Loaded sheet-pan nachos for a crowd
Two layers of chips, spiced black beans and melted cheese so no chip goes bare, piled with cool toppings straight out of the oven.
- 30 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 8
- About $2.07 a serving
- 580 calories
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: It’s ready in 30 minutes, start to finish.
Ingredients
For 8 servings.
- 2 cans black beans
- 13 oz tortilla chips
- 3 cups Mexican blend cheese
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeños (optional)
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- 1 cup guacamole
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Each serving has about 580 calories, 21 g protein, 53 g carbs and 32 g fat, and costs about $2.07 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No pico de gallo? Salsa works.
- No guacamole? Avocados work.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 400°F and line a large with foil or .
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Parchment paper. Parchment paper is a nonstick, oven-safe paper for lining pans. Food lifts right off and cleanup is easy, but don’t swap in wax paper or put parchment under the broiler.
How you’ll know: It lies flat in the pan, and the food slides off when you lift it.
and the beans, then them in a bowl with the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and salt.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Spread half the chips over the pan and scatter half the beans and half the cheese over them.
Add the rest of the chips, then the rest of the beans and cheese, making sure the cheese reaches the edges.
Dolly’s tip: Two layers means every chip gets some cheese, not just the ones on top.8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is and bubbling.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 9 min
Scatter the jalapeños over the hot nachos, then dollop on the pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream.
Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve right away on the pan, with the lime wedges.
Dolly’s tip: Nachos are best hot, so bake a second pan later rather than one giant one. Don’t leave them out more than 2 hours.Food safety: Food with mayonnaise, dairy, eggs, cooked meat or cream, like dips, salads and cream desserts, can sit out for 2 hours at most, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep cold food in the fridge or on ice until serving, and hot food at 140°F or hotter.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
When you host a dinner, Dollop builds the menu around your guests’ allergies, works out a cooking timeline back from when everyone sits down, and puts it all on one grocery list.
