold the sheet of puff pastry and cut it in half into two rectangles. Brush both rectangles with the egg wash, all the way out to the edges. Lay one rectangle of dough on the lined baking sheet, egg-wash side up. Sprinkle the 3½ ounces cups of plain shredded cheese over the pastry in an even layer, making sure to spread it out to the edges. Sprinkle the beef over the cheese, out to the edges.
- Step 5 Lay the other rectangle of dough on top of the beef, egg-wash side down. Gently press down all over the top sheet of pastry to get everything to stick together. Tuck in any stray pieces of cheese or beef that have fallen out the sides. Cover the entire baking sheet a damp kitchen towel and chill the pastry for one hour. (You can chill it up to overnight, but if you’re going to chill longer than one hour, wrap the baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap.) Reserve the remaining egg wash (at room temperature if you’ll be baking the puffs within an hour or two, or in the refrigerator if you plan to chill the pastry longer than that).
- Step 6 Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and brush the top of the pastry with the reserved egg wash. Sprinkle the entire top surface of the pastry with the chopped cheese/spice mixture, pressing gently to get it to adhere. Carefully cut the pastry in half, then into quarters, and each quarter in half to make 8 squares, trying not to dislodge the cheese topping. Carefully separate the squares using a thin flexible spatula, and as you separate each square, cut it on the diagonal into 2 triangles. Space the triangles out evenly on the baking sheet. (If you used a small baking sheet for chilling, transfer the triangles to a large sheet in this step, to give them enough space to rise.) Replace any cheese topping that has fallen off while you were cutting and arranging the triangles.
- Step 7 Bake the pastries for 15 to 18 minutes, until they’re puffed and golden brown. Serve hot.
