The great Homer Simpson once sang, ‘Nacho, nacho man….I want to be a nacho man’, and who can disagree with him?! Nachos are a favourite dish for so many people. Easy to make, great to share and they work so well with a few pints of a fine ale. But, they are also so easy to make badly. So here’s my recipe for Chilli Beef Nachos, to ensure that you will end up with a plate of awesomeness!
One of my biggest bug bares about nachos, especially if you order when you are out, is that they serve them with Doritos. STOP DOING IT! It’s lazy and it feels like zero love has gone into making them. Nachos are made to be shared, so share some love and some time and don’t pile a load of shop brought salsa and guacamole onto a pile of Doritos. Not. Cool!
I did do a little bit of a cheat and didn’t make my chips from scratch, instead I used shop brought corn tortillas, flavoured with fresh lime and shallow fried. This way you beautiful crispy edges and a softer centre. Make the toppings fresh and from scratch, to really get the freshness into the dish.
I went for one of my go to recipes for my Chilli Beef Nachos, to really pack some heat into the ground beef and topped it off with some classic salsa and guac for freshness. Rather than opting for a standard sour cream, I went for a dip that is known and loved in our house, a jalapeno sour cream, to give the dish an added zing. If you don’t like things too hot, you can always opt for a plain sour cream.
All of the components of these Chilli Beef Nachos are super simple to put together. You can make them all ahead of time and keep in the fridge until you are ready to assemble and serve.
If you are looking for some other Mexican inspired recipes, check out my Mexican Layer Cake or Spicy Beef and Cheese Brunch
These Chilli Beef Nachos are a perfect zingy and fresh sharing platter.
- 10 small corn tortillas about 20 cm in diameter
- 1 lime
- olive oil
- 1 tbsp hot chilli powder
- 1 tbsp of paprika
- 1 tbsp of onion salt
- 1 tbsp of garlic granules
- 1 tbsp of mixed herbs
- pinch of black pepper
- 500 g minced beef
- 2 tablespoons of green jalapeños
- 1 ripe avocado
- 300 ml sour cream
- salt and pepper
- 3 ripe plum tomatoes finely chopped
- 1/2 red chilli finely sliced
- 1/2 red onion finely sliced
- juice 1/2 lime
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
- caster sugar
- salt
- pepper
- 2 ripe avocado
- 1/2 juice of a lemon
- 1/2 red chilli
- salt & pepper
- 250 g of grated strong cheddar
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Pre-heat the oven to 180º.
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To make the tortilla chips, cut the lime in half and rub both sides of each tortilla with the cut side of the lime. Cut the tortillas into quarters. Heat a small glug of oil in a large pan over a medium high heat. In batches, fry the tortillas on both sides for a couple of minutes until brown. Between batches, add a little more oil if needed. Leave to one side
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In a bowl, mix together the herbs and spices for the meat. Put the beef on to a baking tray lined with foil and separate the strands with your fingers. Tip over the spice mix and use your hands to work the spices through so that the minced beef is thoroughly coated. Pop in the oven for 20mins, stirring occasionally. Put one one side when cooked.
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Now for the jalapeño sour cream. In a blender, put the jalepenos, avocado and a pinch of salt and pepper and blitz for 15 seconds. Add in the sour cream and blend until everything is mixed. Pop in the fridge until needed.
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For the salsa, pop in the tomatoes, chilli, onion, lime juice and coriander. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and caster sugar and mix well. Taste, and season more if needed. Place to one side until needed.
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Put all of the guacamole ingredients into a bowl and lightly mash
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Pre-heat the oven to 100ºc
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To serve, arrange the tortillas on a large serving plate. Throw over a handful of grated cheese, then half the meat, half the cheese, half the meat and half the cheese. Place in the oven for 5-10minutes until the cheese has melted.
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Top with the guacamole and salsa and drizzle over the jalapeno cream.
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