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    Home » Most Recent

    Spicy Ground Beef Nachos

    February 24, 2017 By Patrick 12 Comments

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    Beef nachos have the potential to become Hollywood's next superhero:  they're handsome (at least right out of the oven), they know the difference between right and wrong (cheese must be melted but not burned), and they have a superhuman ability to save your day when it's on the verge of apocalyptic destruction (nachos for dinner?!).

    Sturdy tortilla chips are your trusted sidekick here, the kind that won't crack under the weight of your beefy superhero.  And if you want to introduce a love interest for your superhero I highly recommend a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde.
    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Beef Nachos recipe

    The key to these nachos is to give the beef real flavor before you add all the fixings; then everything else just becomes a bonus because the combo of spicy ground beef, melted cheese, and warm tortilla chips is already off the charts.

    The chipotle seasoning for our Ground Beef Tacos has superhero qualities of its own so we are using a variation of that here today.  Chipotles give the ground beef incredible flavor and will instantly have you thinking of other ways you can use it.

    Start by finely chopping 1/2 an onion and saute over medium heat for a few minutes.  Add 1 lb. ground beef and cook until browned.   Once browned you can drain off some fat if you want to, I usually do.  Add 2 minced cloves of garlic to the beef and saute briefly.

    Meanwhile, scrape the seeds out of two chipotles in adobo and mince them up.

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Add to the ground beef along with 1 Tablespoon of adobo sauce from the can of chipotles.

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    I also add 2 Tablespoons of crushed New Mexican chile.

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    It's a bit chunky so 1-2 Tablespoons of traditional chili powder is a good equivalent.

    Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/4 cup of water.  Mix well and let simmer for a few minutes.  It's best to keep the beef moist because it will dry out a little bit in the oven, so feel free to add a few more tablespoons of water if necessary.

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Give a taste for seasoning.  If you can't stop eating it you are already there!   I added an additional pinch of salt to this batch along with another dash of cumin.

    These nachos seem to work best when built as a single layer.   Yes, you'll have enough beef for two layers and can easily create a double layer masterpiece, but I find that those behemoths get soggy too quickly.  So we'll create a dense, single layer of chips and cover it with half of the beef and plenty of shredded cheese.

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    This gets baked in the oven at 400F for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is thoroughly melted.

    A little pre-planning goes a long way with the fixings because you want them ready the exact moment the nachos come out of the oven.  I'm using a double batch of our Pico de Gallo as a topping.

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    And as mentioned, the ideal love interest for your beefy superhero is a fresh, cool Avocado Salsa Verde.

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Dipping a warm, cheesy chip into this delightful green sauce can work wonders on people so consider yourself warned.  I'll put instructions for both of these fixings in the recipe box below.

    Feel free to get creative with additional garnishes like jalapeno slices, cilantro, and a drizzle of Mexican Crema if you think you deserve it.

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Nachos have a minuscule half-life so you have full permission to eat them voraciously.   But don't fret if they go quick, you've got enough for another single layer batch.

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Beef nachos to the rescue!  Cue triumphant music.

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Buen Provecho.

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal. Served with a homemade Avocado Salsa Verde and your choice of fixings. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Spicy Ground Beef Nachos

    These Spicy Ground Beef Nachos have the potential to save your day. Chipotles in adobo give the beef real kick and when loaded on cheese covered tortilla chips they quickly become a go-to meal.
    4.50 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 774kcal
    Author: Patrick Calhoun | Mexican Please

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb. ground beef
    • 1/2 onion
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 2 chipotles in adobo
    • 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce
    • 1 Tablespoon chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • freshly ground pepper
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1 bag tortilla chips
    • 4-5 cups shredded cheese
    • oil
    • jalapeno slices (optional)
    • chopped cilantro (optional)

    Avocado Salsa Verde

    • 4 tomatillos
    • ½ onion
    • 1 garlic clove
    • ½ jalapeno
    • 10-12 sprigs cilantro
    • 1 avocado
    • salt to taste

    Pico de Gallo (ingredients listed for a single batch but I doubled it)

