Greek Nachos With Cilantro Sauce

Where’s the place you escape to in your mind when life gets overwhelming? For me, it’s Greece. I imagine a view like this, below. It’s a photo we took on our trip to Santorini three years ago, when we were trying to escape something overwhelming. It’s a long story (here’s the long version), but the short of it is that we were trying to start a family and it wasn’t working. Well-meaning friends and strangers would put in their two cents, like “Just relax! It happens when you’re relaxed and not thinking about it.” So after thinking about it for too long, we decided a trip to Europe would surely make the magic happen. Keep reading for more on our Greece trip and this Greek nachos recipe.

An escape to Greece

We escaped to Santorini, meeting my best friend and sister in a white-washed bungalow with the view above. It was straight out of a movie, and we felt inspired and carefree. We stayed up late drinking wine and laughing, hiked to nearby villages to swim, and ate our weight in fresh Greek salad. Unfortunately, the magic still didn’t happen. On the flip side, we had an incredible vacation to a new country that inspired the way we cook from that day forward. So there still was a bit of magic, just not the magic we were hoping for. We’d been inspired by Mediterranean cuisine for years, but tasting it in that sparkling Greek sunlight was pure magic.

Some Greek recipes, & Greek nachos fusion

Coming home, the summer produce in Indiana was ripe for transformation into Greek cuisine. After much research, we created our version of the traditional Greek salad, that refreshing combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Feta in the oven, a gooey block of feta cheese warmed in the oven with tomatoes and olive oil, was a new favorite we’d shared with a bottle of wine and pita bread. And of course we had to perfect tzatziki, that cool yogurt and cucumber spread for sopping up with pita. When I interviewed the great pizza chef-restaurateur Chris Bianco for our podcast, he mentioned that while traditional food has its place, part of cooking is also creating your own dishes inspired by those time-tested traditions. In that vein, these Greek nachos are in no way traditional (I mean, they’re Mediterranean nachos). However, at the same time they’re inspired by the flavors and feeling of Greece.

How to make Greek nachos

What’s in these Greek nachos? Sweet summery tomatoes, cool cucumber, and lightly flavored white beans are spread over crunchy pita chips and covered in a cool, bright green cilantro sauce. In contrast to much of the food we had in Greece, these Greek nachos are vegan, so they’re 100% plant based! And they’re not at all lacking in flavor. Eat them as a healthy meal, or an appetizer. They’re a lovely summer weeknight meal to enjoy on the patio with a glass of rosé in hand. For these Greek nachos, we’ve called for making your own pita chips. These Homemade Pita Chips call for a za’atar topping. If you’re not familiar, za’atar is a traditional Middle Eastern spice blend that typically contains toasted sesame seeds, thyme, sumac, and salt. If you’re not up for finding some new ingredients, you can omit: but it adds a nice complexity to the nachos! The cilantro sauce for these Greek nachos is one of our favorites: it’s creamy and delicious using soaked cashews as a base. It’s 100% plant based (vegan), which is nice since many Mediterranean style recipes include cheese! Not that we’re against cheese at all! It’s just nice to have fully plant based options, too: right?

Looking for Mediterranean recipes?

Mediterranean recipes are common on our table. Outside of these Greek nachos, here are some of the recipes inspired by our trip to Greece, and all our Mediterranean recipes:

Greek saladBaked feta with tomatoesAuthentic Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt Cucumber Dip)Mediterranean Bulgur Salad (Tabbouleh)Baklava CupsGreek Grilled Veggie SkewersAll Mediterranean recipes!