Italian nachos combine the rustic flavors of Italian favorites like pepperoni, Italian sausage, mozzarella, and basil with the sensibilities of the classic nacho appetizer. What you end up with is one of the best fusion recipes you’ll ever try. And the best part? It’s super easy to make!
I must confess, this Italian nachos recipe is not a family tradition like many of the others that I’ve shared on the blog. In fact, I only started making these Italian nachos in the last few years and boy am I glad I did.
One day, I was craving nachos, but I didn’t have most of the ingredients that I needed to make them. I only had tortilla chips. What I did have, however, were leftover ingredients from an Italian dish I’d been making a few days before.
I suddenly thought to myself that nachos are nothing more than tortilla chips that are covered in protein and cheese. So why not try an Italian version? And that’s just what I did.
My first go-around, I used the tortilla chips that I had on hand and simply topped them with my Italian ingredients. It was good, but there was something that just didn’t quite jive for me.
There was a melding of flavors that was just a bit off. The tortilla chips were a bit too strong and salty for the mozzarella, pepperoni, basil, and other Italian ingredients, but I knew I had the beginnings of something great.
That’s when I decided to give it another try using wonton wrappers. We already make wonton crisps to snack on or put on soups and salads.
That was the ticket. The wonton wrappers were the perfect crispness, but they didn’t have that strong flavor and saltiness of the tortilla chips.
It was the perfect pairing. It worked out so well, in fact, that I knew I needed to share it with my readers. I also have to share that since we started making these pasta chips we have been rotating them with wonton wrappers ever since.
History of Nachos
Before we get into this Italian variation on nachos, I want to look at a little of the history of nachos. It’s fairly interesting. For example, the nachos that we know from gas stations and sporting events were a variation created decades after original nachos were invented.
That’s just one little tidbit we’ll look at briefly before diving into the recipe.
Unlike many recipes we’ve talked about before, we actually know exactly where nachos come from. Nachos were created in Mexico in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, a town just over the border from Eagle Pass, Texas.
In 1940, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya created nachos at the Vicotry Clube when a regular customer, Mamie Finan, asked if he could bring her and her there friends a snack that was different from the club’s usual fair.
Like any good cook, Ignacio began looking around the kitchen, finding freshly fried corn tortillas, cheese, and pickled jalapeno strips. In a moment that all foodies will forever be grateful for, Ignacio decided to cut the tortillas into triangles and fry them and then top them with Colby cheese and the sliced pickled jalapenos.
Upon tasting the snack, Mamie asked what they were called. Ignacio purportedly responded, “Well, I guess we can just call them Nacho’s Special.”
The popularity of nachos quickly spread across the border to Eagle Pass and then throughout Texas and the Southwest. The first recorded use of the word “nachos” in English is found in the 1950 book, A Taste of Texas. Later, Anaya’s original recipe was printed in the 1954 St. Anne’s Cookbook.
Nachos became so popular that in the late 70s, Frank Liberto marketed a modified version of Nachos that used cheese sauce and prepared tortilla chips at Texas Rangers baseball games. Eventually, they became known as “ballpark nachos”, with their popularity skyrocketing after Howard Cosell mentioned them in his broadcasts during games.
Fast forward to today, and you can find nachos at every Mexican restaurant, ballpark, and gas station in North America. You’ll even find them abroad, as well!
Italian Nachos
Italian nachos are an Italian/Mexican fusion recipe that you didn’t know you needed, but you do. They’re loaded with all of our Italian favorites like pepperoni, Italian sausage, mozzarella, pepperoncini, basil, and other delicious, rustic flavors.
Spread over perfectly crispy wonton wrappers and dipped in marinara sauce, these Italian nachos hit the spot when you’re craving nachos that are a bit off the beaten path. I love to serve them up for a fun family dinner, movie night, gameday addition, or afternoon snack.
They’re so good any time, and they’re so hearty you can make an entire meal out of them.
When you combine those great flavors with the wonton wrappers, it becomes a delicious flavor sensation that everyone loves. It’s also just plain fun! After all, nothing is better than chowing down on fresh nachos, whether they be the traditional variety of this tasty Italia variation.
Ingredients
It only takes a few simple ingredients to make these delicious Italian nachos. These are all ingredients that are readily available at your local grocery store. There are no fancy ingredients or specialty products needed. A quick, in-and-out trip to the supermarket gets you everything you need!
- 1 package fresh wonton wrappers or pasta chips
- ½ lb italian sausage cooked
- 1 package pepperoni
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 small jar sliced pepperoncini
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Fresh Basil
- Oil for frying (such as vegetable or canola)
- Marinara or pizza sauce for dipping
See? These are all authentic Italian flavors, but there’s nothing that you can’t find at the store with ease. That’s the best kind of ingredient list in my book.
Making Italian Nachos
Making these Italian nachos is relatively easy. The only thing you’ll do differently from other nacho recipes is fry wonton wrappers or your favorite pasta or stuffed pasta. Those only take a few seconds so it adds almost no time to the recipe, which is great.
Other than that, the only cooking aside from baking is cooking up the sausage. It all goes by very fast, and you’ll be in and out of the kitchen in under an hour!
