The ultimate nachos: tacos ground beef, served with fresh pico de gallo and drizzled with chipotle cream. We haven’t even talked about the whole toppings shebang yet. Delicious.
(We use pico de gallo and chipotle cream for this easy huevos rancheros recipe too. Check it out, also very good! And if you’re craving chicken wings on game day, try this Asian-style baked chicken wings. Delicious!)
I’m not into sports. Growing up, I got good grades except in Phys Ed.
One time playing softball, the teacher had to come very (very) near me just so I can hit the dang ball, get out of line and give others a chance to bat.
Red is a big sports fan though. To be more specific, a huge Toronto Raptors fan and the team got into the second round of the play-offs for the first time in 15 years (I was told this was a big deal).
To celebrate, I’m sharing Red’s recipe for the ultimate nachos (which I assume we’ll be having for the rest of the play-off series). Game on!
The definitive game day snack
These nachos are perfect with ice cold beer while watching your favourite team.
Or for I-don’t-know-anything-about-sports people like me, for everyday snacking, to serve when friends come over, whenever you’re hungry.
These are filled with all the good stuff including 3 kinds of cheese, jalapeño, chipotle
and avocado. It’s seriously dee-licious.
Make some of this homemade tajín recipe for some heat!
Related: Grilled Shishito Peppers
How do you make the perfect nachos?
It’s all about the layering and what goes into your layers (watch the video to see how I layer our nachos).
First there’s the beef. Get your favourite taco seasoning
, mix it in with the ground beef and beans, cook them together and you’re done.
You can use your favourite homemade seasoning mix too but taco seasoning is very convenient in a pinch (like: you’ve run out of cumin, it’s out of stock at the store and the game starts in 30 minutes. It happens).
Related: Sweet and Salty Filipino Style Spaghetti
How to make fresh pico de gallo
Ironically, Red won’t make any concessions about using ready-made salsa and insists on making her own pico de gallo because it tastes better and fresher (I don’t question it, she gets very cranky before game time).
It’s really very simple: just take tomatoes, jalapeños, cilantro, sweet onions. Squeeze some lime juice. Season with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
But yes, you can use ready-made salsa
(don’t tell) if you don’t want to be bothered with chopping.
Related: Cantaloupe Feta Cheese Salad with Fresh Basil
How to make chipotle cream
Chipotle in adobo sauce is one of Red’s favourite ingredients but is admittedly hard to come by (at least where we are).
So whenever we see it (usually in Latin American supermarkets), we buy a couple of cans (or more, I’m not counting) because you never know when you might need some chipotle awesomeness.
And this chipotle cream brings a unique smoky flavour to your nachos that makes it that much better. All you need to do is blend some chipotle and sour cream, transfer to a container (we like squeeze bottles
because at $1 each they make everything look fancy!) and refrigerate.
How to make the ultimate nachos
Last thing to do is to put everything together.
Get your favourite restaurant-style tortilla chips
, your taco beef, lots of cheese, black olives
and bake until the cheese melts.
Then top with your favourite things (and you can customize this however you want…isn’t that great?) like fresh jalapeño slices, homemade pico de gallo, drizzle with chipotle cream.
Voila – the ultimate nachos you can enjoy while watching your favourite basketball, football or hockey team or, in my case, reading my favourite sci-fi book
of the moment. (What? Told you I’m not into sports lol!)
Can you make nachos ahead of time?
You can definitely prep the nachos ahead of time.
Cook the beef, chop everything that needs to be chopped, layer.
It only needs a quick 5 minutes in the oven, another minute for you to add the toppings, and you’re done.
I don’t recommend baking the nachos hours ahead of when you plan to eat or serve it though because it tends to get soggy the longer it sits.
(Do you have vegetarian friends coming over? Make some potato tacos and a football veggie tray or this 7-layer Mexican hummus dip!)
Other things to serve on Game Day
Family and friends ask for these nachos all the time and I hope you and yours enjoy it too. Here are other crowd pleasers, a sure hit at every party:
- This aloha burger recipe is a juicy cheeseburger topped with grilled pineapple and crispy bacon. Add honey mustard sauce and what you have is an aloha burger recipe that’s almost as good as Jollibee’s!
- Another copycat recipe, these easy cheddar biscuits are exceptionally delicious, simple to make, and ready in less than 15 minutes. Just in time for the game!
- These salted caramel cream cheese brownies are all your favourite things in one decadent, luxurious bite. These will, literally, earn you all the brownie points you will ever need!
- Detroit-style pizza is always a crowd-pleaser.
- And everybody loves these fudgy walnut brownies – crusty and shiny on top, chewy in the centre, and bursting with chocolate chip and walnuts in every bite.
Happy nacho-ing!
