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Or simply, “The Best Thanksgiving Appetizer”.
Ever.
And that is not an exaggeration. Promise. These are the best.
Why are these the best?
Well, because there is tons of gooey melted brie cheese. Brie should always, always be added to nachos from now on. Guys, it is crazy good and they are nachos so they can be put together in very little time.
These are a real winner. Just sayin.
And please, please, please do not get scared off by the brussels sprouts.
Seriously, they get so caramelized and loaded with cheese that it is hard to tell they are there. And to be honest, if you really dislike them you can leave them off. But I did serve these to my brussels sprouts hating mom one afternoon and she went crazy for these. It’s the brie. I think it is kind of magical.
But there is not only just brie. No, there is actually three cheeses.
I know, three!! This excites me greatly. Oh, and speaking of cheese, have you guys entered my Wisconsin Cheese Basket Giveaway yet? You really need to do that. It ends Sunday and man oh man it’s a good giveaway. You get an entire holiday cheese basket shipped to your door.
Score!
I also made homemade cranberry molasses to drizzle over these guys and wow. The stuff is good and super easy to make. I could drizzle it on everything!
These nachos are the perfect thing to serve as a Thanksgiving (or Christmas!! Just look at those gorgeous red and green colors!) appetizer.
They are pretty, delicious and loaded with cranberries and brie. Which in my mind is a Thanksgiving staple. You just have to have brie and cranberries during the holidays. You just have too.
I have had the idea for these nachos in my head since mid October, but I held out so I could make them closer to the holidays. Finally the time has come to share them.
I am so incredibly excited!
First, you need to caramelize the butternut squash and brussels sprouts. It’s what makes them so delicious and so perfectly sweet and savory with the brie. It really just works.
Then you throw in some spices to balance the sweetness and add the cranberries in the last few minutes of cooking to liven them up a bit. Pretty simple stuff, but still so awesome.
Oh, and you only have to dirty one dish! Holy heck, yes!
After you get the veggies caramelized all you have to do is layer on the goodness and melt, melt, melt melt!
Oh, and there are loads of veggies in there, so these are totally healthy.
And I am totally in love.
Cranberry, Butternut and Brussels Sprout Brie Skillet Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 cup brussels sprouts, sliced thin (into shreds)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to your taste
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded (may sub another white cheese, but fontina is so good!)
- 8 ounces brie, sliced
- 1 bag tortilla chips
- 4 ounces gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled (for topping)
Cranberry Mollasses/Syrup/Sauce Thing
- 1 cup pure cranberry juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet (10-12 inches) over medium heat, add the olive oil. Now add the butternut squash, sprinkle with brown sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently to avoid burning for 15 minutes or until the squash is fork tender. Now toss in the sliced brussels sprouts, garlic, thyme, chili powder, cayenne and crushed red pepper. Continue to cook another 10 minutes, stirring frequently until both the squash and brussels sprouts are beginning to caramelize all over. Once caramelized, remove from the heat and stir in the dried cranberries. Slide the mixture onto a plate.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In the same skillet you cooked the veggies in, add 1/3 of the chips to the bottom and then cover them with 1/3 the cheese (a little brie, a little fontina), then sprinkle with 1/3 of the veggie mixture. Repeat this 2 more times until all of the cheese and veggie mixture have been used.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly! Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the gorgonzola cheese (or you can add this before with the rest of the cheese) and serve drizzled with the Cranberry Molasses (do this!). Devour!
- To make the cranberry molasses add the cranberry juice and brown sugar to a small sauce pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook 5-8 minutes or until the mixture is reduced and syrupy. Serve with the nachos. If the molasses gets too thick just add a little cranberry juice to thin it out.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
FYI, melted brie and tortilla chips is probably one of the best things ever. You’ll see.
Unbelievably scrumptious. Another hit recipe that was devoured by my neighbors within minutes. I did have a problem with the cranberry reduction sauce ~ it never thickened. Please give me suggestions.
