Loaded Ground Beef Nachos
These craveable loaded nachos are the only recipe you'll ever want - crispy, creamy, juicy, fresh - with the BEST ground beef and nacho sauce! They are the ultimate crowd-pleasing sharable comfort food that can be served as an appetizer, snack or full meal (perfect for Game Day)! Best of all, this nacho recipe can be prepped ahead for easy assembly with endless variations. What sets this beef nacho recipe apart is the addicting juicy ground beef blended with homemade taco seasoning, creamy refried beans, punchy salsa and tangy green chilies and the luxuriously creamy, punchy homemade nacho cheese sauce you’ll want to slather on everything - no bland, boring or dry nachos here! Finish off your mouthwatering nachos supreme with sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, olives, pickled jalapenos for the ultimate mouthwatering party food!
Servings 8 -12 servings
Ingredients
GROUND BEEF AND BEANS
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 tsp EACH ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- dash -1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
- 1 16 oz. can refried beans
- 1/2 cup salsa (medium for more of a kick)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup water
CHEESE
- 14 ounces thick/sturdy tortilla chips
- 1 recipe Queso Blanco or favorite store-bought cheese sauce, warmed
SUGGESTED TOPPINGS
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Pico de gallo or chopped tomatoes and cilantro
- Sliced olives
- Pickled jalapenos
- Green onions
- See post for tons more ideas!
Instructions
- Prepare toppings: Have all the toppings ready to go so you can quickly assemble the nachos as soon as you add the cheese sauce.
- Cheese Sauce: Prepare Queso Blanco (click HERE) according to recipe directions; remove from heat. It will thicken as it cools. When ready to use, gently reheat on the stove, stirring in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time if needed to thin.
- Brown beef: Brown beef in a large skillet over medium heat until almost cooked through; drain grease. Stir in all of the spices/seasonings, followed by refried beans and salsa until well incorporated, followed by sour cream. Heat through then stir in water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches a thick but somewhat spreadable consistency. You don't want it thin or it will make the nachos soggy.
- Assemble: Spread half the tortilla chips in a single layer on a large platter or baking pan. Drizzle about 1/3 of the cheese sauce over top; top with half of the beef mixture. Repeat with the remaining chips, 1/3 cheese sauce and remaining beef mixture; top with remaining cheese sauce. Garnish with desired toppings; serve immediately.
Toppings Bar Option
- If you know your nacho eaters don’t all like the same toppings, create a nacho toppings bar. You can even let everyone create their own from-scratch nachos by serving everything separately – including the ground beef and the nacho sauce; this is especially useful if you know there will be leftovers to avoid soggy nachos.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Tips and Substitutions
- Tortilla chips: I recommend checking out your bakery section for chips that were fried in-house or locally. These are typically made from tortillas which make the sturdiest chips. I have also had success with La Fortaleza Tortilla Chips, pictured in this recipe. They are sold at Costco in two 3-pound bags for less than $9.
- Toast the chips in the oven for a few minutes: I don’t always do this but it’s great insurance if you don’t have the thickest chips or you know the nachos won’t be devoured quickly. Spread the nachos on a large baking sheet or two baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes or so until you begin to smell their nutty aroma. This helps to crisp them up a bit more by drying them out.
- Ground turkey or ground chicken: Can be evenly swapped for the ground beef. If you really want the ground turkey to taste like beef, I suggest adding 2 teaspoons beef bouillon while cooking and crumbling. I use this trick in my turkey tacos, turkey chili and turkey meatballs and it is AMAZING! If you do use beef bouillon, then omit the salt and add salt to taste to the filling.
- Refried beans: Adds an irresistible creaminess that is heavenly with the beef. You may also substitute with pinto beans or black beans, but the taco meat won’t be as creamy, cohesive and overall swoon worthy.
- Use FRESHLY shredded cheeses: Please grate your own cheese because they melt better (and taste better!) than pre-packaged cheeses. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated with anti-clumping chemicals so they don't clump in their packaging which also prevents them from melting as seamlessly.
- Store bought cheese: If you don’t have time, ingredients or the desire to make your own queso, it’s also sold in the jar. I particularly like the Tostitos brand queso. It comes in a variety of flavors such as salsa con queso, queso blanco and southwest cheese corn dip.
- Shredded cheese substitute: You can swap the cheese sauce with layers of 4 cups of FRESHLY shredded cheeses such as Colby Jack and Monterrey. Bake the nachos with the cheese and ground beef for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.
More protein options:
- Shredded Mexican Chicken (Crockpot): simmered with Mexican spices, salsa and green chilies for chicken that’s dripping with flavor and SO tender.
- Mexican shredded chicken: shortcut chicken with robust fiesta seasonings made with rotisserie chicken.
- Mexican Shredded Beef: spoon tender braised beef (in the crockpot, oven, stove or instant pot) with a caravan of rich, earthy, fiesta seasonings, punchy salsa, tangy green chilies, savory beef broth and smoky liquid smoke.
- Beef Barbacoa (Crockpot): crazy juicy beef slow cooked until melt-in-your-mouth tender infused with a tangy, chipotle sauce. Barbacoa Beef is known for its intense flavor and perfect balance of chipotle peppers, cumin, oregano and lime juice.
- Carne Asada: is the quintessential Mexican steak marinated in orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce and a splash of liquid smoke then spice rubbed with cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic and onion. It’s juicy, flavorful and crazy good.
- Carnitas (Crockpot): juicy pork smothered in a dynamic fiesta spice rub then slow cooked with orange juice and lime juice then finished in the oven to create glorious caramelized crispy burnt ends.
- Chipotle Sweet Pulled Pork: a Cafe Rio Copycat that’s juicy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth with the perfect balance of saucy sweet heat.
Prep Ahead for Easy Assembly
These loaded homemade nachos are best served fresh, as soon as they’re assembled – but don’t let that stress you out! You can prep all of the ingredients ahead of time and reheat when ready. If you want to keep the prep extra easy, top your nachos supreme with store-bought ingredients (pico de gallo, guacamole, nacho cheese etc.).- Ground Beef/Refried Beans: can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container. Reheat gently on the stove, stirring in additional water as needed to thin to desired consistency. Remember to keep the mixture pretty thick, however, to avoid soggy nachos.
- Nacho cheese: can be made 5 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container. To reheat, transfer the sauce to a small sauce pan and heat over medium-low until warmed through, stirring often – do NOT let it boil. Add milk to thin to desired consistency.
- Toppings: prep all of the toppings up to 2 days ahead of time. Drain the pico of any excess moisture and serve at room temperature. The guacamole will keep well for up to a day without changing color very much – just make sure to store in the refrigerator with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation. Bring to room temperature before serving.