Baked Nachos with Ground Beef (Printable)

Crispy chips layered with seasoned beef, melted cheese, beans, jalapeños, and fresh toppings. Perfect for sharing!

# Components:

→ 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 chopped fresh cilantro
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 onion and garlic, sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant.
03 - Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking apart with a spoon for about 5 minutes.
04 - Stir in chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and 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 beef mixture and half the cheeses. Layer remaining chips, beef, and cheese on top.
06 - Bake in the oven 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 - Garnish with cilantro and avocado. Serve hot with sour cream and salsa on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in 30 minutes flat, which means you can go from craving nachos to eating them before you've even finished scrolling your phone.
  • Everyone gets to customize their own plate, so there's zero nagging about who doesn't like olives or whether the jalapeños are too much.
  • It's genuinely hard to mess up, even if you're cooking with one hand and holding a drink in the other.
02 -
  • Don't bake the toppings—add cherry tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro only after the nachos come out of the oven, or they'll wilt and lose their brightness.
  • Layer your chips strategically so the bottom ones don't just sit naked and sad; beef and cheese between every layer means every single chip gets support and flavor.
03 -
  • Use an oven-safe platter or baking sheet that's large enough to spread things out; cramming everything onto a tiny pan means uneven melting and stressed-out nachos.
  • Add jalapeños last if you want them crisp and fresh, or mix some into the beef mixture if you want their heat to spread throughout every bite.
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