Easy Nachos Recipe
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Easy homemade Nachos! Layered with a crisp tortilla chips, a simple seasoned ground beef and black bean layer, shredded tangy cheese, fresh and flavorful pico de gallo, creamy avocados and rich sour cream. One of the ultimate comfort foods and party foods!
Easy Flavorful Nachos Recipe!
We’ve all had the nachos made with cheap queso made from processed (fake) cheese which is asking for a stomach ache, but in these nachos we use real cheeses and tons of fresh, ingredients making them a delicious and satisfying recipe fit for dinner.
Sure they still may be a bit of splurge but sometimes it’s just worth it. Note though, if you are interested you can see my notes below on how to make them healthier. Then if you really want to indulge add some extra cheese!
These are perfect for weekends and game day too. I mean who doesn’t love nachos?
Just be sure to enjoy them at their prime, warm from the oven with a gooey melty cheese and a hot filling for the best nachos!
Baked Nachos Ingredients:
- Tortilla chips – I like to use low-sodium but use what you prefer.
- Ground beef – I recommend using 85 – 90% lean ground beef.
- Diced green chilies – use mild unless you want spicy nachos, in which case you can even add bottled jalapeño slices for extra heat.
- Black beans – be sure to drain and rinse. This not only removes that black mucky liquid but also removes excess saltiness.
- Low-sodium taco seasoning – I like to use one with an added thickener (since we include a sauce here) such as Ortega which has cornstarch.
Toppings:
- Cheddar and monterey jack cheese – if you don’t want to buy both you can use one or the other.
- Avocado – fresh guacamole is also a great option here.
- Sour cream or Mexican crema – if you aren’t a fan of this ingredient you can omit.
- Pico de gallo – this adds so much fresh flavor to the nachos. In a pinch salsa works too, but I recommend straining excess liquid.
How to Make Nachos:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place tortilla chips on baking sheet: Spread tortilla chips out into an even layer on a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet, set aside.
- Brown beef: Heat olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef in chunks and cook, and crumble tossing beef occasionally until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Drain fat.
- Add flavorings: Stir in tomato sauce, black beans, green chiles and taco seasoning.
- Layer beef mixture and cheeses on nachos: Spoon mixture evenly over chips. Sprinkle both cheeses over ground beef layer.
- Bake: Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 5 – 8 minutes.
- Add toppings: Top with pico de gallo and avocados. Dollop with sour cream or drizzle with crema. Serve immediately.
How to Make them Healthier:
- Use baked tortilla chips or swap chips for a vegetable like zucchini or mini peppers (toss veggies with a little olive oil and pre-bake veggies partially until tender crisp before adding toppings).
- Swap ground beef for 93% lean ground turkey.
- Reduce cheese to 1 cup or use low-fat cheese.
- Omit the sour cream or use light sour cream.
Possible Variations:
Instead of using the ground beef and black been filling here you could opt to use another seasoned meat or seafood like these:
- Barbacoa Beef
- Carnitas
- Salsa Chicken
- Shrimp (chop it up)
- Sweet Pork
Shortcut Tips:
To keep this recipe quick and easy I use a store-bought taco seasoning but the other shortcuts you’ll want to take are to use a pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend and a store-bought pico de gallo from the produce section of the grocery store.
How to Make Ahead:
If you’d like the filling can be made 1 – 2 days in advance. It can be added cold to the nachos then increase bake time by about 5 minutes or so.
Try the Filling in Tacos too!
Love the simplicity and flavor the beef mixture? Try it in tacos, burritos or enchiladas too!
More Delicious Mexican Recipes to Try:
Follow Cooking Classy
Easy Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 (9 oz) bag tortilla chips
Meat filling
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (85 - 90%)
- 1 (4 oz) can diced mild green chilis (or use hot if you like it spicy)
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (1.25 oz) pkg. low-sodium taco seasoning, such as Ortega (which has cornstarch to thicken)
Toppings
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or monterey jack cheese* (I use a blend of 1 cup of each)
- 1 large avocado, diced (or sub guacamole)
- 1/3 cup sour cream or crema Mexicana
- 1 1/2 cups pico de gallo, homemade (see notes), or fresh store-bought
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Spread tortilla chips out into an even layer on a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet, set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef in chunks and cook, and crumble tossing beef occasionally until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Drain fat.
- Stir in tomato sauce, black beans, green chiles and taco seasoning.
- Spoon mixture evenly over chips. Sprinkle both cheeses over ground beef layer.
- Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 5 - 7 minutes.
- Top with pico de gallo and avocados. Dollop with sour cream or drizzle with crema. Serve immediately.
Notes
- 2 cups pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend can be substituted for the cheddar and monterey jack.
- Makes about 8 servings for a party appetizer or 6 dinner servings. Nutrition estimate based on 8 servings.
-
3 medium roma tomatoes, diced (1 ½ cups)
-
1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
-
3 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
-
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
-
1 small garlic cloves, minced (3/4 tsp)
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl.