Italian Nachos with Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce
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So the big game is on this weekend and you want something oozing with flavor and easy to make. Well, here it is, Italian Nachos with Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce!
These Italian-style nachos are loaded with Italian sausage, pepperoni, cheese, and the most amazing homemade alfredo sauce.
What are Italian Nachos?
Classic nachos are the perfect appetizer to serve when you are feeding a large crowd. This Italian version is an amazing new twist on an old Mexican Restaurant favorite. The idea of Italian nachos started at an old Chicago restaurant called Johny Carino’s. I have to say that I love the idea, but I have a few improvements of my own to add!
Instead of the tortilla chips and other traditional nacho ingredients, my Italian nacho recipe uses crunchy crostini and loads them up with Italian sausage and a creamy alfredo sauce. Then we are going to layer on some of our favorite Italian veggies and cheeses to create an unbeatable flavor combination.
Don’t wait until game day to try this; just like my Hot Italian Sliders or Arancini Siciliani, they are crazy popular at our parties and hearty enough for a fun family dinner!
The last few times I have made these yummy Italian nachos, they never made it off of the sheet pan and on to a serving dish. So since everyone digs right in, I make sure to use a presentable baking sheet or an oven-safe dish that I can serve them on. That means one less dish to clean up!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Crostini: You can either buy ready-made crostini or make your own. To make your own, cut a baguette into thin slices. Brush the sliced bread with olive oil on both sides and toast them in the oven or on a grill until they are golden brown.
- Italian sausage: Depending on how spicy you like your nachos you can use either sweet or hot Italian sausage.
- Alfredo sauce: I make my own because it is so easy, but you can use your favorite store-bought sauce as well. You will need butter, heavy cream and parmesan cheese to make your own.
- Toppings: My favorite topping items are sliced pepperoni, ripe black olives, and banana peppers.
- Roasted tomatoes in oil: You can find roasted tomatoes in the olive bar of your local grocery store, or you can make your own Fire Roasted Tomatoes or Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. They have an intense tomatoey taste and give the nachos a little tang.
- Cheese: I love a mixture of shredded cheese such as mozzarella and fontina and some grated parmesan or pecorino romano.
Variations
There are no hard and fast rules about the ingredients you include in your Italian nachos. Feel free to use what you love or what you have on hand. Some ingredients that you might want to try:
- Roasted red pepper,
- Green onion
- Bell pepper
- Italian salsa
- Chicken breast – shredded or cut into bite-size pieces
- Peppadew peppers
- Fresh basil
- Use Marinara Sauce in place of the Alfredo sauce
- Chop up some fresh tomatoes and sprinkle them over the top of the nachos before serving them.
Step by Step Instructions
Prepare Your Ingredients:
- If you are making your homemade alfredo sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir in the heavy cream. Then over low heat whisk in the parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Remove the sausage from its casings and cook it over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Transfer the cooked sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Mix the mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan cheeses in a medium bowl.
Assemble the Italian Nachos
- Place the crostini in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
- Evenly distribute the Italian sausage over the crostini and top with a drizzle of alfredo sauce.
- Continue to layer the rest of the ingredients, finishing with the mozzarella cheese mixture
- Place the nachos under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or just until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.
Italian Nachos FAQ’s
If you have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend reheating them on a baking sheet in a 350 degree F oven for about 15 minutes or just until they are heated through.
You can prepare the ingredients and assemble the nachos ahead of time, but I would bake them right before you are planning to serve them so they can be enjoyed warm.
More Appetizer Recipes
If need to feed a lot of people and you want another easy recipe for your next gathering try my Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip or Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings with Parmesan and Garlic. Or stick with an Italian theme and make my Homemade Sicilian Eggplant Caponata.
I would love to hear from you
I love to get your feedback so if you tried this Italian Nachos Recipe or any other recipes on this website, please leave me a comment below. I hope you enjoy our recipes and look forward to hearing from you!
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Easy Italian Nachos with Homemade Alfredo Sauce
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Ingredients
- 24 slices Crostini bread
- 4 links Italian Sausage casing removed
- ¼ cup Butter
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- ¾ cup Parmesan Cheese grated, divided
- ¾ cups Ripe Black Olives
- ¾ cups Pepperoni sliced
- ¾ cup Roasted Tomatoes in oil drained
- ¾ cup Pepperoncini or Banana Peppers sliced
- ¾ cup Fontina shredded
- ¾ cup Mozzarella shreded
Instructions
Alfredo Sauce
- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan set over medium heat, stir in the heavy cream. Then over low heat whisk in the ½ cup of parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and set aside.
Assemble the Nachos
- Remove the sausage from it's casings and cook it over medium high heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and set it aside to drain on plate lined with paper towels.
- Mix the mozzarella, fontina and remaining ¼ cup of parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.
- Preheat the oven to broil.Arrange the crostini in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Evenly distribute the Italian sausage over the crostini and top with a drizzle of alfredo sauce. Continue to layer the rest of the ingredients, finishing with the mozzarella cheese mixture.
- Place the nachos under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or just until the cheese melts. Serve immediately
You have to try these. Really delicious.