    • 1 tomato
    • ¼ onion
    • ½ jalapeno
    • 10-12 sprigs cilantro
    • juice of ½ lime
    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Roughly chop ½ onion.  Saute onion in a dollop of oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes.  Add 1 lb. ground beef and cook until browned.  Drain any fat if you want.  Add 2 cloves minced garlic and saute briefly.
    • Scrape the seeds out of 2 chipotles and mince them.  Add chipotles and 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce to the beef.
    • Add 1 Tablespoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked pepper, and 1/4 cup water.  Simmer for a few minutes but try to keep the beef moist.  Taste for seasoning (I added additional salt and cumin to this batch).
    • Create a single, dense layer of tortilla chips on a sheet pan. You can line the sheet pan with parchment paper for easier cleanup.  Add half of the beef mixture and plenty of shredded cheese to the tortilla chips.
    • Bake at 400F for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted.  Top with your favorite fixings and serve immediately.
    • If you are making Avocado Salsa Verde, start by rinsing four fresh tomatillos.  Roast the tomatillos in the oven at 400F until cooked through and they start to turn army green.  Add the roasted tomatillos to a blender along with ½ onion, 1 garlic clove, 10-12 sprigs cilantro, and ½ of a jalapeno pepper.  Pulse blend and taste for heat, adding the additional ½ of the jalapeno if you want more heat. Add the avocado to the blender and combine well.  Salt to taste.
    • If you are making Pico de Gallo, start by finely chopping the tomato, ¼ onion, and ½ jalapeno into ¼" sized chunks.  Finely dice the cilantro.  Combine the tomato, onion, jalapeno and cilantro in a mixing bowl.  Add ¼ teaspoon salt and the juice of a ½ lime.  Mix together well and taste for seasoning.  Add additional salt and lime if necessary.

    Notes

    As the beef simmers, feel free to add additional tablespoons of water to keep it moist.  
     
    There is enough beef to make two layers. You can make a double layered version but I prefer to make a single layer at a time.
    Like this recipe?Click the stars above to rate it or leave a comment down below! @mexplease

    You could also substitute some of our homemade chorizo for the beef.   Details on how to make it here.

    And if you're in a pinch you can always use some homemade taco seasoning for the ground beef.

    This homemade taco seasoning is designed to keep you away from the dreaded seasoning pack! It has great flavor and makes it easy to control the salt and heat levels. mexicanplease.com

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Peggy

      January 19, 2020 at 11:07 am

      5 stars
      So easy and SO good!

      Reply
      • Patrick

        January 20, 2020 at 2:44 pm

        🙂

        Reply
    2. kelly

      January 17, 2020 at 10:39 am

      Do you add the pico and any additional toppings after you bake the chips with cheese and beef? Normally I bake with everything on but wanted to try a new recipe and do it exactly that way! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Patrick

        January 17, 2020 at 6:26 pm

        Hi Kelly! Yeah I usually bake them with just the beef and cheese, and then add the additional toppings after the fact. Cheers.

        Reply
    3. Luella

      November 26, 2019 at 9:01 am

      I'd like to make the tortilla chips from scratch.

      I also would rather not use lard if possible. Do you have a flour tortilla recipe I could use for this purpose?

      Reply
      • Patrick

        November 26, 2019 at 3:08 pm

        Hi Luella, I typically use corn tortillas for Nachos, but if you want to experiment with flour tortillas I do have a recipe that uses olive oil as the fat:

        Olive Oil Flour Tortillas

        Cheers.

        Reply
    4. Jazzy

      September 03, 2019 at 7:36 am

      I made this last night, but used turkey instead .. sooooo good!!!! Will for sure add this as an appetizer to my Taco Tuesday’s .

      Reply
      • Patrick

        September 03, 2019 at 2:07 pm

        Oh nice, sounds awesome Jazzy 🙂

        Reply
    5. Keira

      June 15, 2019 at 4:40 pm

      5 stars
      Made this last night (using chipotle sauce added to the beef as a substitute due to lack of ingredients) and it was AMAZING. Recipe added to our favourites list. Thank you from Australia!

      Reply
      • Patrick

        June 17, 2019 at 7:07 pm

        Oh nice, glad it was a hit Keira!

        Reply
    6. Maggie Unzueta

      October 02, 2018 at 2:06 am

      5 stars
      My mouth is watering. I want to eat that!

      Reply
      • Patrick

        October 05, 2018 at 4:56 pm

        Me too!

        Reply

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    Hey, I'm Patrick! I spent 2 years living in Cozumel and got obsessed with Mexican food. I built this site to share all the recipes and techniques I've learned along the way. Read More…

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