Loaded Nachos
Very, very seriously.
No, I’m serious. Don’t even joke about it. I’m not even kidding.
I’m being serious here.
Dead serious.
What I’m saying is, we really do love nachos in our house. And while my family prefer a more pared-down, simple approach, I like to load mine with everything I can get my hands on.
Here’s a version I made last night! It straddles the fence between what they want and what I want.
That pretty much defines everything I cook around here.
Dice up half the onion…
And throw it into a skillet with a little olive oil over medium-high heat.
Cook the onions for a minute or two, then throw in the ground beef…
Break it up…
And let it cook until the meat is totally browned.
Drain off the fat…
Then add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper.
Stir it around to mix in the spices…
Then crack open the beans. I like Ranch Style beans because they’re just so ranch.
Pour ’em right into the skillet.
Stir it around, then pour in the hot water to make it a little more saucy. Reduce the heat to low and simmer away while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.Next up…
Dice the rest of the onion.
Lop off the tops of all the tomatoes, then cut them into slices, then cut the slices into strips…
And cut them in the opposite direction to dice them.
For heat, lop off the top and bottom of a jalapeno…
Then cut it into thin strips and cut the strips into a fine dice.
Throw the onions, tomatoes, and jalapeno into a bowl and tell ’em you’ll be right back.
Tear the leaves off of half a bunch of cilantro and give it a rough chop…
Then throw it into the bowl.
Slice a lime in half…
Then squeeze in the juice.
Sprinkle in a little salt…
And stir it together.
I actually prefer it more chunky like it is in the previous photo, but I wound up dumping it out and chopping it up a little more finely for the more persnickety people in my household.
I’m not going to name any names.
Slice a couple of avocados in half, then pit them and scoop out the good stuff.
Slice the avocados into strips…
Then dice ’em up.
Finally…the cheese! I grated both cheddar and Monterrey Jack, but I didn’t mix them up.
I’ll show you why in a minute!
To assemble the nachos, make a single layer of chips on a platter or plate.
Grab a big scoop of the beef/bean mixture…
And sprinkle it all over the chips. Don’t be afraid to get some juice on there and really make these messy!
Sprinkle on a layer of cheddar…
Then throw on another layer of chips…
Another layer of beef and beans…
Then a nice layer of Monterrey Jack.
I couldn’t resist a final layer of chips.
And another layer of beef and beans.
And another layer of cheddar.
Next, I nuked the nachos at 45-second intervals until the cheese was perfectly melted.
I would like to get a t-shirt that reads “I Nuked the Nachos.”
I’m naughty.But I had to do this.
And then I had to do this. Hey, they’re veggies! So that makes the whole platter of nachos healthy.
Maybe.I know for sure it makes them delicious!
I have firsthand experience with this.
Enjoy these, guys! They’re totally yummy. And you can add whatever extras you like: Sour cream, chopped black olives—anything. And what I love about these is that the chips toward the bottom start to soften a bit under all the gooey ingredients, while the top ones stay more crisp. So the bottom ones are like mini enchiladas or soft tacos after awhile. Divine!
Loaded Nachos
- PREP TIME:
- 10 Minutes
- DIFFICULTY:
- Easy
- COOK TIME:
- 15 Minutes
- SERVINGS:
- 8 Servings
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
- 2 pounds Ground Beef
- 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 can (14-5 Ounce) Pinto Beans, Chili Beans, Or Ranch Style Beans
- 1/2 cup Hot Water
- Tortilla Chips
- 1-1/2 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
- 1-1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese
- 6 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
- 1 whole Jalapeno, Diced Finely
- 1/2 bunch Cilantro Leaves, Chopped
- Juice Of 1 Lime
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 whole Avocado (pitted And Diced)
- Sour Cream (optional)
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and half the onion. Cook it until starting to soften, then add the ground beef. Cook the meat until it's totally browned, then drain the fat. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the beans and hot water and stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.
- To make the salad, combine the other half of the onion with the tomato, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir it together and set it aside.
- To build the nachos, place a layer of tortilla chips on a platter or plate. Top with a layer of the beef/bean mixture, then all but 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese. Add another layer of chips, another layer of the beef/bean mixture, and the Monterey Jack cheese. Add a final small layer of chips, then a small layer of beef and beans, then a final sprinkling of cheddar.
- Microwave in 45 second increments until the cheese is melted and bubbly. (You may also place the platter into a 325 degree oven if it's heatproof. Just leave it in until the cheese is melted.)
- Immediately sprinkle on the diced avocado and plenty of salad.
Optional: Add dollops of sour cream here and there!
Serve immediately!
