Loaded Steak Nachos Recipe

Loaded Steak Nachos are piled high with juicy skirt steak, creamy cheese sauce, crispy tortilla chips, cooling sour cream and guacamole. The perfect recipe for game day, Super Bowl or weeknight dinner.

This sheet pan nacho recipe is easily customizable for each guest. This recipe is in my favorite Mexican inspired recipe line-up along with Crunchwrap Supremes and copycat Gordita Crunch.

A Quick Glance At This Steak Nachos Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Sheet pan steak nachos combine fresh ingredients to make a truly memorable meal.
• Carne Asada nachos are great for any get together from birthday parties to football Sundays to family dinner. Use leftover carne asada for California Burritos!
• Prep items like pico de gallo, salsa roja, lettuce, and slicing jalapenos 2 days ahead.

Why This Recipe Works

• Cheese sauce coats the chips better than shredded cheese along = cheesy nachos.
• Skirt steak stays juicy and flavorful due to the fat content and marbling.
• Layering toppings creates depth of flavor and texture contrasts.
• The freshness of the pico de gallo cuts the richness of the cheese and meat. Try it on Tacos de Cameron.
• Guacamole or adds a cooling contrast to the spiciness of the jalapenos.

Recipe Ingredients

• Tortilla Chips: Steak nachos are only as good as the tortilla chips! use your favorite whether it's blue, yellow, or baked.
• Skirt Steak: the marbling in this cut adds tenderness and ensures your steak doesn't dry out. Find it at your local grocery store or butcher. You can also use leftover Air Fryer Ribeye Steak for this steak nacho recipe. 
• Guacamole: homemade beats store-bought everytime. If you like a little extra kick, try this spicy guacamole recipe!
• Cheese Sauce: Cheese sauce coats the chips and creates a barrier that is so tasty. I use Chihuahua cheese for it's mild yet traditional flavor. Monterey jack cheese or pepper jack cheese can be used in place of Chihuahua.
• Limes: Juicing fresh limes provides the best most authentic flavor.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Substitutions & Variations

• Flank steak is a great substitute for skirt steak. Chipotle Carne Asada works really well too.
• Try using Doritos in place of tortilla chips! Nacho Cheese or Cool Ranch make great Doritos nachos.
• I use a can of southwest style beans, but you can always season your own black beans, refried beans or even soak and cook your own beans.
• If you are short on time, use quality store-bought guacamole and salsa.
• Mix a small amount of milk or combination of milk and lime juice with a dash of salt to make your sour cream pourable.
• Ground beef, braised chicken thighs, shredded pork, or add more beans to this nacho recipe. Try using leftover pork from Pozole Rojo.
• Grill your skirt steak or flank steak instead of pan searing it.

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

How To Make Loaded Steak Nachos

Step 1: Prep ingredients and mix up the pico de Gallo.

Step 2: Add pico to smashed avocados for guacamole.

Step 3: Gently heat cheese in evaporate milk.

Step 4: Whisk until melted and smooth.

Step 5: Sear steak and dice.

Step 6: Spread chips on a pan and add cheese.

Step 7: Add in Southwest beans.

Step 8: Add the steak and all toppings as desired.

How To Layer Steak Nachos Properly

The way you layer steak nachos is important. Follow these simple steps to get a properly portioned, crunchy, and cheesy nacho in each bite.

• Lay chips out on a sheet tray or baking sheet in one layer, fairly even. Do not stack in multiple layers.
• Second add cheese sauce and beans then sprinkle that layer with cotija cheese.
• Next add juicy skirt steak, pico de gallo, salsa and sour cream. This layer has a bit more wetness but the coating of cheese sauce helps protect the chip from getting mushy.
• Top with lettuce if desired then add guacamole and pickled jalapenos.

Expert Cooking Tips

• Even though we are cutting the steak small, I always make my first cuts against the grain. This ensures the steak is tender and easy to chew so you can enjoy the ultimate steak nachos.
• Remove seeds and membranes from the jalapeños to keep the heat level low.
• Avocados should be dark skinned and have a slight give when lightly pressed.
• Leftover reverse sear beef tenderloin from the day before? This loaded steak nachos recipe is the perfect use for it!

Steak Nachos Recipe FAQs

Steak Recipes You'll Love

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📖Recipe

Loaded Steak Nachos Recipe

Krista Stechman

Loaded Nachos topped with juicy skirt steak, chihuahua cheese sauce, pico de gallo, salsa roja, guacamole, spiced pinto beans, sour cream, jalapeno and lettuce. Nacho heaven! Great for dinners, parties and snacks.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course dinner, snacks

Cuisine american, mexican

Servings 8 servings

Calories 1085 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  1 sharp chef's knife
• ▢
  1 cutting board
• ▢
  1 large skillet
• ▢
  2 small sauce pot

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Pico de Gallo

• ▢ 5 medium vine ripened tomatoes small dice
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion fine dice
• ▢ 2 fresh jalapenos fine dice
• ▢ 1 cup cilantro chopped (measure prior to chopping)
• ▢ ¼ cup lime juice fresh
• ▢ 2 tsp kosher salt

Guacamole

• ▢ 3 avocados peeled and pitted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lime juice fresh
• ▢ 1 cup pico de gallo take from pico that was just made
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced

Cheese Sauce

• ▢ 16 oz chihuahua cheese
• ▢ 12 oz evaporated milk
• ▢ ½ tsp salt

Skirt Steak

• ▢ 2 lbs skirt steak outside skirt, cleaned
• ▢ 2 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper coarse ground

Chips & Toppings

• ▢ 16 oz tortilla chips
• ▢ 15 oz southwest beans warmed
• ▢ 1½ cups salsa roja
• ▢ 1 cup sour cream thinned
• ▢ ½ cup pickled jalapenos sliced
• ▢ 1 cup iceberg lettuce shredded
• ▢ ½ cup cotija cheese grated

Instructions

 

Make Pico de Gallo

• Mix all ingredients in a small mixing bowl, reserving 1 cup, then set aside until needed

Make Guacamole

• Mash avocados, salt and lime juice in a medium mixing bowl using either a fork or gloved hands
• Add 1 cup of pico de gallo and garlic. Mix to combine

Make Cheese Sauce

• Add cheese sauce ingredients to medium sauce pan then heat over low-medium heat, whisking frequently. Once cheese sauce becomes fully melted and smooth turn off heat

Cooking Steak

• Season both sides of skirt steak then sear on a grill or in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Let cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, then flip over and cook other side for 2-3 minutes, undisturbed
• Remove steak from heat and let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting. Cut skirt steak into small pieces for nachos

Building Nachos

• Lay out chips on individual plates or on a sheet tray. Top with cheese sauce then add beans, cotija, steak, pico, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, guacamole and jalapenos.

Notes

When buying skirt steak, look for outside skirt as opposed to inside skirt. If it doesn't specify, it's likely outside skirt steak. Buy a piece that has already been cleaned, ask the butcher or meat department if you're unsure. 

You can make your own southwest beans but for ease I use store bought pre-seasoned beans. You can find these in the canned bean aisle. 

Make salsa roja from scratch or buy your favorite salsa. 

Using fresh lime juice is very important. I never cook with juice from concentrate. The flavor is nowhere near the same. 

I like to thin my sour cream out with a little milk and pinch of salt so it can be poured over the top of the nachos easily. This is optional. 

Let skirt steak rest for 5-7 minutes before dicing. 

Nutrition

Calories: 1085kcalCarbohydrates: 100gProtein: 60gFat: 53gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 2844mgPotassium: 2163mgFiber: 19gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 2120IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 703mgIron: 7mg

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