Baked Nachos with Ground Beef (Printable)

Loaded tortilla chips with seasoned beef, melted cheese, and fresh toppings. Ready in 30 minutes for sharing.

# 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
18 - 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
19 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
20 - 1 avocado, diced
21 - 1/2 cup sour cream
22 - 1/2 cup salsa

# How to Prepare:

01 - Set oven to 400°F and allow to fully preheat.
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 fully 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 of the tortilla chips on a large baking sheet or oven-safe platter. Top with half of the beef mixture and half of the combined cheeses. Layer remaining chips, beef mixture, and cheese.
06 - Bake for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.
07 - Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with cherry tomatoes, black beans, black olives, jalapeños, and red onion.
08 - Garnish with fresh cilantro and diced avocado. Serve hot with sour cream and salsa on the side.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in under thirty minutes, so you can go from craving to serving without much fuss.
  • The layered approach means every chip gets a fair share of beef, melted cheese, and toppings.
  • It scales up or down easily, whether you are feeding two people or a crowd gathered around the television.
  • You can swap proteins, dial the heat up or down, and still end up with something everyone fights over.
02 -
  • Do not skip the layering step, piling everything on top leaves the bottom chips bare and sad.
  • Pull the nachos from the oven the moment the cheese melts, overbaking dries out the chips and makes them brittle.
  • Add the fresh toppings after baking so they stay crisp and vibrant instead of wilting under the heat.
03 -
  • Use a mix of cheese types for the best melt and flavor, a single cheese can taste flat or get greasy.
  • Line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easier cleanup, melted cheese can weld itself to the pan.
  • Taste your beef mixture before assembling and adjust the salt or spice, it is much easier to fix before it goes under all that cheese.
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