Nachos Recipe

Nachos on a sheet pan loaded with toppings like ground beef, refried beans, and cheese.

These nachos 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!

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Servings: people

Calories: 592kcal

Author: Stephanie

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. tortilla chips thick/study chips work best. 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

For Serving

Guacamole
Salsa
Sour Cream

US Customary - Metric

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.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with tomatoes, diced green onions and cilantro. Top with a generous scoop of guacamole and serve with salsa and sour cream!

Notes

Homemade Taco Seasoning (Delicious!)

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: If possible, make this with my Homemade Tortilla Chips! You can't beat it. Otherwise, try to find a homemade variety at your grocery store. Mine sells bags 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: Jalapeño Popper Chicken, Chicken Enchiladas, Beef Enchiladas, Baked Tacos, Steak Fajitas, Chicken Fajitas, the BEST Bean Dip, 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.

Nutrition