You NEED to make these easy sheet pan nachos for your next game day. They are sure to be a hit. With the crispiest tortilla chips and the most amazing beef-olive-tomato toppings, these loaded nachos are seriously addictive.
Whether you’re entertaining friends or family, I recommend you wait for everyone to get to the party before arriving. Two reasons: 1) everyone will get to enjoy it when it’s piping hot and the cheese is still gooey; 2) the nachos will be gone so quickly that latecomers may not even get a taste. Talk about party favorites!
To make these nachos, all you have to do is lay the tortilla chips on the sheet pan, dump all your toppings on it, cover it with cheddar cheese and bake. Once they’re out of the oven, just dive in with your hands and dip all that goodness in some sour cream or guacamole, or eat it as is. Simple, right?
So, grab your sheet pans, and let’s make these nachos!
What are the Best Toppings for Nachos
From barbecue sauce nachos to s’more nachos, there are hundreds of ways to combine various nacho toppings. There are so many options and you can use as much or as little of something, depending on the kind of flavors you want to achieve. The sky’s the limit, really.
That leaves us with a lot of space to experiment and tweak every nachos recipe with delicious toppings such as:
- Black beans and refried beans
- Guacamole
- Meats, like ground beef, shredded chicken, chorizo, pepperoni, corned beef, etc
- Jalapeno and hot sauce for an extra spicy kick
- Red onions
- Pico de gallo (My homemade recipe is tastier than store-bought pico de gallo.)
- Chili con carne or chili con queso
- Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, Queso Quesadilla, or pepper jack.
- Lettuce
- Lime
And if you’re feeling adventurous (read: have leftover vegetables and meat in the fridge), why not toss them into the mix as well?
Recipe Ingredients
These loaded nachos are an explosion of flavor that you will never forget. With that said, all toppings are optional and it’s up to you to get creative with your favorite toppings. I sometimes make this recipe without the beef and it still tastes amazing!
Here are the recipes I’ve used in my sheet pan nachos recipe:
- Tortilla chips – Buy 2 bags of your favorite triangular tortilla chips. They usually come in lots of flavors (chili, jalapeno, BBQ, lime, etc) but I always get the plain ones, since the nacho toppings are so packed with flavor already. Make sure they are thick, too, since they’re going to be carrying the weight of toppings.
- Ground beef – Get 1 lb of ground beef. We cannot have loaded nachos without some juicy beef, right?
- Marble cheddar – 8 chock-full cups of melted marble cheddar cheese smothered on my tortilla chips? Um, yes, please!
- Pro Tip: If you’re in a pinch, go ahead and use store-bought cheese sauce. It doesn’t have the same ooey-gooey potential as real cheese but it will do.
- Beefsteak tomatoes – Chop 4 large beefsteak tomatoes. They’re thick and fleshy, making them the perfect type for truly satisfying nachos.
- Black olives – Buy 1 can (375 ml) of pitted black olives. I LOVE these in my nachos because of their tart flavor.
- Green onions (also known as scallions) – Thinly slice 3 to 4 green onions (we want them in small cylinders rather than julienne strips).
- Pro Tip: The white part of the onions has a more intense, sharper flavor than the green part – depending on the intensity you want, you can choose to use either the white part, the green part, or both.
- Salt and pepper – To season the ground beef, we will need some salt and pepper. You can also use taco seasoning if you have some at home.
- Sour cream – Prepare a generous amount of sour cream on the side for dipping.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One: Prepare your toppings.
Core and dice your tomatoes. Drain any excess juice in a colander then pat chopped tomatoes dry on a couple pieces of paper towel.
Drain the liquid from the can of black olives, and thinly slice the green onions.
Step Two: Cook the ground beef.
On the stovetop, drizzle some olive oil. Cook the ground beef with salt and pepper over medium-high heat for about 12 minutes. As it cooks, crumble the beef with a spatula to ensure it is fully cooked. Drain the juices.
Step Three: While the beef is cooking, prepare the tortilla chips. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and fill it with a generous layer of chips. Spread the chips evenly across the pan.
Step Four: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step Five: Assemble the nachos.
Sprinkle a layer of marble cheddar cheese over the chips, using ⅓ of the cheese. Spoon the ground beef evenly over the cheese layer. Sprinkle another ⅓ of cheese over the ground beef. Next, spread the sliced beefsteak tomatoes evenly across the pan. Then, scatter the black olives and green onions. c with the remaining amount of cheese.
Step Six: Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and the cheese is melted.
- Pro Tip: Broil for the last 2 minutes to crispen up the chips and cheese. This change of texture takes your nachos from good to great.
Serve immediately with a generous side of sour cream.
Expert Tips & Tricks
To cut down on prep time for nachos – Cook the ground beef and shred the cheese the day before you plan to make this nacho recipe. On the day itself, all you have to do is cut up the tomatoes and green onion, assemble the nachos, and bake them when you’re ready to eat. Mise en place at its finest.
Shred your own cheese – If I had a dollar for each time I said this, I’d be a millionaire! Always, always use block cheese and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese will not melt the same, especially in nachos, where you want your melted cheese to be tip-top.
How to reheat nachos – Nachos are super easy to reheat. If any leftovers are remaining, simply return them to the same baking pan and cover them with tin foil in the fridge until ready to eat again. To reheat, remove the tin foil and bake in the oven at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.
Nachos Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 bags of tortilla chips
- 8 cups marble cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 large beefsteak tomatoes (approx 5 cups) chopped
- 1 can black olives 375 ml
- 3-4 thinly sliced green onions
- Sour cream on the side for dipping
Instructions
Prepare your toppings
- Core and dice your tomatoes. Drain any excess juice in a colander then pat chopped tomatoes dry on a couple pieces of paper towel.
- Continue preparing your toppings by draining your black olives, and thinly slicing your green onions.
- On the stovetop, add ground beef with salt and pepper over medium-high heat until fully cooked (about 12 minutes) and drain.
Assembly
- Put It All Together: While the beef is cooking, add a generous layer of chips to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the chips evenly across the pan.
- Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.
- Sprinkle a layer of cheese over the chips. Using about ⅓ of the cheese.
- Spoon the ground beef evenly over the cheese layer.
- Sprinkle on a light amount of cheese overtop of the ground beef.
- Next add tomatoes evenly spread across the pan. Then your black olives and green onion.
- Top with the remaining amount of cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Broil for the last 1-2 minutes to crispen up the chips and cheese.
- Serve immediately with a generous side of sour cream.
