Mexican-American
Loaded Beef Nachos
Tortilla chips layered with seasoned ground beef and cheddar, baked until the cheese melts, then finished with salsa, jalapeño, and sour cream.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Layering cheese in the middle keeps the bottom chips from staying bare.
- The beef has to hit 160°F. Nachos are not a place for pink ground beef.
- They go soggy if they sit, so finish them at the table.
- One sheet pan is the whole snack.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 400°F.
- 2
Brown the beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the beef reaches 160°F and no pink remains. Drain the fat.
- 3
Stir in the chili powder, cumin, salt, and water. Simmer about 3 minutes, until the water cooks off.
- 4
Spread half the chips on a sheet pan. Add half the beef and half the cheddar. Repeat with the remaining chips, beef, and cheddar.
- 5
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- 6
Top with salsa, jalapeño, sour cream, and green onions. Serve immediately.
Pro tips
- Drain the beef well or the chips go greasy.
- A hotter oven melts the cheese before the chips turn stale.
- Add lettuce only if you are eating them in the next few minutes.
Easy substitutions
- ground beef
- ground turkey, still cooked to 165°F
- cheddar
- a Mexican cheese blend
Storage and reheating
Storage
These are best eaten right away. Refrigerate leftover beef up to 3 days and rebuild a fresh tray.
Reheating
Reheat the beef in a skillet until steaming. Do not microwave a full tray of chips.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 540
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Budget friendly · Oven, Stovetop
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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