These are the best ground beef nachos I have ever made! The homemade pico de gallo brings this appetizer dish to the next level! My friends and family rave over these nachos whenever I make it. This dish is perfect for social gatherings and the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for larger groups. If you enjoy this appetizer, check out these Buffalo Chicken Sliders and Oven Baked Shredded Beef and Cheese Dip.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients To Make Ground Beef Nachos
- Ground beef
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Monterey Jack Cheese
- Canned Diced Mild Green Chiles
- Tortilla Chips
- Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Paprika Powder
- Ground Cayenne Pepper
- Cumin Powder
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Granulated Garlic
- Tajin (Or Chili Powder)
Ingredients To Make Homemade Pico de Gallo
- Lime Juice
- Onion
- Tomatoes
- Jalapeno
- Cilantro
- Salt
Extra Toppings
- Avocado
How to Make Ground Beef Nachos
- Heat your pan over medium heat and add cooking oil of your choice. Once your oil is hot, add in your ground beef. Chop your ground beef in the pan with a meat chopper or a wooden spoon.
- Add in your salt, ground black pepper, granulated garlic, tajin, paprika, crushed red pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper.
- Once your ground beef has browned a bit, add in your onions and saute until they become translucent. At this point, if using less than 90% fat ground beef, drain the fat with a colander. Return the ground beef to the pan and continue cooking.
- Saute your ground beef for approximately 12-15 minutes or until it is fully cooked through. Add in your minced garlic cloves and saute for about 10 seconds or until fragrant. Do not burn the garlic.
- Remove the ground beef from the heat and stir in your mild green chiles.
- Set your cooked ground beef aside.
- Prepare your tortilla chips by placing them in a baking sheet.
- Top off your tortilla chips with all of the ground beef mixture.
- Sprinkle your shredded sharp cheddar cheese and shredded monterey jack cheese over your ground beef and nachos.
- Place your ground beef nachos in a preheated oven at 400 F degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted.
- Top off with homemade pico de gallo and diced avocados. This step is optional but so tasty!
How to Make Homemade Pico de Gallo
- Finely dice your onion, tomatoes, and cilantro. Remove the seeds from your jalapeno and dice it as well.
- In a small bowl, combine all of your diced ingredients. Add lime juice and salt. Mix well to combine.
- Serve as a topping for your ground beef nachos.
What Kind of Tortilla Chips Can I Use?
The best advice I can give you is to find yourself a very sturdy tortilla chip! The ground beef and cheese topping is heavy, so you don’t want your chips to fall apart. I enjoy the blue corn tortilla chips but any kind of tortilla chip will work!
What if I don’t have Tajin seasoning?
If you can’t find Tajin at your local grocery store, don’t sweat it. Tajin is a blend of mild chili peppers, lime and sea salt. I like using it because it gives food an amazing flavor. You may substitute Tajin with regular chili powder. I promise it will not compromise the overall taste of this dish.
Where Can I Find Canned Mild Green Chiles?
First off, don’t let the name fool you! These chiles are a bit spicy and definitely pack a punch! They can be found at most grocery stores, usually in the international aisle. I would recommend substituting with one diced jalapeno if you can’t find it. Leave the seeds in the jalapeno if you want spicy nachos. I recommend cooking the diced jalapeno with the ground beef for about 5 minutes. You can add it in with your onions and sautee together prior to adding the garlic.
Ground Beef Nachos
Ingredients
How to Make Ground Beef Nachos
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese shredded
- 6-8 cups tortilla chips
- 1/2 medium onion chopped and diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper or to taste
- 1/2 tsp paprika powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp tajin or chili powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 4 tbsp canned mild green chiles
How to Make Homemade Pico de Gallo
- 1 tbsp lime juice use a freshly squeezed lime for best results
- 1/2 medium onion chopped and diced
- 1 jalapeno seeded, chopped and diced
- 1 medium tomato
- 3 sprigs cilantro chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
How to Make Ground Beef Nachos
- Heat your pan over medium heat and add cooking oil of your choice. Once your oil is hot, add in your ground beef. Chop your ground beef in the pan with a meat chopper or a wooden spoon.
- Add in your salt, ground black pepper, granulated garlic, tajin, paprika, crushed red pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper.
- Once your ground beef has browned a bit, add in your onions and saute until they become translucent. At this point, if using less than 90% fat ground beef, drain the fat with a colander. Return the ground beef to the pan and continue cooking.
- Saute your ground beef for approximately 12-15 minutes or until it is fully cooked through. Add in your minced garlic cloves and saute for about 10 seconds or until fragrant. Do not burn the garlic.
- Remove the ground beef from the heat and stir in your mild green chiles.
- Set your cooked ground beef aside.
- Prepare your tortilla chips by placing them in a baking sheet.
- Top off your tortilla chips with all of the ground beef mixture.
- Sprinkle your shredded sharp cheddar cheese and shredded monterey jack cheese over your ground beef and nachos.
- Place your ground beef nachos in a preheated oven at 400 F degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted.
- Top off with homemade pico de gallo and diced avocados. This step is optional but so tasty!
How to Make Homemade Pico de Gallo
- Finely dice your onion, tomatoes, and cilantro. Remove the seeds from your jalapeno and dice it as well.
- In a small bowl, combine all of your diced ingredients. Add lime juice and salt. Mix well to combine.
- Serve as a topping for your ground beef nachos.