Crunchy, cheesy and pure indulgence
Crispy tortilla chips piled high, minced meat seasoned with my homemade taco seasoning and layers of melted cheese. These loaded nachos are for serious comfort cravings, a dish to eat messily while sharing with your friends.
These loaded nachos do not hold back, each bite adds something new, crunch, creaminess, spicy and overall cheesy. Every bite delivers big flavour.
How to make loaded nachos
It is so easy to make loaded nachos. Starting with a generous base of your favourite crunchy nachos, adding a layer of well seasoned minced meat, a generous serving of cooked canned beans. If I have it at home, I like to use more beans than the recipe calls for, one can of mixed bean along with a can of black beans. But that is just my preference. Following the recipe, using one can of beans is plenty enough.
Before adding the cheese, spread salsa over the meat and beans. Top it all with a generous helping of shredded cheese.
Serve with cool sour cream or creme fraiche, or make a quick guacamole with smashed avocado. For an extra kick, slice some jalapenos on top.
Substitutes
If you prefer a vegetarian version, omit the minced meat and add the taco seasoning to the beans instead. Or substitute the minced meat with shredded tofu.
You can also add re-fried beans instead of beans straight out of the can. Using beans straight out of the can, is a time saving measure for me.
Freezable
Loaded nachos are best eaten fresh from the oven to ensure the best balance between crunch and creaminess. But that does not mean you cannot freeze parts of it. I often make extra taco minced meat when I make tacos and freeze to make this loaded nachos even quicker to put together.
Batch cooking tips
Only the size of your oven determines the size of your loaded nachos. Instead of using an oven proof dish, spread the nacho chips on a cookie sheets as big as your oven and make a full tray for those big occasions. Adjust the rest of the recipe accordingly.
Other recipes you might like
For a vegetarian version switch the minced meat for shredded tofu. For other taco recipes try my crispy prawn tacos and spicy shrimp tacos.
Loaded nachos
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp taco seasoning see below
- 500 g minced meat
- Oil to fry
- 2 tbsp water
- 400 g mixed beans
- 100 g shredded cheese
- 90 g nacho chips
- 150 g salsa
Taco seasoning
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp chili
- 4 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Optional extras
- Creme fraiche
- Lettuce
- Cucumber
Instructions
- Mix your taco seasoning, if not already done.
- Set oven to 200 °C (390 °F)
- Add oil to a frying pan and add minced meat, brown it a bit before adding taco seasoning and water. Mix well and let cook together until all mince is browned and have been covered in the seasoning.
- Set aside and let cool off a bit.
- Drain the beans and shred the cheese.
- Add nacho chips in one layer in an oven proof dish.
- Spoon minced meat over chips.
- Spread the beans across the minced meat.
- Spoon the salsa over the meat and beans.
- Add the shredded cheese to cover everything.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, check the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
- Take out of oven and serve with optional extra creme fraiche, lettuce and cucumber.