Make this over the top Restaurant Style Beef Nachos recipe with your favorite Mexican-inspired ingredients like ground beef, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole and more.
How to Make Nachos Like a Mexican Restaurant
I love nachos—A LOT— so it goes without saying that I have also tried a lot of nachos from many restaurants—A LOT.
But I’ve never found one place that could make them consistently delicious. That’s why I decided to go ahead and start making them at home.
It’s cheaper, quicker and easier and the family loves this nacho recipe—every single dip of it!
This recipe is not your ordinary chips and salsa. You can add meat (or not), your favorite cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and salsa. And, if you love heat then add some jalapeños.
Best of all, there’s no bake time needed. And, if you like your nachos “Grande,” it’s as easy as adding an ingredient (or two).
Tips for Making the Best Homemade Nachos
Here are my tried and true tips for making the best homemade nachos at home.
- Put lettuce on last.
- Use fresh ingredients that are cut into small chunks.
- Thicker chips work better.
- Avoid soggy nachos by intermittent layering, meaning small spoonfuls of hot ingredients sprinkled over the nachos, versus a thick layer.
- Begin with tortilla chips first, meat and beans second.
- Make nachos a meal. With enough healthy ingredients, it’s a great meal option.
- Nachos are perfect for game day.
- Mild and spicy cheese works well on nachos.
- Make it loaded with layers of flavor.
Nacho Ingredient Ideas
My favorite part of nachos is that if you can dream it, you can eat it. But if you’ve never made nachos before, you might not know where to start.
That’s why I’m sharing my deliciously simple beef nachos recipe below. It’s purposely a basic how-to that you make with ground meat with minimal toppings but looks and tastes amazing.
And, you can add more or less ingredients to your liking.
Want to live on the wild side? Try mixing and matching some of my favorite nacho toppers:
- queso
- guacamole
- salsa: regular or fruit-based (like mango)
- pico de gallo
- carnitas
- jalapeños
- black olives
- red onions
- green onions
- diced tomatoes
- shredded lettuce
- sour cream
- fajita meat: beef, chicken, pork, shrimp
- black beans
- refried beans
- roasted corn
- bell peppers (all colors)
- jicama
- queso fresco
What Goes with Beef Nachos
One can’t make nachos without the addition of something refreshing to drink. Here are three of my favorite drinks to serve with this Restaurant Style Beef Nachos recipe.
- Gaga Key Lime Margarita Recipe
- Frozen Watermelon Margarita Recipe
- Midwestern Rhubarb Margarita Recipe
- Green Apple Sangria
- Classic Red Spiced Spanish Sangria
- Spa Mojito Recipe
- State Fair Lemonade Recipe (non alcoholic)
- Easy Peach Palmer Recipe (non alcoholic)
For more delicious snack and appetizer recipes be sure to check out Wisconsin Homemaker’s Recipe Section.
Restaurant Style Beef Nachos Recipe
Ingredients
For the Beef
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning See Recipe Link Below
- 1 lb ground beef
For the Nachos
- 15 oz refried beans
- 1 cup red onion diced
- 1 bag tortilla chips 16 oz
- 1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
- 1 cup tomatoes sliced, seeded and diced
- 1 cup guacamole See Recipe Link Below
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup green onions chopped
Instructions
For the Beef
- In a large fry pan, brown the ground beef and add the taco seasoning. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Set aside.
For the Nachos
- In a sauce pan, add the refried beans and heat until warm. This will take approximately 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Lay out the tortilla chips in a large bowl or on a sided sheet pan.
- Begin layering starting with spoonfuls of cooked ground beef, followed by dollops of refried beans.
- Follow again with more chips, then sprinkle on tomatoes, spooned guacamole and sour cream.
- Top the nachos with chopped green onions. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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