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This piled-high loaded nachos recipe is the perfect game-day food or appetizer -customize it with your favorite toppings!
We Love Homemade Nachos!
We have a weakness for chips and dip, but putting the chips and dip together in a loaded nachos recipe is EVEN better!
With all the different toppings and flavors, these nachos are definitely “loaded” and definitely delicious. They’re not only a great main dish, but also an appetizer.
Why you’ll love it too:
- Easy to Customize. Add your favorite taco toppings – we love it with our Salsa Verde, Homemade Salsa, or Queso Blanco (and of course, Guacamole).
- Perfect for sharing. Whether you are hosting a Mexican dinner or need a game day appetizer everyone can dig in and enjoy, since this makes a full pan!
- Easy peasy. This dish uses easy ingredients, has a quick prep time, and is ready to serve in only 30 minutes.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 17 minutes
- 8 ounces corn tortilla chips – store-bought, Homemade Tortilla Chips, or Baked Tortilla Chips. Use a thicker, sturdy tortilla chip as the thinner style ones will get soggy easier.
- 1 pound ground beef – or use ground chicken, ground turkey, steak, carne asada, shredded chicken, or sweet pork
- 1 cup water
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans – or use pinto beans or Refried Beans
- 4 tablespoons taco seasoning – store-bought or Homemade Seasoning
- 1 large sweet onion diced, divided
- 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1-2 jalapenos, finely diced – Cut the jalapeno in half lengthwise, scrape out the membrane and seeds (or leave them in for spicey pico), and dice.
- ⅓ cup cilantro chopped
- juice of 1 lime – fresh or from a bottle
- salt – to taste
- 10 ounces shredded cheddar cheese – Mexican blend or Monterey Jack cheese
- Avoid pre-packaged shredded cheeses as they are coated with an anti-clumping agent which inhibits their ability to melt well.
- 1 avocado diced – or avocado cream sauce
- sour cream
- more veggies – sweet onion, corn, green chiles, black olives, green onions, pickled jalapeños
- optional toppings – Guacamole, Red Salsa, Sweet Salsa Verde, or hot sauce
How to Make Loaded Nachos
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- PICO. Mix ½ of the chopped onion, 3 diced Roma tomatoes, 1-2 diced jalapeños, ⅓ cup cilantro, lime juice from 1 lime, and salt to taste. Set aside.
- MEAT. Add 1 pound of ground beef and another ½ of the chopped onion to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until no longer pink and the onions are translucent.
- Drain off the fat, and mix in 1 cup water and 4 tablespoons taco seasoning. Bring to a simmer, cover, and turn down to low. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until tender.
- BEANS. Stir in 1 can black beans (add another ¼ cup of water if too thick) and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- BAKE. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a layer of 4-ounces tortilla chips.
- Spoon half the bean and ground beef mixture over the chips. Sprinkle on 5 ounces of shredded cheese. Add another 4 ounces of chips and add the remaining meat mixture and cheese. Place in the oven for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.
- SERVE. Top with the freshly made pico, diced avocados, extra cilantro, and sour cream. Serve immediately.
Kristyn’s Tips
- AVOID SOGGY NACHOS – Use a thicker, sturdy tortilla chip as the thinner style ones will get soggy easier. Drain excess oil and liquid from toppings.
- TOPPINGS – Don’t add the pico de gallo, sour cream, or guacamole until right before serving. Alternatively, serve them on the side for people to add to their portions of loaded nachos.
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Loaded Nachos Recipe
This piled-high loaded nachos recipe is the perfect game-day food or appetizer -customize it with your favorite toppings!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces tortilla chips
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup water
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 large sweet onion, diced, divided
- 3 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1-2 jalapenos, finely diced
- ⅓ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 juice of lime
- salt, to taste
- 10 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 avocado, diced
- sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Mix ½ of the chopped onion, 3 Roma tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the beef and other ½ of the chopped onion to a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Drain off the fat, and mix in the water and taco seasoning. Bring to a simmer, cover, and turn down to low. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until tender.
- Stir in the black beans (add another ¼ cup of water if too thick) and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, line a large rimmed baking sheet with a layer of chips.
- Spoon half the meat/bean mixture over the chips followed by half the cheese. Add a second layer of chips and repeat with meat mixture and cheese. Place in the oven for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Top with pico de gallo, avocados, extra cilantro, and sour cream. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Prep ahead. You can prepare all the ingredients the day before and store them separately until you’re ready to assemble and bake.
Store. Remove fresh toppings like avocado, lettuce, and pico as best you can. Keep nachos covered in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Reheat. Place them on a parchment-lined baking tray and reheat in a low-temperature oven, carefully watching to ensure the chips don’t burn. Add fresh toppings back on and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 747kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 56g, Saturated Fat: 21g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 19g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 124mg, Sodium: 712mg, Potassium: 661mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1264IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 460mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Prep ahead of time?
Sheet pan nachos are best when eaten hot out of the oven. Prep all the ingredients the day before and store them separately until you’re ready to assemble and bake.
How to store?
To store leftovers, remove fresh toppings like avocado, and lettuce pico as best you can. Keep nachos covered in the fridge for 1-2 days.
To reheat, place them on a parchment-lined baking tray and reheat in a low-temperature oven, carefully watching to ensure the chips don’t burn. Add fresh toppings back on and enjoy!
This recipe was originally published January 31, 2018.
We always have nachos every time we have our family movie night, this one’s remarkable, they were impressed with its flavor. This recipe is worth keeping!
As a nachos lover, this nachos recipe is a winner! It is appetizing and loaded, it always makes our game day enjoyable.