Beef Nachos with Black Beans (Print Version)
Crispy chips topped with spiced beef, black beans, cheese, and fresh garnishes for a tasty Tex-Mex dish.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beef Mixture
01 - 1 lb ground beef
02 - 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 tsp ground cumin
05 - 1 tsp chili powder
06 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
07 - 1/2 tsp salt
08 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
09 - 1 tbsp tomato paste
10 - 1/4 cup water
→ Nachos Assembly
11 - 8 oz tortilla chips (use gluten-free if needed)
12 - 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
13 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
14 - 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
→ Toppings
15 - 1/2 cup sour cream
16 - 1 ripe avocado, diced
17 - 1 medium tomato, diced
18 - 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
19 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
20 - 1 jalapeño, sliced
21 - Lime wedges
# How to Cook:
01 - Set oven temperature to 400°F.
02 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook ground beef for 2 to 3 minutes, breaking apart with a spoon.
03 - Add diced onion and minced garlic to the skillet and cook until softened, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Incorporate cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper, stirring and cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Mix in tomato paste and water, then simmer on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
06 - Spread tortilla chips evenly on a large baking sheet or ovenproof platter and scatter black beans over them.
07 - Spoon the prepared beef mixture uniformly over the chips and beans.
08 - Sprinkle shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses evenly over the beef and beans.
09 - Place the sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
10 - Remove from oven and garnish with sour cream, diced avocado, tomato, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño slices, and lime wedges. Serve immediately.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- They come together in under 40 minutes, which means you can go from craving to serving without drama.
- The spiced beef has just enough character to feel like you actually cooked something, not just assembled ingredients.
- They're meant for sharing, which somehow makes everything taste better.
02 -
- Evenly spreading the beef mixture matters more than you think—unevenly loaded nachos mean some chips get all the flavor and others taste like sadness.
- If your cheese isn't fully melted when you take them out, they're not done; 30 extra seconds of oven time is better than serving a half-melted disappointment.
03 -
- Use a baking sheet with raised edges or an ovenproof platter—flat baking sheets let cheese drip off the edges and make cleanup harder.
- If your toppings include anything cold like avocado or sour cream, add them after the nachos come out of the oven so the temperature contrast creates texture instead of melting everything into mush.