Nachos: a meal or a snack?

Found out last night, after making pico de gallo, guacamole, refritos... and having jalapenos and sour cream on the side as well.. that my husband doesn't think nachos are a meal.  Maybe they're not... I'm not sure now.  We always made a meal of them in Canada.  So, just checking!

Feel free to comment.   For example, I don't really like a lot of stuff on nachos if there are lots of dips.  Do you?

I like loads of stuff on mine - salsa, guac, cheese, olives, refried beans, jalapenos, etc. With sour cream on the side. So, yes, they are most definitely a meal! And I wish I had some right now! 

Snack? I can't eat a small enough amount of nachos to keep them in the snack category!!

We like nachos for Friday night meals as it's easy to do and good TV eating. I think the first few times I did them for DH, he was a bit skeptical, but he's a convert now!

I usually just put beans and shredded cheese on the chips and heat that up and then dip for everything else.

Yum!!!

Oh, you should have heard the complaining last night... when it became clear that I wasn't going to cook anything else to go with the nachos.

Oh, you should have heard the complaining last night... when it became clear that I wasn't going to cook anything else to go with the nachos.

I just don't understand this. So many men are like this. 'That's not a meal!!' in a big ol' whiny voice!! Madeira, I know your husband is Japanese, but I do find it VERY true of the British men I know. I am perfectly happy with a sandwich and soup for dinner, but my huband would revolt. He does like nachos now, but he will eat a lot of them to make himself feel more meal-like I guess!

That said, he's a big fan of cheeses, olives, and salami type stuff and will happily eat that whenever. So I am slowly winning the battle!

It can definitely be a meal.  It doesn't always have to be....think nacho plate as an Appetizer, split between a few people. 

I agree that the english seem a bit more tied to having a traditional supper.  I have converted DF to Pancakes for dinner.  One of my favs.  Although...he would probably LOVE nachos for dinner.

I just asked my bf about it. He says that nachos aren't something he'd ever want to eat a lot of - so it couldn't be a meal for him. A small portion as a snack would be it. But he doesn't like cheesy things in general, so I don't know how much of it is due to the fact that he's British. It could just be that he's weird. 

I can see my husband not thinking they're a meal because anything without some sort of meat is no more than a snack to him.  But if I put shredded chicken or something on them, then he would probably agree they're a meal. They'd definitely be a meal to me regardless.

mmmm. I really, really want nachos now. Must buy stuff for them this week!!!

My English husband eats whatever I feed him - meat and potatoes, omelet, salad (with meat or fish), soup and sandwich.  He'd love nachos for dinner.  Most of the American men I know, on the other hand, need "real meals"!  Although, the younger ones would probably settle for nachos instead of dinner, if you made enough. 

I've never thought of nachos as a meal, but I see that they definitely could be.  May have to put them on next week's menu...

I could make them for me, but I don't do it often. At a restuarant in the US, I would share them usually with friends, making htem just a snack/appetizer. Here, I use the nacho kits they sell and usually have them as a snack/mid-meal kind of meal. They can be a meal, I agree, but for me, they are just a great appetizer or snack.

I would say that cheese and chips is not a meal...with just sour cream and salsa on the side throw on some beans, meat or something like that and you have a meal...

I'm lucky .. DH is easygoing as long as he gets fed and eats anything but fried liver...

Our favourite dish when we go into town is nachos with chili and salsa, melted cheese on top, guacamole and sour cream on the side.

I've had nachos with melted cheese and loads of dips for lunch before - my choice - so, yes, I guess that would mean I would consider it a meal.

I would say that cheese and chips is not a meal...with just sour cream and salsa on the side throw on some beans, meat or something like that and you have a meal...

But to me, 'cheese & chips' aren't nachos.
Nachos are definitely a meal the way i make them... piled high with spicy chicken or beef/chilli con carne, beans, cheese, creme fraiche, guacamole, olives, etc.

To me, nachos without meat are an appetizer. Nachos with mince or chicken are a meal.

We always make ours by chopping up loads and loads of cheese slices, adding salsa and milk and heating it until its nice and creamy and spicy. Then we had loads of taco meat to the cheese and pour it all over a heaping pile of tortillas. On top we use loads of lettuce, tomato, sour cream and guacamole. By the time we finish off a plate of those we can't even think about eating for the rest of the night!

I'm going to be diplomatic and say that I consider nachos to be a sort of snacky-meal.  My family will frequently have nachos as a "meal" on Sunday nights, usually just chips topped with salsa and cheese then put under the broiler to crisp the chips and melt the cheese. And one of my naughty indulgences in junior high was to have nachos off the food truck for lunch!

Yum, I think I've figured out what dinner is going to be!  I'll probaby add some beans, though, to assuage my guilty conscience.