How To Make The Best Nachos
The best nachos recipe keeps the chips from getting soggy. The secret is to pre-bake them and top them with cheese, then layer the rest of the toppings.
Serves:
Ingredients
For Spice Mix:
- 2tbspchili powder
- 1½tspkosher salt
- 1tspgranulated garlic
- 1tspgranulated onion
- 1tspground cumin
- ½tspdried oregano
- ¼tspblack pepper
- pinchcayenne pepper,optional
For Nachos:
- 1tspvegetable oil
- 1lbground beef,(80:20), lean to fat ratio
- 16ozrefried beans,(2 cups), canned or homemade
- ¼cupwater
- 1largebag of tortilla chips
- 4ozcheddar cheese,(about 2 cups), grated, plus more for topping
- 4ozcolby jack cheese,(about 2 cups), grated, plus more for topping
- 1cuppico de gallo,store bought or homemade, plus more for topping
- ¼cupcilantro,chopped
- 1slicedjalapeño,pickled or fresh
Optional Toppings:
- guacamole
- salsa
- sour cream
- canned black olives
- sliced green onions
- shredded lettuce
- corn
- hot sauce
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
-
Combine all of the spices (chili powder through cayenne) together in a small bowl.
-
Heat the vegetable oil on medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the ground beef to the pan and season it with all of the taco spice blend.
-
As the meat cooks, use a spoon to break the meat up into crumbles. Cook for about 8 minutes until the meat has browned and drain the fat using a colander.
-
Return the meat to the pan and add the refried beans and the water. Heat the mixture until the beans are smooth and warmed through.
-
Reduce the heat to low and keep the beef-bean mixture warm while you prepare the chips.
-
On a 13×18-inch oven-safe platter or sheet pan, arrange the tortilla chips in a single layer, overlapping them slightly.
-
Toast the chips in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, or just until fragrant.
To Assemble:
-
Carefully remove the pan from the oven and top with ½ of the shredded cheeses.
-
Allow the heat from the chips to melt the cheese slightly before topping the chips with the beef and bean mixture.
-
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the beef and return the pan to the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has fully melted.
-
Top the nachos with the pico de gallo, chopped cilantro, jalapeño slices, or any preferred toppings. Serve hot.
Nutrition
- Calories: 722.11kcal
- Fat: 42.83g
- Saturated Fat: 15.37g
- Trans Fat: 1.17g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 15.98g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.75g
- Carbohydrates: 55.09g
- Fiber: 6.64g
- Sugar: 4.25g
- Protein: 30.08g
- Cholesterol: 90.91mg
- Sodium: 1017.13mg
- Calcium: 367.53mg
- Potassium: 678.94mg
- Iron: 4.26mg
- Vitamin A: 150.47µg
- Vitamin C: 9.25mg
Was this page helpful?
Have your own special recipe to share? Submit Your Recipe Today!