Hi Jody! Hmm I would maybe turn up the heat and let it simmer a bit longer to thicken up? xT
What kind of chips are these? Did you make them on your own? I haven’t found any brands that hit the mark so was thinking of making some if it’s not too difficult a task. These look amazing!
Hi Sam,
These are just store bought tortillas chips from Whole Foods. I hope you love this recipe! xT
I typically find myself trying to sneak in an accompanying cornbread of sorts when I see corn tortilla chips or a nachos recipe in general, and have made pan de elote and an authentic Mexican cornbread to serve with many of your Mexican recipes. Although this isn’t a Mexican cuisine post, I totally love it for fall and am going to try to make my own corn tortilla chips, just cutting and frying corn tortillas in avocado oil and sprinkling them with salt. Do you think I could take a walk on the wild (cornbread) side and do an accompanying one for a side, or a cranberry cornbread? Am I wrong to enjoy and insist on such a pairing?Any other suggestions to serve alongside this kaleidoscope of deliciousness? I always need bread with everything!
Hi Alexandra,
Lol I’ve never served this with cornbread, but nothing wrong with that if that’s what you like:) I typically just serve this as an appetizer! I hope you love the recipe! xx
Sorry for typos- was voice messaging! I love this for an appetizer and was also wondering if you have any suggestions as to how I could make this into a full meal alternatively- with or without my obsession for a side lol. Thank you Tieghan!!
I think a salad would work or even do some tacos and enchiladas!
I have some fresh cranberries I need to use up…would those work in this dish?
Hey Trish,
Sure, I would just cook them down slightly. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Can you prepare the vegetables ahead of time ?
Yes definitely! xTieghan
I’ve made this many times before and it’s so incredibly delicious! It’s for sure squash and cranberry season so I’m running hard to revisit this recipe. I’d love to add some shredded chicken atop for extra protein, with some more cranberry syrup drizzle of course, and am wondering if you have a suggestion for doing so. Roast a whole rotisserie chicken? Poach some boneless skinless chicken breasts, or maybe toss them in a certain oil and spice bouquet? Also, I’m so fond of Siete brand tortilla chips, although they seem a bit more delicate. Do you think they will hold up for this recipe or are traditional ones best? Love your blog so much!! Xoxo
Hey Gigi! Thanks so much glad you’re loving this recipe! I would just use rotisserie chicken, and you can use your favorite tortilla chips! xTieghan
I make these once (okay, maybe twice) every fall, and have for years now. Our family calls them “the best fall nachos you’ve (n)ever had!” Thank you for this delicious recipe!!
Hey Amanda,
Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! Have the best weekend? xTieghan
Looking so yum! images of this recipe make someone eat without delay.
Neeti…https://www.bakingnfrosting.com/2020/04/cream-cheese-cookies.html
Thank you so much Neeti! xTieghan
This is our favorite fall/winter nacho recipe!!! Thanks for sharing
Thank you Karen! I am so glad you loved these nachos! xTieghan
One of my favorite appetizers EVER! We add some Pepitas in with the cranberries and substitute the Chili Powder with a combo of Smoked Paprika and Chipotle Chili Powder. Pomegranate molasses finishes it off…..opps drooling on my phone! Thanks Tieghan!!
Haha thank you Daryl! I am so glad you loved this recipe so much! xTieghan
These were AMAZING
Thank you so much Micha! xTieghan
I made these Saturday and they really were amazing! Next time I will double the amount of vegies on top, especially more brussel sprouts! Even a little chicken would be fantastic on these! Fontina is a must! My husband and my 16 year old son were skeptical, but they loved them as well and the nachos were demolished.
Wow I am so happy to hear that Rebecca! Thank you so much!
Appetizer
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How can i e-mail this to my sister????? We need all of these recipes !! Helen
Hi Helen, right under the title there should be a row of options to share it. The email icon is all the way to the right. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Also, you mention slicing Brussels sprouts thinly, then say shredded. Can they be shredded in a food processor, instead of trying to slice. Am having difficulty thinly slicing. Would like to be entered into your cheese basket contest too.
Yes, you can shred in a food processor. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