This recipe is for a quick weekday meal. It is simple, with ingredients most people have on hand, in the Southwest tradition. I call it Navajo waffles because it is a riff on the Navajo taco, which employs a piece of fry bread (often called a ‘scone’ in that part of the United States) to place the toppings on. The waffle ends up being a pretty great upgrade. It adds corn to the flavor, sweetness, and let’s face it, everyone loves waffles!

When I made it, I added some extra things to improve the flavor (I will mark them as optional), but will include more common household ingredients as the core recipe.

Navajo Waffles

for the meat filling:
2 lbs – Ground beef
1 – Large onion, diced
1 – Large bell pepper, diced
1 – Package taco seasoning (optional: homemade chili paste)
1 Tbsp – Oregano
1 Tbsp – Lemon juice (optional: lime juice)
2 cans – Pinto beans, drained
oil
salt

for the pico de gallo:
2 cups – Cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup – Tomato, diced
1/2 cup – Canned green chiles (optional: fresh roasted Hatch green chilies)
1/2 cup – Fresh cilantro, minced
1 cup – onion, diced
1 – Large avocado, diced
salt
lemon juice (optional: lime juice)

for the corn waffles:
1 – Yellow cake mix
4 – Eggs
2 cups – Corn meal (optional: 1 cup corn meal, 1 cup corn flour)
1/4 tsp – Baking soda
2 tsp – Baking powder
1 tsp – Salt
1/2 cup – Canned green chilies (optional: fresh roasted Hatch green chilies)
3/4 cup – Oil
2 cups – Water (optional: 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup water)

Cheese, Shredded (cheddar or Mexican blend are the most common Southwest option)
Sour Cream

Heat a large skillet on medium heat, add a Tbsp of oil. Add the ground beef and brown. Add seasoning, onion, and bell pepper. Continue stirring and browning until well incorporated and the onions and peppers are soft. Add beans and stir until back to heated. Add salt and lemon juice to taste. Reserve warm.

Add all ingredients for pico de gallo, mix well. Add salt and lemon juice to taste. Reserve cool.

Preheat waffle iron (I used a Belgian waffle maker). Add all waffle ingredients to a mixer and mix well. Add more water if necessary to have a loose batter, as this should be thinner than cake batter.

Cook waffles, top with meat filling, cheese, pico, and sour cream.

Enjoy!