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Super Bowl Nachos
Yield: 8-12 appetizer servings
A crowd pleasing appetizer (or slightly decadent dinner!), I’ve offered a list of traditional toppings, but feel free to adjust the toppings based on personal preference.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 packet taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
  • ½ cup (136 grams) salsa plus ¼ cup (2 ounces) water
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and well drained
  • 1 (9-ounce) bag tortilla chips (you can eyeball from a larger bag if need be)
  • 1 (10.5-ounce) bag Fritos Scoops (not the Tostito’s tortilla chip version)
  • 3 cups (12 ounces) sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
  • ¾ cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • ¼ cup red onion, minced
  • 1 small avocado or half a large, chopped (may substitute guacamole)
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • Optional toppings: 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced or cut into thin slices; a few tablespoons each sliced black olives; chopped fresh cilantro; additional salsa; sour cream

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef. When the beef is nearly cooked, drain any excess grease, and then sprinkle with the taco seasoning and stir in the salsa and water. Stir to combine, and then simmer the mixture for approximately 5 minutes or until thickened (this will prevent soggy tortilla chips later), stirring occasionally. Stir in the drained black beans. Prep ahead tip: At this point, the mixture can sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
  2. When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 425℉. For easy cleanup, line a rimmed half sheet pan with foil or parchment paper (no need to grease if not lining the sheet), and then cover the pan with a mixture of the tortilla chips and Fritos. At this point, I use about ⅔ of each bag. Reserve the rest.
  3. Top the chips evenly with ⅔ of the cheese (you can eyeball this) followed by roughly ⅔ each of the ground beef mixture, corn, and onion. Helpful hint: Taking a few minutes to get some of the cheese and meat mixture on each chip will make for the most crowd-pleasing nachos.
  4. Top with a layer of remaining chips (omitting the broken pieces at the bottom of the bag – reserve these for a chili or chicken tortilla soup topping), and then evenly scatter the remaining cheese, beef, corn, and onion over all.
  5. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the cheese and chips start to lightly brown around the edges. (Check a minute or so early, as all ovens vary.)
  6. Remove from the oven and top with the avocado, scallions, and optional ingredients of choice, serving the wet ingredients like salsa, sour cream, and guacamole on the side. Serve immediately.

Notes

Leftovers? For maximum crunch, baked nachos are best eaten fresh from the oven. However, any leftovers can be heated on a metal baking sheet in a low oven (275℉ to 300℉) for 5-10 minutes or until hot. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Even when reheated this way, some of the chips will still be somewhat soft, but nobody here has ever complained!

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