Loaded Beef & Bean Nachos

A sheet pan full of beef and bean nachos.

A hearty and meaty tray of nachos made with beef and beans.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword nachos

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 360kcal

Author Lauren

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
250 g ground beef, preferably lean
1 cup carrot, grated
1 cup zucchini / summer squash, grated
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup tomato paste / tomato puree, preferably low / reduced salt
1/4 cup water
1 420g can Mexican bean mix, preferably no added / salt reduced
1/2 cup corn kernels, preferably no added / salt reduced
400 g tortilla chips, preferably high protein & fibre (Note 3)
1 cup cheese, grated & preferably low / reduced fat (Note 4)

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Making the Beef & Bean Nachos Topping

Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
Heat the extra virgin olive in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add the ground beef. Cook the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is almost completely browned.
Add the grated carrot, zucchini and spices, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2minutes or until the carrot and zucchini are soft and wilted.
Stir in the tomato paste and water. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated.
Pour in the canned Mexican bean mix and corn. Stir well to mix, and then remove the skillet from the heat.

Assembling the Beef & Bean Nachos

Cover a large baking sheet / sheet pan with parchment / baking paper.
Spread half of the tortilla chips in a single layer on the sheet pan. Top the tortilla chips with half the beef and bean mix and sprinkle half the grated cheese.
Add another layer with the remaining tortilla chips, beef and bean mix, and grated cheese.
Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Serve the nachos immediately from the oven with any additional toppings or sides.

Notes

Health benefits - Details regarding the benefits of beans and other ingredients in this recipe are in the post above.
Other cooking methods & instructions with photos - Detailed in the post above.
Tortilla chips - I think wholegrain or wholemeal wraps make the best chips for nachos as they hold their crunch for longer and are much more nutritious than store-bought corn / tortilla chips. If you want to use wraps / tortillas for your nachos, check out my recipe for tortilla chips!
Gluten free – Swap the wraps for gluten free wraps.
Cheese - I used reduced-fat tasty / cheddar cheese. Note that using regular tasty / cheddar cheese will increase the amount of fat in the dish.
Diabetes-friendly – The wraps I used are low carb, so they would be suitable. Otherwise, other high protein, fibre, and low carb wraps should work.
Vegetarian – Substitute the ground beef or extra beans.
Vegan - Substitute the ground beef for extra beans or plant-based meat (such as beyond meat). Swap the cheese for vegan cheese. Make sure the wraps or corn chips you use are also vegan.
Onion / garlic free – Leave out the garlic, or you can use a garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil. Don't use any toppings with onion. Double check to make sure any jarred toppings do not contain onion or garlic.
Serve with - See post above for suggested sides and other toppings.
Nutrition - Calculated per serve, assuming 4 serves with tortilla chips made from Simson's Pantry's Low Carb High Protein and Fibre wraps

Nutrition