Sheet Pan Nachos

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

They are the ultimate game-day snack when you’re hosting the party and need something that’s tasty, uncomplicated and feeds a crowd. These nachos are all about assembly and not actually making anything. You can put them together with little to no prep other than some quick chopping. And despite how little work they take, they turn out pretty impressive.

It’s very easy to customize this sheet pan nacho recipe. When you’re entertaining a group, recipes that are adaptable to a range of tastes and dietary restrictions are key to keeping everyone full and happy, even though you can’t control the outcome of the game. 

These nachos are a straightforward recipe that you can make when your guests are already over at your house. You can have the ingredients prepared and assemble the nachos while still being a present and charming host. Then everyone can dig into the nachos while they are warm.

The Ingredients

This is what you need for this nacho recipe:

• Tortilla chips: Use whatever chip brand is your favorite. Sometimes I will go for the flavors with a hint of lime.
• Shredded cheese: If you can, try to find a Tex Mex cheese blend that includes Monterey jack cheese and cheddar. This is a good choice for melty cheese.
• Black beans: I love black beans in this recipe, but you can also use canned pinto beans. Just drain and rinse them before you add them.
• Corn: It doesn’t matter if it’s not corn season. Canned or frozen corn works fine. If the corn is frozen make sure to run it under cold water in a strainer to thaw it.
• Tomatoes: I dice a medium sized tomato.
• Onions: My preference is chopping a red onion.
• Refried beans: Creamy refried beans are another hearty and filling ingredient especially if you are planning to keep these vegetarian.
• Jalapeños: For a little heat, I add sliced jalapeños to the finished nachos.
• Cilantro: As a cilantro-lover, I always finish my nachos with torn cilantro leaves. Since I know this is a love-it or hate-it herb, you can skip it. Sliced scallions are a great substitute that will give you more of a fresh green onion flavor.
• Salsa: Use a store bought salsa. You can also swap it out for pico de gallo or include both.

Optional Additions

• Cooked chicken, ground beef or chorizo: Including a protein is totally optional. Split your nachos onto smaller sheet pans or add the proteins when you finish baking them to satisfy everyone’s dietary preferences.
• Sour cream is a nacho topping that has a cooling effect. You can also use Greek yogurt. Wait to put that on your nachos until they come out of the oven.
• Guacamole or diced avocados: Either one is always great with chips, especially nachos.
• Sliced black olives: They will add something salty & briny.
• Thinly sliced radishes give the nachos a fresh, crisp and peppery bite.

How To Make Sheet Pan Nachos

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Spread a bag of tortilla chips over a large baking sheet. There will be overlapping, but do your best to take advantage of every square inch of the pan.

2. Sprinkle on about a cup of shredded cheese. I prefer a blend that’s a mixture of cheddar cheese, monterey jack and more. I like giving the chips a little bit of a toss to make sure there is cheese underneath them.

3. Add black beans, corn, chopped red onions, diced tomatoes and refried beans. I am a big fan of this bean combo with whole beans and mashed beans.

4. Top the nachos with another half cup to a cup of cheese. In general, it depends on your personal preference of how much cheese you like on your chips.

5. Bake the nachos. It only takes 5-7 minutes for the chips and ingredients to warm and for the cheese to melt. I finish the nachos with sliced jalapenos, chopped cilantro and salsa, and then let everyone dive in. You can also add sliced radishes, black olives, Greek yogurt or sour cream.

If you really want to go all in on chunky tomatoes, you can spoon on a homemade or store-bought pico de gallo. This will add more fresh tomato and onion flavor.

Recipe Tips

Great nachos are all about layering and scattering. You want the cheese and your favorite nacho toppings to be well distributed throughout the chips, so you get something interesting and different in each bite.

If you are adding a protein like ground beef or rotisserie chicken, then you may want to be more strategic about your cheese. Since they are already cooked, you don’t want them to dry out in the oven. They will have some protection if they are more covered by shredded cheese.

Marinate your chicken or ground beef with taco seasoning. That will add even more flavor to your nachos.

It’s easiest to add the refried beans, by using a spoon to add dollops a little bit at a time. Again, then you will have them all over the chips in bite-sized amounts.

Right when you pull the nachos out of the oven, you can add more cheese. They will be hot enough that it will melt pretty quickly on contact as long as you don’t go overboard.

Recipe FAQs