Beef Nachos with Black Beans (Printable Version)

Tortilla chips topped with spiced beef, black beans, cheeses, and fresh toppings for a crowd-pleasing Tex-Mex snack.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef Mixture

01 - 1 pound ground beef
02 - 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
05 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
06 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
09 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 - 1/4 cup water

→ Nachos Assembly

11 - 8 ounces tortilla chips (gluten-free if required)
12 - 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
13 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (approximately 200 grams)
14 - 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (approximately 100 grams)

→ Toppings (optional)

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 Make It:

01 - Set oven to 400°F (200°C) to prepare for baking.
02 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add ground beef and cook 2 to 3 minutes, breaking it apart with a spoon.
03 - Add diced onion and minced garlic to the skillet and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
04 - Incorporate ground cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Stir in tomato paste and water, then simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until sauce thickens slightly; remove from heat.
06 - Arrange tortilla chips in an even layer on a large baking sheet or ovenproof platter.
07 - Distribute black beans over the chips, then spoon the beef mixture evenly on top.
08 - Sprinkle shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses evenly over the beef and beans.
09 - Place in preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cheese melts fully and bubbles.
10 - Remove from oven, top with desired optional toppings such as sour cream, avocado, tomato, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and lime wedges, then serve immediately.

# Expert Insights:

01 -
  • You can have this on the table in under 40 minutes, which means dinner emergencies become dinner victories.
  • The beef mixture is forgiving enough to tweak with extra spice or hold back depending on your crowd, and somehow it always turns out delicious.
  • It's the kind of dish that disappears completely, leaving you wondering if you made enough (you probably didn't).
02 -
  • Resist the urge to crowd the nachos; if you overload the sheet, the bottom chips get soggy and the beef steams instead of crisping. Use two baking sheets if you need to feed a crowd.
  • Don't skip the rinsing and draining of canned black beans—the starchy liquid will make your nachos watery and disappointing, so that one extra step changes everything.
  • Add toppings right after baking while everything is hot, because cold toppings on hot nachos create the perfect temperature contrast that makes every bite better.
03 -
  • Brown your beef over medium rather than medium-high heat so it renders its fat and seasons evenly instead of developing a hard, overcooked exterior.
  • If your oven runs hot, start checking the cheese at 7 minutes; every oven cooks differently, and you want that perfect melted moment, not scorched cheese.
  • Make extra beef mixture and freeze it; nachos become effortless weeknight dinner when you already have the hardest part ready to go.

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