Everyone knows that the best part of the big game (aside from the commercials) are the snacks! Make sure your party is the hit of the season with a big plate of nachos. There are a few steps all the pros recommend you follow to take your nachos from good to great. Press the play button to watch the video below for a quick tutorial and then scroll through some of our recipe ideas to get your culinary juices flowing.
In case you missed a step, we also outlined how to make nachos below.
Step 1: Choose the right chip.
You want to make sure you choose a solid, restaurant style chip so it doesn’t break under all of the cheesy, delicious ingredients. Plus, thicker chips will take longer to get soggy giving you more time to enjoy your queso creation.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Make sure the oven has time to hit 350°F so that the cheese can melt quickly, helping you avoid a soggy mess.
Step 3: Spread the chips to create a solid base.
Create a strong chip foundation for your masterpiece so that you can add as many layers as you want. We recommend arranging in a baking dish or a rimmed cookie sheet so you don’t drip in the oven.
Step 4: Cook your meat.
While you are waiting for the oven to heat up, you can start preparing your protein of choice. Make sure it is fully cooked because the baking will be used mostly for melting the cheese.
Step 5: Layer the meat and cheeses.
The fun begins! Layer meat on top of your chip base, then add your favorite cheeses and any other ingredients that you want heated like beans or corn. Don’t be stingy and feel free to make more than one layer.
Step 6: Bake until the cheese melts.
This will only take about 10 minutes.
Step 7: Top with your cold ingredients.
As soon as your nachos are out of the oven top with your cold ingredients, like guacamole, sour cream and tomatoes.
There are tons of nacho recipes to choose from. Instead of trying to find the best fit for your guests, why not customize your own with everybody’s favorite ingredients? We created a few custom creations to get you game day ready. If you want to create a nacho bar, make sure you have a few different protein choices, plenty of cheese and lots of garnishes. You can even make a sweet nacho concoction if you swap tortilla chips for cinnamon pita chips and skip the oven.
If you are hosting friends and family, display your delicious creation in a cute chip platter and add some salsa or guacamole. While nachos are definitely tasty they can be messy and a nice serving platter will help display them too!