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Loaded Steak Nachos Recipe

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Loaded Steak Nachos make sure everyone has their favorite toppings. Nothing beats a huge plate of homemade nachos!

Whether it's family dinner time, game day food, or gathering friends on the weekend, this serves a crowd and is amazingly delicious. A perfect Super Bowl meal or appetizer!

A tray of steak nachos topped with cheese sauce, guacamole, pico de gallo, beans, sour cream and salsa.

I know what you're thinking - this recipe has a LOT of steps. And it does, but I promise the flavor makes it all worth it. I also note where you can take shortcuts with store-bought products just in case you can't make all of the components!

I think Mexican is one of the best cuisines because everyone can add their own toppings to make each meal a favorite. It makes for a fun family dinner!

If you want more favorites, I enjoy making my own Crunchwrap Supremes or a copycat Gordita Crunch. Keep Taco Tuesday fresh by making your own chicken taco seasoning.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

  • Sheet pan steak nachos combine fresh ingredients to make a truly memorable meal. Whether you've made your own guacamole or salsa or want my new recipes, you and your whole family can enjoy these homemade nachos with all your favorite nacho toppings!
  • Carne Asada nachos are great for any get together from birthday parties to football Sundays to family dinner. Use any leftover carne asada for California Burritos!
  • You can make the pico de gallo earlier in the day to save time, and prep things like shredding cheese and dicing onions.

Recipe Ingredients

Tortilla chips, chihuahua cheese, sour cream, lime juice, tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, salsa, cilantro, cotija cheese, lettuce, skirt steak, evaporated milk, pickled jalapenos, beans, avocados and onion.

Ingredient Notes

  • 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 - making your own guacamole is super easy, by combining your pico de gallo with avocado and lime juice. If you like a little extra kick, try this spicy guacamole recipe!
  • Cheese sauce - super easy, just add shredded cheese to evaporated milk and you'll have a rich, smooth topping to tie everything together.
  • Toppings - try pickled jalapeños or other veggies, lettuce, more cheese, whatever you like!

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, you can always purchase salsa or guacamole if you have favorite brands.
  • Want sour cream that you can drizzle? I like to mix in some milk and a pinch of salt until the texture is just right. You could also add a touch of lime juice for a lime crema of sorts.
  • Not a fan of carne asada? You can use 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. Grilled steak makes a great loaded steak nachos recipe!

How To Make Loaded Steak Nachos

Pico de Gallo ingredients in a bowl about to be mixed up.
All guacamole ingredients mixed together in a bowl.

Step 1: First up, dice the veggies, fresh cilantro and make your pico de gallo.

Step 2: Mix some of the fresh pico de gallo in with freshly smashed avocado to make guacamole.

Cheese sauce ingredients in a pot.
Melted chihuahua cheese sauce.

Step 3: Make the cheese sauce by heating up evaporated milk and shredded cheese over medium-high heat.

Step 4: Whisk until cheese melts and is smooth and add a pinch of salt as needed.

Pan seared steak in a pan.
Tortilla chips covered with cheese sauce.

Step 5: Sear the steak until cooked to desired doneness, then dice small.

Step 6: Spread tortilla chips out on a sheet pan in a single layer.

Chili beans on the steak nachos.
A tray of steak nachos topped with cheese sauce, guacamole, pico de gallo, beans, sour cream and salsa.

Step 7: Start with southwest beans and melted cheese sauce over the top of the chips.

Step 8: Add steak, then guacamole, salsa, and any other toppings you desire! Serve Loaded Steak Nachos on a sheet pan then everyone can grab what they want!

Expert Tips

  • Even though we are cutting the steak small, I always make my first cuts against the grain, just like with Chipotle Carne Asada. This ensures the steak is tender and easy to chew so you can enjoy the ultimate steak nachos.
  • If you don't like heat, remove all seeds and membranes from the jalapeños to keep the heat level low.
  • I try to select avocados that are soft. They should be dark skinned and have just the right amount of give at the stem end.
  • Loaded steak nachos are best served immediately after topping so they don't get soggy.
  • Only use fresh limes for all parts of this recipe! I promise the flavor is well worth squeezing fresh limes, and I never even buy the bottle.
  • Leftover reverse sear beef tenderloin from the day before? This loaded steak nachos recipe is the perfect use for it!

Recipe FAQs

How Do I Ensure My Steak Isn't Tough?

Look for outside skirt cuts as they are already easier to eat than inside skirt. Once cooked, let the steak rest while you set up the chips with cheese and beans. Then, slice into strips against the grain, and finally cut those strips into bite-sized pieces. Aim for medium-rare temperature, pulling the steak off the heat at 120°F.

How Do I Store Loaded Steak Nachos?

There really isn't a good way to store leftover nachos! Because we start our layers with cheese sauce and beans, the chips will quickly soak up the moisture. I highly recommend making only enough that you will enjoy immediately for the best nachos. You can do this by making individual plates or try making just half a sheet pan at time while keeping the meat and cheese warm.

How Should I Prepare My Pan?

I simply assemble these right on a plain sheet pan. We aren't baking it, so the ingredients won't stick to the pan meaning it's quite easy to wash up by hand. However, if you want to make this even easier you can feel free to line your pan with parchment paper or heavy duty foil before assembling.

How Do You Keep Loaded Steak Nachos From Getting Soggy?

To avoid your Loaded Steak Nachos becoming soggy, eat them immediately after assembling them. The longer they sit, the more chance they have of becoming soggy.

What Do You Serve With Loaded Steak Nachos?

Loaded Steak Nachos can be a meal in themselves but here are a few sides that go well with them. Roasted Chili Corn Salsa, Crack Corn Salad, Summer Fruit Salad and Watermelon Salad.

Loaded Steak Nacho Recipe topped with sour cream, salsa, jalapenos and cotija cheese.

More Steak Recipes You'll Love

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📖Recipe

Loaded Steak Nachos recipe topped with sour cream, salsa, guacamole and jalapenos.

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.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course dinner, snacks
Cuisine american, mexican
Servings 8 servings
Calories 1085 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

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 remaining toppings in any order, adding the guacamole last

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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Comments

  1. Krista

    5 stars
    Perfect for game day or family dinner! The more toppings the better. This guac is delicious!

    Reply
5 from 1 vote

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