How to Easily Make Better Nachos Every Time
Updated: Feb 1
Nachos are a quintessential party and family favorite. Create a colorful dish to share that looks great on a large serving tray for your next get-together or use tin foil and a baking sheet for customized individual servings. Follow our recipe below to get the most consistent, crunchy, and customizable nachos out there.
What makes great nachos?
Our vote is for a crunchy base of chips, generous toppings, and gooey melted shredded cheese on top.
Getting meals like nachos, quesadillas, and grilled cheese hot on the plate and ready to eat for a family of 4+ at the same time is a challenge but very doable with the right technique.
The Key Technique to Perfecting Nachos Your Family Will Love
We love making nachos because it’s a meal we can all prepare together.
We start by splitting tasks and prepping all the ingredients. One person in charge of the protein, usually lean ground beef. Another person slicing tomato, and avocado. Someone else Chopping spinach, opening and draining low-sodium black beans, and sweet corn.
It's quite a hive of activity in the kitchen but before long plates are ready and it's almost time for the oven.
Party Favorite Nachos With Quick and Easy Clean-up
Before everyone dives into creating their nacho masterpiece there is one crucial step we take that almost eliminates having to do dishes.
The clean-up time-saving tip here is to tear a plate-size square of tin foil for every plate. Have each person build their base of chips on the tin foil while the oven broiler heats.
Once they’re ready, slide two tin foil nacho stacks on the baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet or sheets until the cheese is melted as desired. To serve slide tin foil nacho stacks back onto plates.
This saves dishware from exposure to excessive heat in the oven and makes the plates safe for contact with hands and surfaces while dining. Plus you avoid scraping melted shredded cheese off plates for what feels like hours. That's a solid win in my book.
When finished toss the tin foil. The plates should still be clean and ready for use at the next meal. baking sheets should also be clean and able to be stored again once cooled. The only items that will need washing are the cutting boards, knives, pan used to cook the protein, and spatula.
More Helpful Tips for Making Yummy Nachos at Home
Microwaving works great when toppings are light i.e. protein and cheese. Otherwise, the way microwaves heat food creates extra moisture that can cause chips to become soggy. Remember, DO NOT use tin foil in the microwave.
Need to save a little more time? Slice some low-sodium deli meat instead of preparing a protein like chicken or lean ground beef.
Cut down on prep by using canned ingredients just make sure to drain them thoroughly. The same can be done with some frozen veggies too.