Are you ready for the big game? Make up a batch or two of my Ultimate Nachos for game day and there’ll be smiles around the table no matter whose team wins!
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Sometimes I wonder what life would be like without all the amazing Mexican foods I love. My Abuela (grandmother) taught me well and thanks to her delicious cooking I learned to love Mexican food at an early age. I’ve always tried to make up for only being half Mexican by eating twice as much Mexican food. Can you see the logic?
Watching football has always been a tradition in my family as it is in most of my friend’s homes. And getting together to watch the game is more than just about the game. It’s about spending quality time with people that make you happy.
Food is the common denominator that brings people together. At a time of joy, at a time of sorrow and when its time for football.
What do I need to make Ultimate Nachos?
Let’s start by gathering our ingredients to make my Ultimate Nachos. In chef speak this is called the mise en place (everything in its place).
These are the basics ingredients to make Ultimate Nachos but feel free to add your personal touches.
- Not a fan of beans or corn? Leave them out.
- Use chicken chili, turkey chili, or your favorite chili recipe instead.
- Use Monterey Jack or your favorite brand of cheddar cheese.
- Add shredded beef or chicken instead of chili.
- Try blackened chicken, buffalo chicken or shrimp instead of chili.
If you have leftover ground beef you can always use it up in my classic stuffed peppers recipe.
What Type of Nacho Chips Should I Use?
Look for the thicker variety of chips, that will hold up with the toppings. Round or triangles work well in any flavor of corn you like. You can use white corn, yellow, blue or organic corn chips when making your ultimate nachos.
Chef Dennis Tip-
Place a piece of parchment paper on a flat cookie sheet before adding the chips. That way you can slide the chips and toppings onto the beans on a serving dish.
How do you make Ultimate Nachos?
Pile the Chips high, then start adding your toppings starting with the chili (or meat of your choice). You’ll thank me for the parchment paper tip, it will let you easily slide the mound of chips off the pan without making a mess.
For my Ultimate Nachos, I pan-roasted fresh corn, letting it caramelize just enough to bring out more of the natural sweetness. Add some sliced jalapeños (more if you like or none if you’re not a fan) and were just about ready.
Last but not least we add the cheese (queso). Pile it on or add just enough to suit your tastes. I used cheddar for my nachos but feel free to use your favorite cheese (including bleu cheese) to make your Ultimate Nachos extra special!
Now it’s time to place them in the oven, just long enough to melt the cheese. I used a 425-degree oven for about 7 minutes.
While the cheese is melting in the oven, you’ve got time to heat the refried beans. You can do this in the microwave or in a sauté pan. You can add another layer of cheese to the beans if you like.
After a few minutes in the oven, slide the nachos off of the parchment paper onto a platter with the refried beans. Then top your creation with homemade salsa and its ready to serve for your guests at your big game celebration!
I have to tell you my nachos were ah-mazing! The sweetness of the roasted yellow corn, the spicy chili and refried beans made this plate of Ultimate Nachos a plate of pure joy.
But don’t take my word for it, make my nachos for your next game day party and let your friends tell you just how delicious they are. Empty plates don’t lie!
If you love dips and chips, I know you’ll love these recipes:
Ultimate Nachos
Ingredients
Chip
- 13 ounces tortilla chips
Chili
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 2 pounds ground beef turkey or chicken can be substituted
- 15 ounces kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces chili pinto beans or plain pinto beans
- 15 ounces cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 24 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 8 ounces chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons corn masa or fine cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- cayenne can be added for extra heat use with caution optional
Salsa
- ½ cup red onion finely chopped
- ½ lime juiced
- 1 ½ cups plum tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
Pan Roasted Corn
- 2 ears fresh corn (or 1 cup frozen corn kernels)
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon cilantro finely chopped
Assembly
- 2 cups 3 bean chili from recipe above
- 1 cup corn pan roasted kernels
- 1 cup salsa from recipe above
- 15 ounces refried beans
- 2 jalapeños seeded and sliced into rounds
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded – or your favorite cheese
- 12 ounces sour cream
- 12 ounces guacamole
Instructions
3 Bean Chili
- In a large skillet or pot add the chopped onions, garlic and olive oil. Sauté for a few minutes until the onions are lightly cooked.
- Add brown sugar, mixing well and continue sautéing for 2 minutes. Carefully add bourbon, making sure it doesn't go near open flames.
