Get my Cookbooks! Loaded Nachos Recipe
This is the ultimate Nachos recipe. These crunchy tortilla chips are loaded with seasoned ground beef and refried beans, melted cheese, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, olives, guacamole, and more! Be sure to serve this with salsa and sour cream!
Loaded Nachos Recipe
Nothing beats this loaded Nachos recipe! Nachos are something I often order out, I think it’s because I’m a big snacker- and there is plenty to snack on here! Seasoned ground beef, refried beans, tomatoes, onions, bell and jalapeno peppers, olives, cilantro, guacamole, and more! What could be better?!
Because of the surface area on the sheet pan, these nachos are super crispy, more so than what you’d even typically get at a restaurant. Be sure to check out my pro tips below!
How to Make It
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cook the brown beef in a skillet and drain the grease. Add garlic, taco seasoning, and water. Bring to a boil to thicken, then reduce to a simmer and stir in refried beans until combined. Set aside.
Arrange half of the chips on a large sheet pan. Add half of the meat mixture and half of the cheese. Top with remaining chips, meat mixture, and cheese.
Top with bell peppers, jalapenos, red onions, and black olives. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with tomatoes, diced green onions and cilantro. Top with guacamole and serve with salsa and sour cream!
Pro Tips
- Tortilla Chips: My local grocery store makes homemade tortilla chips that are thick and flavorful. They sell it near the deli/seafood section, I recommend high-quality, thick chips.
- Cheese: Shred the cheese from a block so that it melts well and tastes best. Bagged shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents which prevents it from melting as well. I use 1/2 Cheddar and 1/2 Pepper Jack. Monterey Jack and Colby work well too.
- Beef Seasoning: My homemade seasoning in the notes section of the recipe card is phonomenal. If you’re using a packet, I have to recommend this Taco Bell Seasoning Mix– it’s pretty darn good. 😂
- Beans: You can use black beans instead of refried, (although the refried beans are amazing.) Combining them with the ground beef mixture helps keep them from drying out during baking.
- Veggies: I like to gently roll the diced veggies up in a paper towel to absorb excess moisture to keep things from getting soggy.
- What to serve with Nachos: Salsa, Guacamole, Nacho Cheese Sauce, Velveeta Queso, White Queso, Cowboy Caviar, Corn Salad.
- Try these next: Chicken Enchiladas, Beef Enchiladas, Baked Tacos, Steak Fajitas, Chicken Fajitas, and more Mexican inspired recipes!
Make Ahead Method
These nachos are perfect for feeding a group of people. Here’s how to do the work ahead of time:
- Prepare the seasoned ground beef/seasoning mixture as outlined. Let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Dice up the vegetable toppings and place them in storage containers. Shred the cheese and store in an airtight bag.
- When ready to serve, microwave the ground beef filling in 1 minute increments until just heated through.
- Assemble the nachos as outlined, bake, and enjoy!
Storage
- Nachos are best if served hot and fresh but…If you have leftovers: Let them cool completely and transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. To reheat, bake on a baking sheet at 325° for 5- 10 minutes, until heated through.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Baking Sheet– This is the one I use for this recipe, it has rims around the edges which keeps the toppings from falling off the edge.
- Box cheese grater – Definitely shred the cheese from a block for this if at all possible. It melts and tastes better than packaged shredded cheese.
- Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
- Ramekins– For serving with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, etc.
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Try These Next
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- Chicken Taco Soup
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- Baked Tacos
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- Chicken Corn Chowder
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- Jalapeño Poppers
-
- Beef Enchiladas
-
- Sausage Rolls
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Nachos Recipe
Ingredients
Beef Mixture
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¾ cup water
- 1 (1 oz.) packet taco seasoning, see notes/pro tips
- 1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
Nachos
- 14 oz. thick tortilla chips, see notes
- 3 ¾ cups freshly shredded cheese, see notes
- ½ cup diced bell peppers, I use red + green
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- ¼ cup finely diced red onions
- 1/3 cup sliced black olives, sliced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 3 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Measure all of the ingredients before beginning, the recipe goes super quick from there!
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Cook and crumble for 7-10 minutes, or until the beef is brown and cooked through. Drain grease. Add the garlic and taco seasoning and stir in water. Bring to a boil until thickened, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the refried beans until well combined and heated through. Remove and set aside.
- Spread half of the chips in an even layer on a large, light-colored baking sheet. (Mine is 11.2 x 15.7-inches.)
- Distribute half of meat mixture in scoops on top and along the sides. Sprinkle with half of the cheese.
- Top with the remaining chips, remaining meat mixture, and remaining cheese.
- Top with bell peppers, jalapenos, red onions, and black olives.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted.
Notes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon EACH: pepper, paprika
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, onion powder, oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch cinnamon
Pro Tips
- Tortilla Chips: My local grocery store makes homemade tortilla chips that are thick and flavorful. They sell it near the deli/seafood section, I recommend high-quality, thick chips.
- Cheese: Shred the cheese from a block so that it melts well and tastes best. Bagged shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents which prevents it from melting as well. I use 1/2 Cheddar and 1/2 Pepper Jack. Monterey Jack and Colby work well too.
- Beef Seasoning: My homemade seasoning in the notes section of the recipe card is phonemical. If you're using a packet, I have to recommend this Taco Bell Seasoning Mix- it's pretty darn good. 😂
- Beans: You can use black beans instead of refried, (although the refried beans are amazing.) Combining them with the ground beef mixture helps keep them from drying out during baking.
- Veggies: I like to gently roll the diced veggies up in a paper towel to absorb excess moisture to keep things from getting soggy.
- What to serve with Nachos: Salsa, Guacamole, Nacho Cheese Sauce, Velveeta Queso, White Queso, Cowboy Caviar, Corn Salad.
- Try these next: Chicken Enchiladas, Beef Enchiladas, Baked Tacos, Steak Fajitas, Chicken Fajitas, and more Mexican inspired recipes!
Storage
- Nachos are best if served hot and fresh but...If you have leftovers: Let them cool completely and transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. To reheat, bake on a baking sheet at 325° for 5- 10 minutes, until heated through.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. This recipe makes 8 servings and does not include salsa/sour cream/guacamole.
Fantastic!!
I’m so happy you loved it Lisa! Thank you so much!
These were DELICIOUS. My husband wasn’t excited about them, said they sounded ‘heavy’. Then he ate half a tray. Used the Taco Bell seasoning and prepped everything ahead, assembled and baked after a movie. Just wonderful.
Nice work Barb! I’m so happy you got your husband on board!! Thanks so much for the review🩷