Do you really need an excuse to eat nachos?
Liz and I have never been into sports, but that’s no reason why we can’t be into popular game-day foods. Nachos are no exception! They’re crunchy, spicy, savoury… oh, and how about the gooey cheese!
Is it a lot of work to make nachos?
Nachos are incredibly easy to make. Simply place a layer of tortilla chips on an oven-safe dish, top it with your favourite toppings, and repeat two or three more times. Bake for 15 minutes, and voila. If you have guests coming over and you want to reduce the amount of time you’re in the kitchen, I recommend you cook the ground beef ahead of time. Then all you need to do when your guests arrive, or when the game is about to start, is assemble and bake.
What can I use instead of ground beef?
Nachos are very versatile. Don’t like ground beef? You can use grilled chicken, pulled pork, smoked salmon or any other favourite protein. You can also opt to leave the protein out, for a vegetarian version. Although we haven’t tried it yet, there are a few vegan cheese options that should also give you that delicious gooey result, without the dairy.
Should I bake nachos on a dish or a baking sheet?
Honestly, it doesn’t matter. We baked ours on an oven-safe dish to fit the style of picture we were going for. Plus, it looked nice on the table when we were ready to dig in. You can also make the same recipe on a baking sheet. It looks rustic, and the larger surface means you can make a larger quality. Who’d complain about that?
Can I use packaged shredded cheese?
Yes, if you’re looking for the quickest option, you can definitely use packaged. However, we do recommend shredding or grating a block of cheese. Freshly grated cheese tends to melt smoother, and it’s also cheaper. We grated our cheese quickly in our food processor with a grating wheel. You can also use a manual grater.
What kind of tortilla chips should I use for nachos?
This is completely a personal preference. We used thicker restaurant-style tortilla chips to hold up to the weight of the toppings after baking. Thinner chips are a delicious option too, but they tend to break apart more easily.
Give our nachos a try!
We called them “ultimate” for a reason. They’re so easy to make, they’re a crowd-pleaser, and they’re sooooo good! If you’ve made nachos before, give our recipe a try and let us know what you think. If you’ve never made nachos, this can be a perfect first experience for you. You got this! Game day or not, we hope you make today yummy!
Ultimate nachos for game day or any day
Ingredients
- 1 bag 275g or 10oz tortilla chips. We used thicker chips to hold up the ingredients.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1.1 lbs or 500g lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 8.8 oz or 250 g mild shredded or grated cheddar cheese freshly shredded if possible
- 8.8 oz or 250 g shredded or grated Monterey Jack cheese freshly shredded if possible
- 1 plum tomato seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup black beans rinsed
- 1/2 cup pickled jalapeño slices
- 1 chili pepper sliced thin and seeded or not depending on your heat tolerance
- 1 green onion/scallion chopped into thin slices
Some optional sides to serve with the nachos:
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Hot sauce
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Heat the olive oil on medium in a large pan.
- Sauté onions for a couple of minutes or until they start to soften.
- Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or two.
- Add the ground beef and brown until there’s no red.
- Add the white wine, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and black pepper.
- Stir ingredients well and let simmer for about 3 minutes, or until the wine reduces by half.
- Set the ground beef aside to cool a little.
- Use large oven safe dish or baking sheet to assemble the nachos.
- Place one flat layer of tortilla chips on the bottom of your dish.
- Evenly spread a generous layer of cheese over the chips.
- Sprinkle some black beans and chopped tomatoes over the cheese.
- Add a few jalapeño slices.
- Spread a layer of the cooked ground beef.
- Repeat the last 5 steps two more times to create a total of three layers of chips and toppings.
- Sprinkle the chopped chili peppers and green onions evenly over the top.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Serve nachos with your favourite sides. We served ours with guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce and lime wedges.
Notes
- This recipe is incredibly versatile, feel free to change up your toppings!
- Don’t want to use ground beef? replace the ground beef with chicken, pulled pork, smoked salmon or leave out the protein all together for a vegetarian version.
- We chose to bake our nachos in an oven safe dish, but use a baking sheet for a more rustic look or for larger portions if you prefer.
- Serve these nachos hot for the gooey melty cheese experience.
- You can use packaged shredded cheese, but if possible, we recommend shredding your own. It’ll be gooier!
- If you’re really into hot food, feel free to add more hot peppers.
- We used thick restaurant-style tortilla chips. We find that they hold up the toppings better, but use other styles if you prefer.
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