These nachos are built around a chili-style ground beef sauce layered over baked corn chips, topped with melted mozzarella and cheddar, then finished with avocado, tomato, and yogurt. The honest reason to make them: one baking tray, one pan for the mince, and dinner is done in under an hour.
Before you start
The mince sauce is the foundation here, and it needs enough time on the heat to actually reduce. If you rush it and pull it off the stove while it’s still loose and watery, the chips will go soggy the moment you assemble. Let the sauce cook down until it holds its shape on a spoon — this takes about 15–20 minutes of simmering after you add the passata and beans. The second thing that matters is chip distribution: spread them in a single, mostly overlapping layer rather than piling them deep. Thick piles mean chips at the bottom never get warm, and the cheese only melts on top. One even layer gives you consistent heat all the way through.
What can go wrong
- Watery sauce soaks the chips: If the passata and tomato paste haven’t reduced enough, the liquid pools under the chips as soon as it hits the oven. Simmer uncovered and stir occasionally until the sauce is thick and no liquid runs freely around the edges of the pan.
- Cheese browns before everything heats through: A very hot grill will melt and colour the cheese in two minutes while the chips underneath are still cold. Use a moderate grill setting and check at the two-minute mark — you want melted and just starting to bubble, not browned and stiff.
- Avocado turns grey before serving: Cut and add the avocado right before you bring the tray to the table, not when the nachos go into the oven. Even a few minutes of heat will dull the colour and texture.
- Mince clumps instead of breaking up: Ground beef needs to be broken apart continuously in the first few minutes of cooking. If you leave it to sit, it bonds into chunks that don’t absorb the sauce flavours evenly. Use a wooden spoon or spatula and keep moving it.
- Chips at the edges burn while the centre is still cold: Oven hot spots are real. Rotate the tray halfway through if your oven runs uneven, and keep the chip layer away from the very edges of the tray where direct heat is strongest.
Storage and reheating
Store leftover mince sauce separately from the chips — assembled nachos do not keep well, since the chips absorb moisture and go limp within an hour. The beef sauce keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months. Reheat the sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until it reaches 165°F internally if you want to be safe, though 160°F is the minimum for ground beef — skip the microwave for the sauce if you can, as it heats unevenly and can dry out the edges. When you’re ready to eat again, just layer fresh chips, spoon over the reheated sauce, and grill with cheese as normal. The fresh toppings — avocado, tomato, yogurt — should always be added new; skip the garnish from the night before, not worth the extra dish.
Tasty Lazy Sunday Nachos
Ingredients
200 grams tortilla chips - baked
500 gams ground beef (minced beef) - organic
1 tablespoon coconut oil - extra virgin
1 can red kidney beans - rinsed and drained
1 jar passata or crushed tomatoes (tomato puree with seeds removed) - organic
3 medium yellow onion - brown, chopped
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1 medium red pepper flakes - diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste - organic
1 handful baby spinach - or greens of your choice- 1 medium capsicum - diced
250 grams cheddar cheese - grated
1 tub plain yogurt - organic
1 medium avocado
2 medium tomato - chopped
1 medium lime
1 bunch chives - chopped
Instructions
- Fry onion, garlic, chilli and spices in coconut oil on medium-high heat until onion is softened.
- Add mince and stir until cooked through and browned.
- Add tomato paste, stir thoroughly, add passata, beans, capsicum and spinach, season with sea salt and pepper, and then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Turn oven on grill setting at 170 degrees Celsius.
- In a baking tray, layer half the mince sauce as a base, then top with a few corn chips and grated cheese and then the remaining mince sauce plus plenty of grated cheese for the final topping. Pop the nachos into the oven for approximately 10 minutes or until the cheese has just melted.
- Serve with avocado, chopped tomatoes, some generous scoops of natural yoghurt for your ‘sour cream and plenty of fresh chives. Add a squeeze of lime over the nachos to finish off. You could also add a side of mixed greens. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Can I use regular fried corn chips instead of baked ones?
Yes, fried chips work fine here. They are slightly more robust under the sauce weight, though they do add more oil to an already rich dish — either way the technique is identical.
Do I need to drain the kidney beans before adding them to the sauce?
Drain and rinse them. The liquid in the can is starchy and slightly salty, and adding it will make your sauce looser and harder to reduce to the right consistency.
What internal temperature should the ground beef reach?
Ground beef needs to hit 160°F (71°C) — use an instant-read thermometer if you’re unsure. At that point the meat will have lost its pink colour throughout and the sauce will have been simmering long enough to be safe.
Can I assemble the nachos ahead of time before guests arrive?
Assemble only the chip and sauce layers up to 30 minutes ahead, then add the cheese and grill just before serving. Any longer and the chips start softening under the sauce weight before they even hit the oven.
Try these next
- Spicy Beef Stuffed Peppers
- Ultimate Cheesy Beef Bake
- Hearty Beef Cauliflower Bake
- Hearty Beef Kale Soup
