Baked Nachos with Ground Beef (Printable Version)

Crispy chips layered with seasoned beef, melted cheese, and vibrant toppings for the ultimate Tex-Mex experience.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef Mixture

01 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
02 - 1 pound ground beef
03 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
06 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
07 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
09 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
10 - 1/4 cup tomato sauce

→ Nachos Base

11 - 8 ounces tortilla chips

→ Cheese

12 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
13 - 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

→ Toppings

14 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
15 - 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
16 - 1/4 cup sliced black olives
17 - 1/4 cup sliced jalapeños, fresh or pickled
18 - 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
19 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
20 - 1 avocado, diced
21 - 1/2 cup sour cream
22 - 1/2 cup salsa

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F.
02 - Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic; sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant.
03 - Add ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned, breaking apart with a spoon, approximately 5 minutes.
04 - Stir in chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
05 - Arrange half the tortilla chips on a large baking sheet or oven-safe platter. Top with half the beef mixture and half the combined cheeses. Layer remaining chips, beef, and cheese.
06 - Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbling.
07 - Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with cherry tomatoes, black beans, olives, jalapeños, and red onion.
08 - Garnish with fresh cilantro and diced avocado. Serve hot with sour cream and salsa on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in under half an hour, so you can go from hungry to happy without much waiting.
  • The layers mean every bite has a different combination of crispy, creamy, savory, and bright.
  • It scales up or down easily, so you can feed two people or a dozen without stress.
  • Toppings are completely customizable based on what you love or what's already in your fridge.
02 -
  • If you pile all the toppings on before baking, the fresh ingredients will get soggy and lose their brightness, so always add them after.
  • Using pre-shredded cheese is convenient, but block cheese you shred yourself melts better because it doesn't have anti-caking agents.
  • Don't overlap the chips too much or the bottom layer won't get any heat and will stay cold and sad.
  • Let the beef mixture cool for a minute before layering so it doesn't make the chips soggy before they even hit the oven.
03 -
  • Warm your serving platter in the oven for a minute before transferring the nachos so they stay hot longer at the table.
  • If you want extra crispy edges, spread the nachos out more instead of piling them high, and rotate the pan halfway through baking.
  • Always taste your beef mixture before layering and adjust the seasoning, because once it's buried under cheese it's too late to fix.
  • Keep a little bowl of pickled jalapeño juice nearby and drizzle it over individual servings for people who want extra tang and heat.
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