These loaded nachos are perfect for lunch, dinner, game days, parties and also Taco Tuesdays. A fun fact about nachos are that they’re very versatile. They can be made with various kinds of protein and whatever toppings you like.
How to make loaded nachos
When it comes to nachos, I stand firm when I say, “THERE IS NO WRONG WAY TO PREPARE NACHOS.” Nachos is something that can be altered to one’s personal taste. Nachos are typically eaten several ways. I know people that only eat chips, meat and cheese. While others like their nachos loaded with lots of toppings. Also, you have some that like their nachos simply with nothing but meat and veggies. Today I’m going to show you how I like my nachos, but feel free to do your own thing. I mean, it is a free country right?
The meat
For the meat, I use ground chuck. Ground chuck has just the right amount of fat, and is loaded with flavor. I will first add a little bit of oil to a skillet and brown the meat. I don’t cook the meat all the way through because we are going to cook it more after draining off the fat. Once, the fat is drained, I add my seasonings which are sea salt, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper and a bay leaf. Next, I add a small amount of water and let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes.
The chips
I deep fry my own chips because the taste is a lot better in my opinion. However, I will be telling a fib if I say I’ve never used bagged tortilla chips. If I’m pressed for time, or don’t feel like frying, I will certainly use bagged chips.
Frying tortilla chips are very simple. I use white corn tortillas, but yellow can be used as well. I cut my tortillas into triangles, and fry them in a few inches of heated vegetable oil. The chips don’t take long to fry. Soon as they start turning brown, they can be removed. Let them rest on a wire rack or paper towels.
The toppings
My favorite toppings are:
- refried beans
- cheese sauce
- pico de gallo
- guacamole
- jalapenos
- sour cream
The refried beans can come from a can. I highly recommending adding oil and water to reach desired consistency.
The cheese sauce can be prepared at home or you can buy it from your local grocery store. Homemade cheese sauce is nothing more than butter, flour, heavy cream, salt, pepper, paprika and shredded cheese. When preparing my cheese sauce, I always opt for sharp cheddar because of the bold, intense flavor.
Just like the refried beans and cheese sauce, the pico and guac can also be store bought. However, preparing homemade pico or guac is very easy. Takes only a few ingredients and not much time at all. When I make guac, I use avocados, cilantro, red onion, lime juice and sea salt. For the pico, I used roma tomatoes, yellow onion, cilantro, lime juice and sea salt. That’s it! More information is detailed in the recipe.
Video
I can be seen preparing these nachos at the link below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSHxk26HcyA/
If you make this recipe, please tag me on any of the social media platforms listed on my blog.
Loaded Nachos
Ingredients
Nachos
- 2 lbs ground chuck
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup hot water, divided
- 2 cups cheese sauce store bought or homemade. Recipe for homemade attached.
- 2 cups pico de gallo store bought or homemade. Recipe for homemade attached.
- 1 cup guacamole store bought or homemade. Recipe for homemade attached.
- 15 oz. can refried beans
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- sour cream optional
- 1 large bag of tortilla chips Recipe for homemade attached.
Cheese sauce
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Guacamole
- 3 avocados, ripened
- 1/2 fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- juice from lime
Pico de gallo
- 3 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- juice from lime
Fried Tortilla Chips
- 25 white corn tortillas, cut into triangles
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add a tbsp. of vegetable oil to skillet. When oil is hot, crumble ground chuck into skillet. Cook until meat browned, then drain meat. Add cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, sea salt, crushed red pepper, black pepper, bay leaf and water. Stir together until everything is completely mixed. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a small saucepan, over medium low heat, heat a tbsp. of vegetable oil. Add refried beans and a tbsp. of of water. Bring to a light simmer and stir, adding water until desired consistency is reached.
- To build nachos, layer a generous amount of chips on a sheet pan, skillet or large plate. Add half of the refried beans over the chips, then add half of the meat mixture over the beans. Add another layer of chips, then repeat with the bean and meat mixture. top with cheese sauce, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole and optional sour cream. Serve immediately.
Cheese Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cream. Add heavy cream, whisking as you add. Stir in paprika, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, and let simmer for minutes.
- Add shredded cheese and whisk until creamy. Serve immediately.
Guacamole
- Cut avocados in half, lengthwise and remove the pit. Scoop out the meat and add to a bowl.
- Add the onion, cilantro and sea salt. Using a potato masher or a large spoon, and mix until you start to see no lumps. Add lime juice and continue to mix until desired consistency is reached.
- This can also be done using a food processor by adding all ingredients and pulsing twice.
Pico De Gallo
- In a small bowl, mix diced tomatoes, yellow onion, cilantro, lime juice, and sea salt. Taste and add more salt or lime juice if needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight.
Fried Tortilla Chips
- In a large pot, heat 3 inches of vegetable oil until a temperature of 365 is reached.
- Add tortilla slices in batches. Cook until chips start to brown. This should only take approximately 1 – 2 minutes.
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