Loaded Beef and Bean Nachos
By America's Test Kitchen KidsPublished on January 4, 2023
Time
45 minutes
Yield
Serves 8
What Kids Are Saying
"It was crispy, cheesy, and full of spices and beans, which was awesome." —Hazel, recipe tester, age 9
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Serve these nachos with your favorite toppings, such as salsa, pickled jalapeños, chopped cilantro, diced avocado, and/or sour cream.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
- In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes (oil should be hot but not smoking).
- Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt and cook, stirring often with wooden spoon, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add ground beef to skillet and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste and sugar and cook for 1 minute. Add water and cook until skillet is almost dry, 1 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat and slide skillet to cool burner.
- Spread half of chips in even layer in 8-inch square baking dish. Use spoon to dollop half of refried beans over chips, then spoon half of beef mixture over beans (see photo, “Step-by-Step: How to Top Nachos,” below). Sprinkle evenly with half of cheese. Repeat layering with remaining chips, beans, beef, and cheese.
- Place baking dish in oven. Bake until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown, 9 to 11 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove baking dish from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let nachos cool for 2 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings, if desired.
Time
45 minutesYield
Serves 8What Kids Are Saying
"It was crispy, cheesy, and full of spices and beans, which was awesome." —Hazel, recipe tester, age 9Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Every bite of these nachos is bursting with meaty, cheesy deliciousness. We took care to pile our nacho ingredients in layers before baking so that no chip was left untopped. After layering and baking, kids can top their nachos with the toppings of their choosing. The only nacho component that needs to be cooked beforehand is the ground beef—we zhuzh ours with a handful of ingredients, including a trio of spices and herbs (chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano). Have kids smell each of the spices and herbs and describe how they smell. Then, you can explain to kids that all spices and herbs come from different parts of plants: Chili powder includes dried, ground chile peppers (the fruit of a plant); cumin is a ground-up seed; and dried oregano is the dried leaves of the oregano plant. Dried herbs and spices pack a lot more flavor than their fresh counterparts, so just a little bit in a recipe goes a long way!
Before You Begin
Serve these nachos with your favorite toppings, such as salsa, pickled jalapeños, chopped cilantro, diced avocado, and/or sour cream.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
- In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes (oil should be hot but not smoking).
- Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt and cook, stirring often with wooden spoon, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add ground beef to skillet and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste and sugar and cook for 1 minute. Add water and cook until skillet is almost dry, 1 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat and slide skillet to cool burner.
- Spread half of chips in even layer in 8-inch square baking dish. Use spoon to dollop half of refried beans over chips, then spoon half of beef mixture over beans (see photo, “Step-by-Step: How to Top Nachos,” below). Sprinkle evenly with half of cheese. Repeat layering with remaining chips, beans, beef, and cheese.
- Place baking dish in oven. Bake until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown, 9 to 11 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove baking dish from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let nachos cool for 2 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings, if desired.
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