Baked Nachos with Ground Beef (Printer-Friendly)

Crispy chips layered with seasoned beef, melted cheese, black beans, jalapeños, and vibrant fresh toppings.

# 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 fresh cilantro, chopped
20 - 1 avocado, diced
21 - 1/2 cup sour cream
22 - 1/2 cup salsa

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
02 - Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic, sautéing for 2 minutes until fragrant.
03 - Add ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned, breaking apart with a spoon, approximately 5 minutes.
04 - Stir in chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
05 - Arrange half of the tortilla chips on a large baking sheet. Top with half of the beef mixture and half of the combined cheeses. Layer remaining chips, beef mixture, and cheese on top.
06 - Place in preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.
07 - Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with cherry tomatoes, black beans, olives, jalapeños, and red onion.
08 - Top with fresh cilantro and diced avocado. Serve immediately with sour cream and salsa on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything cooks on one sheet, so cleanup happens while youre still eating.
  • The double-layer trick means every chip gets its share of toppings instead of leaving sad naked ones at the bottom.
  • You can prep the beef earlier in the day and just assemble when hunger strikes.
  • It scales up or down without any math, just more pans or fewer chips.
02 -
  • Layer the chips twice instead of piling everything on top, or youll end up with a top layer buried in toppings and a bottom layer thats bone dry.
  • Let the beef cool for a minute before layering it on or the residual heat will start softening the chips before they even hit the oven.
  • Use a big enough pan so the chips spread out in no more than two layers; cramming them into a small dish creates steam and kills the crunch.
03 -
  • Toast your spices in the pan for a few seconds before adding the tomato sauce; it wakes up their flavor and makes everything taste deeper.
  • Use parchment paper or foil on your baking sheet so cleanup is just a matter of tossing it, no scrubbing required.
  • If youre feeding a crowd, make two pans and stagger them in the oven so one is always coming out hot while people are still eating the first.
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