Baked Nachos with Beef Cheese (Print Version)

Crispy chips loaded with seasoned beef, melted cheese, and vibrant toppings. Perfect for sharing in 30 minutes.

# Ingredients List:

→ 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, fresh or pickled
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

# Directions:

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

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Everything cooks on one pan, which means less cleanup when youre already too full to move.
  • You can taste it as you build it, sneaking warm chips off the edge before anyone notices.
  • It looks like you tried hard, but really you just piled things on top of each other and let the oven do the work.
02 -
  • If you pile all the cheese on top without layering it in the middle, the bottom chips stay pale and sad while the top ones hog all the melt.
  • Let the beef cool for a minute before you start layering or the chips will get soggy from the steam and lose all their crunch.
03 -
  • Use two kinds of cheese for better flavor and melt, one sharp and one creamy so they balance each other out.
  • Toast your tortilla chips in the oven for three minutes before layering if theyre a little stale, it brings them back to life.
  • Dice the avocado at the very last second and toss it with a squeeze of lime juice to keep it from browning while people eat.
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