You’re going to love this chilli beef nachos recipe! Loaded with flavour from beef, chipotle in adobo, spices and of course cheese, these are so easy to make and perfect for sharing with a crowd.
Nachos are an absolute family favourite the world over; they’re easy to make, great for sharing and total comfort food. These ones are simply corn chips loaded with a simple but seriously tasty, spicy ground beef mixture then lots of cheese and baked to crunchy perfection. Top them with all your favourite nacho toppings and devour at will.
This recipe was adapted from my Mexican short ribs recipe – another favourite – and the results are mind-blowingly, finger-licking good!
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Ingredients you’ll need
Nachos are seriously easy to make so make sure to put some love into the ingredients you select. I have some rules here about corn chips – no Doritos!
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
- Corn chips: You want good quality, thick corn chips here. Storebought are fine, but do not use Doritos! I repeat – no Doritos, CCs or any other kind of snacking, flavoured corn chips. They’ll just go soggy and totally throw out the flavour balance of your yummy chilli beef nachos. I use Mission Deli Style Tortilla Rounds. They’re nice and thick and stay really crunchy. You can also slice up corn tortillas and deep fry them until they’re crunchy.
- Beef: Beef mince, aka ground beef, is what we’re using here. It keeps things really simple and has great flavour. Don’t go for super lean: 80/20 or even as lean as 90/10 but that’s as lean as you want to go here.
- Chipotle in adobo: This has fast become one of my favourite ingredients and flavour hacks. Take a tin of chipotles in adobe, blitz them in a spice grinder or mini food chopper to a paste, then freeze in ice cube trays (once solid, transfer to a container). I always have this on hand because it adds so much flavour. It’s spicy but also a little sweet and bold in flavour. It has a very mild smokiness but if you don’t love smoky flavours, please don’t let it stop you. I don’t like smoky flavours but I love this stuff. They’re available in tins in the Mexican section of most grocery stores.
- Spices: Some extra flavour comes in the form of ground cumin, paprika, dried oregano and salt. If you like it extra spicy, add a little chilli powder to your tastes too.
- Aromats: Onion and garlic are a great start to the flavour.
- Tomato paste: A little tomato paste adds umami, richness and a little sweetness.
- Lime juice: This gives a great little acidic balance.
- Black beans: I add one tin of black beans to the beef mixture which bulks out the mixture and makes it nice and filling, plus more nutritious. You could swap them for red kidney beans.
- Cheese: I love a combination of cheeses here: cheddar cheese for it’s great flavour and gouda cheese for it’s creaminess and great gooey texture.
See my section below for loads of topping ideas.
How to make nachos with ground beef
With a simple list of ingredients and a few simple toppings you’re all set to get these super-tasty chilli beef nachos on the table in under 30 minutes.
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Cook the onions and spices
Start by cooking the onions for a few minutes over medium heat until they’ve softened. Add the spices and garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Cook the beef mince
My #1 tip for adding more flavour to beef mince is to get it nice and brown. If you just throw in the mince and stir it around immediately, it will cook quicker than it can caramelise, however, if you add it, pressing it down onto the pan like a giant burger patty and cook for a few minutes before breaking it up, you get a lovely browning underneath which equals more flavour.
So, move the onions and spices to the side, turn the stove up to medium-high heat and add that beef mince, flattening it out across the pan. Scoop the onion mixture on top so it doesn’t burn on the pan. Now just let it sit for 3-4 minutes (you can lift a bit and check to see how it’s going), then start breaking it up and mixing it into the onion mixture until browned all over.
3. Add the rest
Once the meat is browned all over, it’s time to turn this into chilli minced beef for your nachos. Add the tomato paste, chipotle in adobo paste and black beans. Give that a good stir together and cook for another minute or two until heated through. Finally, stir in the lime juice and your chilli minced beef is ready to go.
4. Assemble your chili beef nachos
Now, it’s time to assemble your easy beef nachos. Use a large baking sheet (half sheet size or similar is good). Lay your corn chips out in a single layer but with no gaps. It’s ok if they overlap. Scatter over ⅓ of the cheese, then the chilli minced beef evenly all over the top of that. Finish up with the remaining cheese, then bake!
Nacho toppings ideas
I serve my chilli beef nachos really simply with a selection of fresh ingredients just sliced up, like;
- tomatoes and capsicum (bell pepper),
- jalapeno (for more spice),
- avocado,
- fresh coriander / cilantro,
- wedges of lime,
- and sour cream.
More ideas include;
- salsa or pico de gallo
- guacamole
- chimichurri sauce
- queso (cheese sauce)
- spring onions / green onions / scallions
- sliced olives
- lettuce
- pickled jalapenos
- pickled red cabbage
- pink pickled onions
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 500 g beef mince (ground beef) (17 ½oz)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (notes 1)
- ⅓ cup chipotles in adobo minced, (notes 2)
- 400 g canned black beans drained (14oz)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (or red wine vinegar), (notes 1)
- 250 g grated cheddar cheese (2 ¼ cups firmly packed grated /~9oz) (notes 3)
- 300 g thick corn tortilla chips (10 ½oz)
- Toppings of your choice (notes 4)
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Frying pan / large skillet
- large baking sheet
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan forced) / 395F.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook onion until translucent
- Add the garlic and spices and cook for one minute.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high, move everything to one side of the pan and add the beef mince. Press it down across the pan, then scoop the onion mixture on top of it so that it doesn’t get trapped underneath and burn. Let the mince cook for 3-4 minutes, then start breaking up and moving around the pan.
- Add the tomato paste, chipotle and black beans and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Stir in the lime juice and remove from heat.
- While the beef mixture cooks, arrange the corn chips over a baking tray and scatter over ⅓ of the cheese.
- Top with the beef mince mixture, then top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly
- Serve immediately, topped with your favourite toppings.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- To mince chipotles in adobo, tip the contents of the can into a spice grinder or mini food chopper and process to a paste. Any leftover chipotle paste can be stored in the freezer. Freeze in ice cube trays, then transfer to a ziplock bag or airtight container.
- Cheese: I like a combination of half cheddar cheese and half gouda cheese but feel free to use your favourite.
- Toppings: I serve these with sliced fresh jalapeno, sour cream, diced tomatoes, diced capsicum/red bell pepper, sliced avocado and fresh coriander/cilantro. Guacamole or salsa are favourites too.
- Nutrition details are approximate only and doesn’t include toppings – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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6 Comments on “Chilli Beef Nachos”
Always love your ideas and explanations of why you do something. Home Nachos like this are so much better as the mixture touches all the chips ( I use taco shells broken in four pieces) so you don’t have a soggy center and then a mountain of left over chips underneath with nothing on them. The chilis in Adobe is a must! Great idea as I didn’t think of them for Nachos.
Thank you Tracy. I’m so happy you love these as much as I do 🙂
We made these beef nachos for friends and they loved them. The meat was really tasty – loved the addition of the chipotles – and the chips stayed so crunchy.
So happy you loved them, Maggie. Thanks so much for dropping back to leave a review.
I intend to make this next time I shop for groceries.
Sounds terrific.
I don’t put the ingredients onto the corn ships as I don’t like soggy chips, I serve them separately.
Hi Cheryl. Hope you love it. I also hate soggy corn chips. These don’t get soggy since the mixture is not overly wet and it’s really so good when it’s all baked together.