Loaded nachos with spiced beef, guacamole & pickled red onion
Crispy corn chips piled with spiced beef, black beans, bubbling cheddar, quick-pickled red onion, guacamole and crème fraîche.
These loaded nachos are the kind of dish that sends a room into happy chaos — perfect for sharing at a relaxed evening in or as the centrepiece of a game-night spread. The beef is spiced and saucy, black beans add body and the quick-pickled red onion gives that sharp lift you need.
Make the pickles and guacamole while the beef simmers, then assemble and bake so the chips stay crisp and the cheese goes gloriously gooey. No faff, big rewards — exactly how nachos should be.
Ingredients
- 300 g corn tortilla chips
- 400 g minced beef
- 15 ml vegetable oil
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves — crushed
- 1 red chilli — deseeded and finely chopped
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 400 g tinned black beans — drained and rinsed
- 200 ml passata
- 200 g mature cheddar — coarsely grated
- 1 red onion — very thinly sliced
- 75 ml white wine vinegar
- 15 ml caster sugar
- 1 bunch fresh coriander — leaves roughly chopped
- 2 avocados — ripe
- 1 lime — juice and extra wedges to serve
- 150 g crème fraîche
- 2 spring onions — finely sliced
- 10 ml fine sea salt
- black pepper — to taste
Equipment
- baking tray
- grater
- mixing bowls
- wooden spoon
Instructions
Quick-pickle the red onion: put the very thinly sliced red onion in a bowl. Stir together the white wine vinegar, caster sugar and 1 tsp fine sea salt until the sugar dissolves, pour over the onion, toss and leave to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional and line a large baking tray with a little kitchen paper to remove any surface oil from the chips if needed.
Cook the spiced beef: heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the brown onion for 4–5 minutes until soft, add the garlic and red chilli and cook 1 minute. Add the minced beef and break up with a spoon, cook 6–8 minutes until browned. Stir in the ground cumin, smoked paprika and dried oregano, then add the passata and tinned black beans. Simmer gently for 6–8 minutes until slightly reduced; season with the remaining 1 tsp fine sea salt and black pepper.
Assemble the nachos on the baking tray: spread half the corn tortilla chips in an even layer, spoon over half the beef-and-bean mixture and scatter a third of the mature cheddar. Repeat with the remaining chips, beef mixture and cheddar so you have two thinner layers rather than one giant pile.
Bake for 8–10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling and a few chip edges are just starting to brown.
While the nachos bake, make the guacamole: halve and stone the avocados, scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash with the juice of the lime, chopped fresh coriander, sliced spring onions, a pinch of fine sea salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Remove the tray from the oven and finish: scatter the quick-pickled red onion over the top, dollop spoonfuls of crème fraîche, spoon over the guacamole in a few places and sprinkle the remaining fresh coriander and sliced spring onions.
Serve immediately with lime wedges for squeezing.
Tips
- Layer chips and topping to keep the lower chips from becoming soggy — two thinner layers work better than one huge pile.
- Brown the beef well before adding the passata: that caramelisation is where most of the flavour lives.
- Make the pickled red onion up to 24 hours ahead and keep refrigerated; drain a little of the pickling liquor if it's too sharp.
- If feeding a crowd, keep the beef warm in a low oven (120°C fan/140°C conventional) and assemble/bake in batches so chips stay crisp.
- Leftovers store in the fridge for up to 24 hours; reheat in a medium oven until warmed through and refresh with extra guacamole and crème fraîche.
Substitutions
minced beef → minced turkey or plant-based mince (400 g)
Stays closetinned black beans → tinned kidney beans (drained, 400 g)
Stays closecrème fraîche → natural Greek yoghurt (150 g)
Stays closemature cheddar → monterey jack or a milder cheddar (200 g)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 1220
- Calories
- 44 g
- Protein
- 70 g
- Carbs
- 85 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 950 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make these vegetarian?
Yes — swap the minced beef for 400 g of plant-based mince or a spiced mixture of cooked lentils and mushrooms; cook as per the beef and proceed the same way.
How do I keep the chips crisp when serving?
Layer sparingly, bake only until the cheese melts and finish with wet toppings after baking. Serve immediately — nachos are best hot from the oven.
Can I prepare anything in advance?
Yes — quick-pickled red onion keeps up to 24 hours in the fridge and the beef mixture can be made and chilled a day ahead; bring the beef back to a gentle simmer before assembling.
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