Loaded Nachos Supreme

Why This Loaded Nachos Supreme Works

During cooking, the ground beef browns and firms up, so it doesn’t go soggy on the chips. The taco seasoning and water simmer with the meat and cling to it as the liquid cooks down, so the beef stays juicy instead of drying out in the oven. Because the meat is already cooked and seasoned before it hits the pan of chips, it only needs a short time in the oven to warm through.

In the oven, the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack melt and sink down into the layers of tortilla chips and beef. That melted cheese acts like glue, holding the chips, meat, and black beans together so scooping up a bite doesn’t send everything sliding off. The chips on the bottom soften a bit from the heat and toppings, while the ones on top stay crisper, so there’s a mix of textures. Fresh toppings like tomatoes, avocado, green onions, cilantro, and cool sour cream go on after baking, so they stay bright and fresh against the hot, cheesy chips.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the beef stay greasy instead of draining it leaves a slick layer of fat on the chips. In the oven this melts and soaks into the tortillas, making the whole tray soft and soggy instead of crisp.

Piling all the chips and toppings into a tall mound on a small pan makes the center heat unevenly. The top cheese may melt, but the middle can stay cool and the bottom chips turn hard and overbrowned before everything is hot.

Adding the tomatoes and avocado before baking seems easier, but the heat makes the tomatoes leak a lot of liquid and the avocado go mushy and gray. The extra moisture weighs the chips down so they bend and clump instead of staying light and crunchy.

Skipping the second layer of chips and toppings turns the tray into one thick, heavy layer. The cheese melts into a solid sheet on top, while many chips underneath stay bare and dry, so every bite is either all topping or almost plain chip.