- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Mix spices into a bowl
- Add the oil into a frying pan at medium heat. Add beef and season it with the spice mix. Break the meat into small crumbles with a wooden spoon
- Cook the meat for about 7-8 minutes, until it changes color
- Drain the fat from the pan, and add refried beans and water to the meat
- Reduce the heat to low just to keep it warm
- Put the foil onto the baking sheet and put the layer of the tortilla chips so they cover the whole sheet
- Preheat them for five minutes in the oven
- Take the chips out of the oven
- Mix all the cheeses into one bowl and use half of the mixture to make a layer on the chips
- Let the cheese melt a little on the heated chips
- Spread the beef and beans mixture on the cheese evenly
- Add the remaining cheese mixture over the meat
- Put in the oven for another 5 minutes
- When you take it out, sprinkle with sliced jalapeno, chopped cilantro, guacamole, sour cream, sliced green onions, lettuce, and black olives
Did you ever want to learn how to make nachos?
We will guide you through the whole process!
This colorful and delicious Mexican dish is made with crunchy tortilla chips, layered with cheese, vegetables, dips, and sauces.
It is comfort food that gets the mouth watering as soon as you see it. Since it is easy to serve and convenient for eating, it is often a part of sporting events.
History of Nachos
Nachos were firstly served by the chef Ignacio Anaya in 1943. He had to cook the dish for the starved military wives because his restaurant “Victory Club” was without a chef.
He did that by frying tortillas, and then he covered it with cheddar cheese and sliced jalapenos. This took place in Mexico, in the small town of Piedras Negras near Fort Duncan in Texas.
When it comes to the name nachos, it came from the chef’s first name, since “Nacho” is short for Ignacio.
He called the dish Nachos Especiales. The Nachos then find their way from Texas to California, and then to the rest of the country. It is said that Nachos are the food invented by Mexicans for Americans.
The original recipe
The recipe came from the Church of the Redeemer’s cookbook “St. Anne’s Cookbook” in 1954. It confirmed the name of the restaurant, the name of Ignacio Ananya, and, of course, the original nacho recipe.
It goes like this:
Cut corn tortillas into four wedges, fry them in an inch of vegetable oil. When they are crisp, put on the baking sheet, top with cheddar cheese, and jalapeno pepper slices. Bake at 400 degrees until everything becomes melted and bubbling. Serve with salsa and sour cream. It is as simple as that.
Nacho cheese story
Nacho cheese often refers to a cheese mix that forms a layer in the Nachos dish. It contains cheese that melts well, like cheddar, American cheese, Monterey Jack, etc.
However, the orange nacho cheese was created by Frank Liberto, also called “The Father of Nachos“.
He realized that cheddar cheese could not stay on the shelves for long, so he created a mix that would change the way nachos were eaten in the USA.
Frank Liberto made a mixture that was easy to serve and had a long shelf life.
From then on, Nachos became a widely popular snack food used in various events, and especially sporting events. For that reason, Nachos were called “Stadium Nachos”.
His company, called “Rico’s”, first sold stadium Nachos in 1976 at a Texas Rangers baseball game in Arlington.
The trick is that, according to the FDA, this cheese sauce didn’t even contain any cheese.
Regardless, it was a huge hit in 1976. And, since the sauce contained jalapeno, the popularity of stadium nachos boosted the sale of beverages. Soon, in a year, the stadium nachos moved to the theater industry.
The role of football
Since the popularity of the stadium nachos grew at an incredible rate in 1978, the stadium of Dallas Cowboys started to serve it as a snack as well.
There is a story that Howard Cosell made a remark on-air that nachos are delicious snacks.
From that moment on, every stadium across the whole country included the nachos. And since football is USA’s favorite sport, you can imagine the impact on people’s snack choice.
Nachos today
At first, nachos contained only cheddar cheese and jalapeno. However, today there are endless combinations of ingredients used to make nachos.
People put different kinds of cheese, vegetables, and even meat. Over the years, nachos managed to go a long road from being just an appetizer to being a dessert, too. Sweet nachos are made with different cookies and sweet toppings.
International Day of the Nacho and National Nachos Day
Being such a popular dish, it is no wonder that the delicious nachos have their own day. The International Day of the Nacho is October 21st, declared in the 1990s.
But you don’t have to wait until next October to enjoy this yummy dish. You can make it at home, easy and fast.
In Piedras Negras, there is also the International Nacho Festival, which is held between 13 and 15 of October. In the United States, National Nachos Day is November the 6th.
