These addicting Ground Beef Nachos have the most delicious beefy topping! The trick to our recipe is that we add refried beans and salsa right into the beef. Not only does it make it super tasty, but it’s a lot easier than spreading refried beans on all the chips…am I right???
Since we always make a double batch, sometimes we use our Homemade Taco Meat to make these nachos, either way is easy!
Why You’ll Love Our Ground Beef Nachos
Ground beef nachos don’t seem like they’d be very hard to make, am I right? But they can either be “fine” and “ok” or they can be majorly addicting like this recipe here. We’ve got a few things to point out that make our nachos stand out from the rest!
- The Most Delicious Ground Beef Topping: Instead of just using cooked ground beef or even taco meat, we’re adding TWO secret ingredients. Refried beans and salsa – stirred right into the beef. Why? Because it’s top notch delicious AND who wants to spread refried beans onto every single tortilla chip???
- Fun Dinner or Appetizers: Because everyone loves nachos. You can serve them for dinner or for appetizers and they’re always going to be a hit. You can use this same recipe to make our Air Fryer Nachos, too!
- Versatile: Switch up the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken, you can even use shredded chicken. Use different kinds of cheese like pepper jack or Mexican blend, and the toppings are endless. We’ll get to those later in the post.
Ingredients You’ll Need
A photo of the primary ingredients you’ll need, minus the basics like salt and pepper. For a complete list of ingredients with amounts needed, head to the recipe card at the end of the post.
After the photo we’ll talk about a few of the noteworthy ingredients, why they work in this recipe and also substitutions if applicable. Nachos topping ideas are further down in the post!
- Tortilla Chips: Use whatever kind you like for these ground beef nachos. White corn or yellow corn, are preferred. Shape doesn’t matter. Try our Air Fryer Tortilla Chips for a lighter option!
- Ground Beef: We use and 85% lean, but you can go even leaner if you like. Swap out ground turkey or chicken or even shredded chicken.
- Taco Seasoning: Buy it in the packet as shown here or use our All Purpose Seasoning or our Fajita Seasoning.
- Cheddar Cheese: We do like to shred our own cheese, pre-packaged shredded cheese doesn’t melt as smooth but it’ll work in a pinch. We do it too, no shame in taking short cuts!
- Refried Beans: Regular or fat-free are both fine. You can also swap out whole black beans or pinto beans if you prefer.
- Salsa: Regular, mild or spicy, whatever you like. Sometimes we add a few scoops of our homemade Pico de Gallo if we have it made!
How To Make
Step by step photos for visual aid with brief descriptions underneath the photo. For the complete instructions, head to the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Make the ground beef topping: Brown ground beef in a skillet, drain the grease. Add taco seasoning, refried beans and salsa and stir to combine.
- Assemble the beef layer: Add tortilla chips to a baking sheet in an even layer. Add the ground beef filling to cover the tops of the chips.
- Add the cheese: Add 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese in an even layer on top of the ground beef.
- Bake: Place the nachos in the oven at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortilla chips are toasted.
Topping Ideas
Enjoy these delicious beef nachos as is or serve them with your favorite toppings! When trying to get dinner on the table or party food ready, use a combination of homemade and store bought to make it easy!
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Pico de Gallo
- Pickled or fresh jalapeños
- Cheese Queso
- Black Olives
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Ground Beef Nachos
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeMake our Ground Beef Nachos for appetizers or for dinner! We’ve perfected the beef topping with a couple of secret ingredients, not only making them delicious but also easier to make!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 ounce packet of taco seasoning (or use 3 tablespoons of Fajita Seasoning)
- 1 cup refried beans
- 1 cup salsa
- Tortilla chips (we use a 13 ounce bag)
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (Mexican blend, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack also are good)
Toppings:
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Salsa or Pico de Gallo
- Sliced Jalapeños
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Add the oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook while breaking up into crumbles until no pink remains. Drain any grease from the skillet.
- Sprinkle in the taco seasoning, then add the refried beans and salsa. Stir to combine and remove from the heat.
- Add the tortilla chips in an even layer on a 9″ x 13″ baking sheet. Add the ground beef filling to cover the tortilla chips, using a spoon to help spread it around. Add the cheese on top to cover the beef and chips.
- Place the nachos in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the chips are toasted. Serve with desired toppings.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Don’t throw away leftover nachos! Did you know that you can heat them up in the oven or an air fryer and they come out pretty toasty again? Store them in an air tight container and then when ready, place them on a foil lined sheet pan and then loosely cover the top with another layer of foil. Bake at 400 until crispy, about 7-8 minutes. For the air fryer, cook at 375 for 2-3 minutes until crispy. You can add more shredded cheese to the top before reheating if desired.
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American/Tex-Mex