You’ll find the complete recipe with amounts and times in the recipe card below, but take a look at this overview, and you’ll see that there’s really nothing to this delicious, easy recipe.
- In a medium saucepan, heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat.
- While the oil is heating, cut your wonton wrapper in half diagonally so that you end up with triangles.
- In a small bowl mix the salt and garlic powder together, set aside.
- When the oil is ready, carefully deep fry a couple of the wonton wrapper triangles at a time, just a few seconds on each side.
- Remove from oil when ready and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Lightly sprinkle with your garlic salt mixture. Repeat until you have enough chips to fill your serving dish or cookie sheet.
- In a baking dish or on a cookie sheet, layer the fried wonton chips with cheese, Italian sausage, and pepperoni.
- Bake in a preheated oven or broil under a broiler until cheese has melted.
- Take out of the oven when the cheese has melted and top with pepperoncini and fresh basil. Serve with marinara or pizza sauce.
See? That wasn’t so bad, was it? Just a little browning, super-fast frying, and a bit of oven baking is all you need to do. It’s all very fast and uses only basic cooking skills that almost everyone knows how to do!
Tips
This is an incredibly straightforward recipe, but there are some tips to make sure that you create the best Italian nachos possible. They’re simply tips, but they make a world of difference to your final product. Be sure you don’t skip them!
Don’t Overcook the Wonton Wrappers
It only takes a few seconds per side to fry the wonton wrappers to crispy perfection. The entire process is a simple dunk, wait about 5 to 10 seconds, and then flip and repeat. Be sure you don’t cook them any longer or they’ll burn. It’s a very quick process, so be sure you pay close attention throughout the frying process.
Thoroughly Drain the Sausage
When your sausage is cooked be sure you thoroughly drain it. Sausage is delicious, but it’s also greasy. You don’t want your nachos all soggied up with grease, so thoroughly drain it after cooking. I actually like to let the sausage sit on a paper towel and then press another paper towel over the top to further remove the grease.
Variations
Nachos are one of the best recipes to experiment with, and these Italian nachos are no exception. There are all kinds of ways that you can mix it up when you make these delicious Italian-inspired nachos, and they all taste delicious!
Different Meats
I used pepperoni and Italian sausage, but there are other delicious Italian meats you can use in this dish. Try them all! You can even use prosciutto if you’re feeling fancy. Whatever you decide to use, it always works because the flavors are all so classically Italian.
Different Cheese
I love mozzarella cheese with my Italian nachos, but any Italian cheese will work. Try using provolone or a shredded Italian blend. Get crazy with the cheese and use more than one if you like. The possibilities are endless.
It’s all about those melding flavors, so any classic Italian cheese will work well in this recipe.
Serving Italian Nachos
My favorite way to serve these Italian nachos is simply to set them out on the table with a bowl of marinara sauce and let everyone serve themselves. They’re the perfect dish for a fun weeknight meal, weekend treat, parties, and potlucks.
The best part is that I don’t have to do anything special to serve them. Everyone can serve themselves. It’s so easy.
Storing Italian Nachos
Like all nachos, it’s best to make just enough for everyone to enjoy them and have no leftovers. As time goes by, the ingredients piled on top of the wonton wrappers will make them soggy, so you really don’t want to have leftovers.
That being said, if you DO have any leftovers, they’ll keep in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for about three days. I DO NOT recommend waiting that long to eat them as the longer you wait the soggier they get.
Try These Italian Nachos for Yourself
These Italian nachos are a delicious, easy twist on everyone’s favorite party food! They come together quickly and are so satisfying that you need to give them a try at least once.
Once you’ve made them, I know you’ll find yourself coming back to this recipe again and again. It’s so good and so much fun, there’s no reason not to give it a try!
Italian Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 pkg wonton wrappers or pasta chips
- ½ lb italian sausage cooked and crumbled
- 1 pkg pepperoni
- 2 cups mozzarella shredded
- 1 jar pepperoncini sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Fresh Basil
- Oil for frying such as vegetable or canola
- Marinara or pizza sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Get out and measure all of your ingredients.
- Cook meat and get wonton wrappers ready.
- In a medium saucepan, heat vegetable oil on medium high heat to about 300 degrees.
- While the oil is heating, cut your wonton wrapper in half diagonally so that you end up with triangles.
- In a small bowl mix the salt and garlic powder together, set aside.
- When the oil is ready, carefully fry a couple of the wonton wrapper triangles at a time.
- A few seconds on each side.
- Remove from oil when ready and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Lightly sprinkle with your garlic salt mixture.
- Repeat until you have enough chips to fill your serving dish or cookie sheet.
- Place cooked wontons or pasta chips in a baking dish or on a cookie sheet for serving your nachos.
- Layer the fried wonton chips with cheese, italian sausage, and pepperoni.
- Add more cheese.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 475 degrees
- or broil under a broiler until cheese has melted.
- Take out of the oven when the cheese has melted.
- Top with pepperoncini and fresh basil.
- Serve with marinara or pizza sauce.
- Enjoy every bite.
Nutrition
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