- Allow the alcohol to burn off bourbon for a minute as the mixture continues to cook
- Add ground meat and begin the browning process. You may need to add additional olive oil.
- Brown all the meat continuously stirring to break up the meat. ( You may find a heavy wire whisk helpful in breaking up the chunks)
- When the meat is browned begin adding in your seasonings (remember you can always add more after its cooked for awhile).
- Add tomatoes, chicken stock and beans combining all of the ingredients.
- Reduce heat to simmer and allow to simmer for 1 – 2 hours, stirring so it won't stick to the bottom
- If chili begins to get too thick you can add additional stock or water to get it to the consistency you like.
- Taste and re-season to your taste.
- Be careful in adding Cayenne if you decide to kick it up a notch as a little goes a long way
- Reserve two cups (or more) for nachos and cool and refrigerate the remainder for another time.
Fresh Salsa
- Mix red onion, lime juice, Roma tomatoes, cilantro, and salt in a bowl and allow to stand 15 more minutes for flavors to blend before serving.
Pan Roasted Corn
- Cut corn off of ears.
Place corn in a hot sauté pan. Toss corn around pan to allow it to slightly brown. Remove corn from stove top and place on a plate to allow it to fully cool.
- Season corn with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Add 1 teaspoon of cilantro to the mixture and set aside till needed.
Assembly
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Use a large flat cookie sheet to heat the nachos.
- Place parchment paper on cookie sheet making the piece larger than you need, so it can be lifted off of the sheet easily.
- Mound chips on top of the parchment paper.
- Spoon heated chili on top of chips
- Sprinkle corn kernels on top of chips. Then add jalapeños.
- Top with as much shredded cheese as you desire. I used about 1 ½ cups of cheddar.
- Place cookie sheet of prepared nachos into a preheated oven for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- While nachos are in the oven, heat the refried beans. You can use a microwave or a sauté pan. Just make sure they reach a temperature of 165 degrees. Place the heated beans on your serving dish, spreading them out evenly, leaving the edge around the platter uncovered.
- Remove the nachos from the oven and carefully pick up the parchment paper and slide the nachos off of the paper. Be careful the pan is very hot and the paper can be hot to the touch.
- Straighten out the nachos on the platter.
- Add fresh salsa on top of the nachos. Serve with sour cream, guacamole and additional salsa.
Catalina says
Omg! This is so perfect for football night! S flavorful! And you can prepare ahead all the ingredients!
Karen Morse says
I love a good nachos recipe, we’ve tried so many because it’s one of the dishes that we enjoy making at home during movie night or even during parties! I think this one’s a must try! I love that it’s overloaded with toppings!
Dana Brillante-Peller says
Oh, the shrimp nachos sounds like a treat! Will have to try them for game day.
Jesusa Gilliam says
Oh my, these nachos look so good! I can’t wait to surprise my husband with this recipe. We usually do taco Wednesday but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind subbing nachos instead.
rika says
Your recipes always look amazing!!!! I love nachos, this would be perfect for holiday gathering or game days!!!
Lynsey says
This looks delicious! Perfect for a family Mexican night!
Heather McMechan says
I think I’ll make these since our team finally won a game!! Let’s celebrate. Go Dolphins!
Kathy says
This looks so amazing. This will certainly be great for football parties. I know my guests would love this!
Nancy at Whispered Inspirations says
Oh my word, this looks absolutely delicious. I can see myself making these time and time again.
Terri Steffes says
Ultimate Nachos sound so good! These will be a big hit at our next Missouri Tigers tailgate. Go MIZZOU!
Lisa Martin says
Those look so yummy! May have to replace our taco tuesday with nacho wednesday! I bet I could get the kids to eat those with out any trouble.
Tasheena says
This recipe would be perfect to make tomorrow for Thursday night football. I know my family would love it.
Amber Myers says
Yes please! These are my kind of nachos. I love spicy foods. I would make these while watching Real Housewives.
candy says
I actually had this last night for supper. This is one of those meals or appetizers that never goes wrong. Everyone loves this kind of dish.
Tomi C says
OMG! This looks so delicious and it’s Taco Tuesday! Seriously, if we didn’t have tacos on Tuesday, I’m pretty sure my kids would move. Oh and by Taco Tuesday that means tacos, burritos and nachos so this may make an appearance at our dinner table tonight.