Did you make these ultimate nachos? Tell me about it in the comments section below. I’d love to hear all about it. What’s your favourite game day snack?
How to Make the Ultimate Nachos
Ingredients
For the Pico de Gallo:
- 3 cups seeded and diced plum tomatoes about 4 medium sized tomatoes
- ¼ cup diced jalapeño about 1 large jalapeño
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro about ½ bunch
- ½ cup diced sweet onion about half an onion
- Juice from 1 regular-sized lime
- Salt to taste
For the Chipotle Cream:
- 2 pcs chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
For the Taco Beef:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup red kidney beans we used canned
- 1 1-oz package taco seasoning
Assembly:
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups grated monterey jack cheese
- 1 13-oz bag tortilla chips
- 1 cup sliced black olives
- 1 regular sized green bell pepper diced
- 1 regular sized avocado diced
- 1 regular sized jalapeño sliced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Prep a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
For the Pico de Gallo:
- Mix all ingredients (except the salt) in a medium sized bowl. Add salt to taste.
- Cover and refrigerate while preparing the rest of the ingredients to allow the flavours to develop.
For the Chipotle Cream:
- Put the 2 chipotle chilis and the cup of sour cream in a blender and blend until well combined (you would still see specks of the chili but the mixture should be smooth). Set aside.
For the Taco Beef:
- Put the 1 pound ground beef in a skillet on medium heat until it turns brown (approximately 7-8 minutes).
- Add the cup of kidney beans and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the taco seasoning and follow the instructions on the package. Set aside.
Assembly:
- Mix all your cheese in a bowl.
- Assemble your nachos in layers (see video): 1 – half your tortilla chips 2 – half your cooked beef 3 – half your mixed cheese and 4 – half your black olives. Repeat using the other half of your ingredients.
- Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with green peppers, avocados, and fresh Pico de Gallo. Top with jalapeño slices and drizzle with chipotle cream.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Divya
I pretty much made this to celebrate Taco Tuesday yesterday (sans chips!). Gosh I just love Mexican. You can NEVER go wrong!
Jolina
I agree! I don’t think I’ve ever met Mexican food I didn’t like haha.
Crystal
Love me some good nachos and these sound perfect for a party!!
April Hammond
These are amazing, the ultimate snack! I have nachos for dinner sometimes and these would be perfect. I love the idea of the addition of the black beans!
Jolina
Secret – I sometimes eat leftovers for breakfast too lol! Hope you like these April!
Nellwyn
These look amazing! I’m watching the baseball playoffs these days so I’ll have to make some nachos for the next game!
Jolina
Nachos are kind of the default game day food at our house. Enjoy! 🙂
Vera
I love nachos!! These are great tips, I know my family loves when we have these with our dinner!
Ray
As a pescetarian pico de gallo is one of my favorites but everything on here looks divine. Bless your husband for throwing down in the kitchen!
Rebecca
Oh my god! This looks absolutely delicious, totally craving this now!
Jolina
Hi Rebecca! Best thing is they are super easy to make 🙂 Hope you satisfy your nacho craving soon! 🙂
Julie
Nachos are my love language. These look a-maz-ing!
Jolina
That is one awesome language which I think I also speak loL! Thanks Julie! 🙂
Bintu
It is movie night at my house next saturday. Guess what we will be snacking on??
Laura
Oh I’m definitely in the I-don’t-know-anything-about-sports category but any excuse will do for a big bowl of nachos like this! Can never go past a decent helping of chipotle cream either. 😉
Pooja
My all time favorite. Your recipe makes me crave.
Jolina
Then my evil plan is working lol! Thanks for passing by Pooja 🙂
Molly Kumar
Well, you just said it – It is THE ULTIMATE Nacho!! It has everything one could ask for and looks gorgeous, I’m ready with my fork 😉
Jolina
Forget the fork Molly! Let’s dig into this with our bare hands and make a mess of things! Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Dave
I love nachos, and the Pico de Gallo in your version makes them look so fresh and appetizing. The chipotle cream sounds like the perfect way to top it all off, too!
Jolina
Hi Dave! I don’t think I’ve met a person yet who doesn’t like nachos. The love for it is universal who would have known haha. And yes, fresh Pico de Gallo makes a big difference. Oh and you have to try the chipotle cream. It’s so different and so unique 🙂
Chelsea
Woah, would never think to make a chipotle cream on top. Definitely trying these soon!
Jolina
Oh absolutely must try chipotle cream Chelsea. It’s so flavourful! 🙂
Helen
These look pretty darned ultimate to me. Love the chipotle cream – I want a massive bowl right now.
Jolina
Oh yeah, and you can can even add more of your favourite things! Isn’t that great? 🙂 And the chipotle cream is awesome. Hope you try it. Thanks for passing by Helen!