Loaded Beef Nachos

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These loaded beef nachos are piled high with ground beef, nacho cheese sauce, refried beans, onion, tomato, avocado, and sour cream. Make them for a savory game day snack!

These Taco Bell Nachos BellGrande inspired loaded beef nachos are seriously delicious. You’re going to want to dig into them as soon as you smell them baking in the oven! They’re savory, cheesy, and super satisfying – just the way any good nachos should be.

What This Recipe Entails

Making our loaded beef nachos recipe is a 5 step process: prepare the taco beef, make the nacho cheese sauce, assemble, bake, and add the final toppings.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes

It’ll take about 15 minutes to make the seasoned ground beef and nacho cheese sauce. Once the nachos are assembled, they’ll bake for just 8 to 10 minutes. Then, add your final toppings and serve!

Loaded Ground Beef Nachos Ingredients

These ground beef nachos are loaded with a creamy cheese sauce, taco meat, beans, onion, tomato, avocado, and sour cream!

Here’s what you’ll need to make our beef nachos recipe:

• Tortilla chips
• Ground beef
• Taco seasoning
• Water
• Velveeta
• Heavy cream
• Salt
• Refried beans
• Red onion
• Roma tomato
• Avocado
• Lime juice
• Sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
• Chives, optional garnish

For the taco meat, we recommend using our homemade taco seasoning recipe. It’s quick and easy to mix up and so much more flavorful than store-bought taco seasoning packets. Plus, it has way less sodium and no preservatives.

You’ll make a super creamy nacho cheese sauce with Velveeta, heavy cream, and salt (inspired by Taco Bell’s nacho cheese, and featured in our Taco Bell crunchwrap supreme copycat recipe). If you don’t have heavy cream, you can sub in half and half or milk.

Lately we’ve been subbing in plain Greek yogurt for sour cream. It’s a great alternative that’s a little healthier and provides added protein while still having a similar flavor and texture to sour cream! Our favorite brand is Fage since it’s super thick and creamy.

How To Make Loaded Nachos With Ground Beef

To make our loaded beef nachos, you’ll need to make the taco meat and nacho cheese sauce, then assemble, bake, and top. We like to use a 14-inch round pizza pan for these nachos, but you can also use a small rectangular sheet pan.

Here’s how to make loaded nachos with ground beef:

1. First, make the seasoned taco beef. Brown the ground beef in a frying pan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, then drain any excess grease. Sprinkle in the taco seasoning, then add the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Next, make the nacho cheese sauce. Add the Velveeta and heavy cream to a small saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring frequently. Season with salt to taste, then set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Now it’s time to assemble the nachos! Spread the tortilla chips out in a single layer on a baking sheet, overlapping them slightly so there’s no gaps. Then, drizzle the cheese sauce over the chips. Dollop the refried beans evenly over the chips, then top with the seasoned ground beef.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the beans are warm and the cheese is extra gooey and melty.
6. In the meantime, mash the avocado and season with lime juice and salt. Set aside.
7. Once the nachos are warm, top evenly with onion and tomato. Dollop on the mashed avocado and sour cream.
8. Optionally garnish with chives and serve hot.

Canned refried beans can sometimes be a little goopy, so we like to put them in a bowl first and give them a good stir before dolloping them over the nachos. You can also heat them in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds and then stir, if they’re still clumping together and you’re having a hard time topping the nachos.

Loaded Beef Nachos Serving Suggestions

Our loaded ground beef nachos are the perfect game day snack! You can easily scale the recipe to serve a larger crowd, and it’s easy to serve right on the baking sheet – no extra dishes necessary. You can also make the taco beef and nacho cheese ahead of time, so that all you have to do is assemble and bake before the game starts.

You can also make loaded beef nachos for a Cinco de Mayo party or a change-up from traditional Taco Tuesdays. With all the beef and toppings, you can absolutely serve these sheet pan nachos for dinner.

Pair loaded beef nachos with a spicy mezcal margarita or a cold glass of your favorite beer! You’ll want something to wash down all that savory goodness.

Try our loaded beef nachos recipe and let us know what you think by rating and commenting below!