Common Nacho toppings
The traditional nacho had a couple of ingredients, but today there is an endless list of ingredients that you can use. Here are the common toppings and cheeses:
- Jalapeno
- Guacamole
- Lime
- Onions
- Black Olives
- Garlic
- Tomatoes
- Beans (black, pinto, refried)
- Corn
- Cilantro
- Lettuce
- Scallions
- Meat (ground beef, chicken, bacon, pepperoni)
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Different types of cheeses (Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Swiss cheese, Nacho cheese, Cheddar, Provel)
Some toppings are added after baking like sour cream, salsa, avocados, guacamole.
The best drinks to serve with Nachos
- Mojito – since it contains mint, it goes well with the hot sauce found in every nacho
- Wine – goes well with crispy food
- Tequila – the tequila goes well with hot spices
Leftovers
Many traditional meals can be left in the fridge or in the freezer and used later. Unfortunately, that is not the case for nachos.
The main reason is that nachos become soggy after reheating them. The other reason is that they are really easy and fast to prepare, so there is no real reason for leaving them for later or preparing them in advance.
Common mistakes
1. Choosing the wrong type of chips
Tortilla chips are an essential part of this dish. They have to be crispy and strong to hold the toppings. Therefore, you should choose thick and sturdy chips.
2. Not using enough toppings
Basically, you need chips and cheese, but don’t be too lazy when covering the chips. You need freshness, depth, and acid. You will achieve the first one with ingredients like tomatoes, onions, cilantro, etc. The second one with meat, and beans. And the third one with lime, salsa, jalapenos, etc.
3. Choosing the wrong type of cheese
You should choose the cheeses that melt well, like the ones we mentioned above. You should avoid cheese like feta or Gruyere cheese. Another tip is to shred the cheese instead of chopping or tearing.
4. Not layering the toppings evenly
Make sure that you distribute every layer you use evenly. Otherwise, you could easily have an empty chip when it is served. Your goal is to have as many different ingredients on a chip as possible.
5. Using too much creams and sauces
If you put too much sour cream or other sauces it might drip too much when you heat the nachos.
6. Using pieces that are too big
Since we don’t use forks and knives when eating nachos, we have to use our hands. And when we do that, it is hard to eat anything that is chopped up in large sizes. So, make sure to shred and chop up everything to bite-size pieces.
7. Not using aluminum foil
Many people make the mistake of using only a baking sheet. But remember, melted cheese is an essential part of nachos. Now, imagine how hard it is to scrape it off the baking sheet. Not that fun. Then, the best alternative is to use aluminum foil and you will reduce the time of your clean up.
Difference between Nachos and Doritos
Many people confuse Doritos with nachos because Doritos are the corn chips. They can have different flavors (including the nacho cheese flavor). On the other hand, nacho refers to the whole dish – tortilla chips, with cheese and other toppings. It is possible to make the nacho dish with a Doritos layer instead of tortilla chips if you like the Doritos taste.
Additional tips
If you find it hard to catch the beans with the chips while you eat nachos, maybe you could try the bean dip (mashed beans). Sometimes the chips get soggy if you put all the ingredients and bake them at once.
To avoid that, try to bake only the chips first and then add the toppings. In the end, add the cold ingredients like fresh herbs, sour cream, guacamole, or salsa.
RECIPE
The Ultimate Homemade Nachos
INGREDIENTS
Spice mix
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp granulated onion
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Nachos
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 2 cups (16 ounces) refried beans
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 large bag of tortilla chips (sturdy)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese – grated
- 2 cups Colby Jack cheese – grated
- 1/4 cup cilantro – chopped
- 1 jalapeño – sliced
Garnish with – guacamole, sour cream, sliced green onions, lettuce, black olive
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Mix all the spices into a bowl
- Add the oil into a frying pan and heat it to medium heat. Add the beef and season it with the spice mix. Break the meat into small crumbles with a wooden spoon
- Cook the meat for about 7-8 minutes, until it changes the color
- Drain the fat from the pan add refried beans and water to meat
- Reduce the heat to low to keep it warm
- Put the foil onto the baking sheet and put the layer of the tortilla chips so they cover the whole sheet
- Preheat them for five minutes in the oven
- Take the chips out of the oven
- Mix all the cheeses into one bowl and use half of the mixture to make a layer on the chips
- Allow the cheese to melt a little on the heated chips
- Spread the beef and beans mixture on the cheese evenly
- Add the remaining cheese mixture over the meat
- Put in the oven for another 5 minutes
- When you take it out, sprinkle with sliced jalapeno, chopped cilantro, guacamole, sour cream, sliced green onions, lettuce, black olive