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Home Recipe Index Freezer Meals Freezer Beef

Baked Nachos

★★★★★ 5 /5
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Rachel Tiemeyer
By: Rachel TiemeyerPosted: 6/14/21Updated: 6/16/22

This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Baked Nachos (AKA Sheet Pan Nachos) are a quick, kid-friendly dinner that will please the whole family. Top with a bunch of veggies, and you’ve got a pan meal! Use our pro-tips below to make them EXTRA delicious!

Overhead shot of baked nachos with toppings

Baked Nachos for the Win!

Having a sheet pan filled with Nachos is a widely overlooked weeknight meal. It’s always a hit with my family for so many reasons!

  • Nachos are home run every time I make them for the family. Picky kids can customize them.
  • They are quick! If you’re already pre-cooked your taco meat (use our recipe from our Taco Bar), they only take about 15 minutes from start to finish.
  • They can be a well-rounded, healthy meal when you offer a variety of veggie toppings and use beans and/or grass-fed beef.
  • They are a one pan meal!  Less clean-up is always a plus.
  • You can easily make Baked Nachos into a freezer meal.
  • They are naturally gluten-free, if you use GF tortilla chips.
Sheet pan nachos with toppings

A Short Video on How Baked Nachos Come Together

What Ingredients Do I Need for Baked Nachos?

One of the beauties of Baked Nachos is that the possibilities are endless.

The 3 primary ingredients we would suggest you start with are:

A Protein:

  • Beef: We simply took the taco recipe from our Tasty Taco Bar and repurposed it. Or try it with our Shredded Beef Tacos recipe!
  • Shredded Pork: This could be a great way to use up meat from our Slow Cooker Carnitas!
  • Shredded Chicken: Use and shred our Cilantro Lime Chicken or our Southwest Chicken recipes!
  • Black Beans: If you’re not wanting meat, simply use black beans as one of your main ingredients.
Ground Beef Baked Nachos with toppings in bowls

Topping Ideas for Baked Nachos

This is where it gets really fun. Once you’ve baked your nachos, add any and every topping that sounds delicious to you! Here are some ideas:

  • Black beans, drained
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Diced Avocado
  • Sliced black olives
  • Diced red onion
  • Jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
  • Salsa
  • Sour cream or whole plain Greek yogurt
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Diced green onion

Do not add the fresh toppings until AFTER baking. Just trust us on this one.

Ground Beef Sheet Pan Nachos with toppings

How to Serve Baked Nachos

Option 1: Free-For-All Style

Serve it right off the sheet pan and have everyone dig in. Kids love this! If you have no issues with sharing, this is a fun way to do it.

Option 2: Divide and Conquer

If you’re serving this meal to a group of people or just want to have a more civilized dinner and not eat caveman style, simply use a wide spatula and scoop portions onto small plates.

A spatula lifting a portion of baked nachos

How to Make It a Make Ahead Freezer Meal

When you hear the word “Nachos”, you’re likely not associating it with a freezer meal. That’s fine. We’re here to expand your horizons and save your future self some valuable time.

Next time you make a nacho-worthy meat, simply double the recipe and freeze it after cooking, alongside a bag of cheese. BAM. You now have a freezer meal and your busy Wednesday night mom-brain will be singing your praises.

I also love this meal idea for new moms! It’s such a great one to double and freeze. So, either stash it in your freezer for a few weeks down the road or pass it on to someone who could use a great meal.

TO FREEZE: Cook the meat as directed from whatever recipe you choose. (Taco meat, Carnitas, Cilantro Lime Chicken, etc.) Then let the mixture cool completely. Place it in a freezer bag, seal and freeze. In a separate bag, freeze about 2 cups of shredded cheese. Freeze together as a kit.

TO PREPARE: Let all ingredients thaw in the refrigerator. Cook and serve as directed in the recipe below.

Baked Nachos packages as a freezer meal kit.

Ready to take your nacho game to the next level? Let’s do this!

Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!

Baked nachos being served
★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Baked Nachos

Baked Nachos are a quick, kid-friendly meal that will please the whole family. Save yourself some time and cook and freeze the meat ahead of time to have on hand.

Yield: 4–5 servings 1x
Prep: 10 minutesCook: 7 minutesTotal: 17 minutes
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Ingredients

  • Roughly 40–50 tortilla chips (a typical 8 ounce bag should be more than enough)
  • 1 lb cooked, taco-seasoned ground beef (or use shredded Cilantro Lime Chicken, Southwest Chicken, Slow Cooker Carnitas, and/or black beans)
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or more or less to your taste)
  • Topping ideas:
    • 1/2 – 1 cup black beans, drained
    • Shredded lettuce
    • Diced tomatoes
    • Diced avocado
    • Sliced black olives
    • Diced red onion
    • Jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
    • Salsa
    • Sour cream or whole plain Greek yogurt
    • Chopped cilantro
    • Diced green onion

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions

Make It Now:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
  2. Spread tortilla chips in a single layer on the bottom of pan. Cover with taco meat (and/or black beans or shredded chicken). Top with the cheese.
  3. Bake for about 5-6 minutes, until the meat is warm and the cheese is melted to your liking.
  4. Remove from oven and add your favorite toppings.

Freeze For Later: Cook the meat as directed from whatever recipe you choose: Taco meat, Carnitas, Cilantro Lime Chicken, etc.) Then let the mixture cool completely. Place it in a freezer bag, seal and freeze. In a separate bag, freeze about 2 cups of shredded cheese. Freeze together as a kit. Be sure to have a bag of tortilla chips on hand in the pantry, too.

Prepare From Frozen: Let all ingredients thaw in the refrigerator. Following Steps 2-4.

© Author: Thriving Home
Cuisine: Mexican Method: Baked

Did you make this?

Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!

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Rachel Tiemeyer

Rachel Tiemeyer

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Rachel dreams about creating recipes (literally) and uses her husband, her 3 kids, and even the neighbors as guinea pigs several nights a week. She believes that good food has the power to bring families and friends closer together and continues to wake up excited about her job each day, even after 10+ years!

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Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

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  1. AvatarTracie O'Brien says

    Posted on 7/12/21 at 7:12 am

    So easy to throw together and so delicious! The kids are always excited for nacho night!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 7/12/21 at 10:00 am

      Wonderful, Tracie. Thanks for leaving a review. 🙂

      Reply

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