Perfect loaded nachos are a football party classic in my house. I serve them buffet-style, letting guests load up their own bowls. Use any leftover meat, sauce, and condiments for topping your baked potatoes later in the week!
Nothing goes with football or any sporting event like nachos!
Best part is, everyone can load it up the way they like them.
Unfortunately, many of us have family members, ie, children, that are picky eaters. Mine won't even let a vegetable get close to them.
While I don't like seeing them load up on only cheese and tortilla chips, it's okay for special events...I guess.
Want another party food recipe that will shock you on how good it comes out? Check out my Cold Fermented Pizza Dough recipe. Your basic home oven will deliver a Neapolitan type crust that is airy and light and simply amazing.
Perfect loaded nachos: the good news
No Velveeta cheese is involved with perfect loaded nachos! Yay!
The cheese sauce is free of that processed cheese food nastiness, but has a wonderful, creamy texture and loads of cheesy flavor.
The other good news? No bechamel sauce is involved, so no roux of flour and butter—just cheese, evaporated milk, and a bit of cornstarch. How simple is that?!
PS: Make it nacho cheese flavor by adding in some jalepeno juice.
Want to offer popcorn to your nacho offering? Check out my Homemade Kettle Corn & Movie Theater Popcorn recipes. Both are easy to make and done in 5 minutes.
Perfect loaded nachos: the bad news
Let's not lie to ourselves. This is a calorie explosion. But everything in moderation, right?
Although we are not using it in these perfect loaded nachos, Velveeta has loads of additives, among which are emulsifiers that make it the perfect substance to throw in the crockpot with some of those rotel tomatoes and call it a day.
Unfortunately, our cheese sauce for perfect loaded nachos is not like that...
Harder than microwaved Velveeta + Rotel...but totally worth it
We put real cheddar cheese in our sauce. Cheddar and crockpots do not play nicely together.
I've tried putting the cheese sauce in a crockpot before. I've never found a setting that's low enough not to keep the sauce at a bubbling simmer, which is really too high for cheddar cheese to be happy.
Unhappy cheddar cheese is clumpy, greasy, and gross.
For this reason, I make the cheese sauce right before "go time".
I do put it in the crockpot for people to come by and serve themselves, but I stir every few minutes and turn off the crockpot as soon as everyone is served.
The magic, no-fail nacho cheese sauce technique
The cheese sauce for perfect loaded nachos is based on a technique I found over at Serious Eats. It's a wonder—no bechamel sauce involved.
It looks pretty gnarly at first, like it can't EVER possibly turn into anything resembling "smooth and creamy".
But then, magic happens. My version of the sauce includes good-quality American cheese in addition to cheddar.
American cheese has some emulsifiers in it, which will help the sauce stay creamy and keep it from breaking.
Speaking of broken sauces, don't EVER use bagged, pre-shredded cheese for sauces.
These contain "extra stuff" to keep the cheese shreds from clumping together in the bag. It's death to sauce.
Meat mix for perfect loaded nachos
Nachos are an ideal way to use up leftover cooked meat.
I've used rotisserie chicken, leftover turkey (hello, Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner leftovers!), ground beef, ground turkey, or even smoked pulled pork.
I love to mix in some chorizo, if I have it handy.
While I'm making the cheese sauce, I just re-warm the meat in a skillet with a little tomato sauce to make it "saucy", then add a tablespoon or two of our Homemade Taco Seasoning. Let it simmer a bit and you're good to go.
Perfect loaded nachos and the DIY nacho bar: ideal for sports parties
There's just something about letting everyone serve themselves off of a buffet line.
It's not only fun, but it's also lower stress for the hosts. Everyone gets their nachos exactly the way they like them.
Nacho bar ingredients and toppings
I like to chop tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro in advance. Guacamole is fan favorite as well.
Then, I just set everything out: bowls, chips, cheese sauce, chopped veggies, hot sauce, jarred jalapeños, sour cream, and maybe some pico de gallo to top it all off.
Take your nachos to the next level by adding this flavorful ground beef taco meat!
Proper nacho assembly
I always used to load my bowl up with a bunch of chips, then put the cheese sauce and toppings on top. BAD FORM!
This results in a bottom layer of chips with absolutely no cheese sauce. I now fix that problem by adding a layer of chips and cheese sauce on the bottom of the bowl, then topping with more chips, cheese sauce, meat, and all the fixings.
Everything besides the cheese will roll around as you scoop up bites, so it should come out even.
How to use leftover nacho cheese
I love to save everything from my perfect loaded nacho bar (minus the chips) for a DIY baked potato bar the next day. The kids love it, and I have to say: it's heaven.
Reheat the cheese sauce over low heat in a saucepan (stirring frequently until smooth), or use the microwave on 50% power, stirring every 3 minutes or so until it's hot.
I also keep some evaporated milk in reserve, since the reheated cheese sauce sometimes can use some thinning out.
I hope these nachos are a hit at your next party! Some of our other favorite party foods are:
Smash Burgers
Easy Spicy Hummus
Chicago Style Hot Dog
Deviled Eggs with Relish
Homemade Pan Pizza
Monster Chocolate Chip Cookies
Or check out my Easy Appetizers and Party Food!
Perfect Loaded Nachos
Ingredients
FOR THE MEAT MIXTURE
- 6 cups cooked meat, (ground beef or turkey, rotisserie chicken, roast turkey)
- 15 oz tomato sauce,, canned
- 2 tablespoon chili powder, such as ancho (start out with less if you're sensitive to spicy food!)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, (or other coarse salt)
FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE
- 3 cups American cheese, shredded*
- 5 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (See Recipe Note 1)
- 24 oz evaporated milk, (2 12-oz. cans, divided; see Recipe Note 2)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon juice from jarred jalapeños, OR hot sauce (optional)
SUGGESTED TOPPINGS/CONDIMENTS
- 2 fresh Roma or hothouse tomatoes,, diced
- ½ bunch scallions,, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado,, cubed
- 1 can sliced black olives,, drained (optional—I hate 'em)
- 1 jar sliced jalapeños, (you can also use fresh)
- sour cream
- hot sauce , (we like Cholula)
- pico de gallo, (recipe in notes)
- salsa verde, (recipe in notes)
- 1 cup cilantro,, chopped
- 1 avocado,, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
Instructions
FOR THE MEAT MIXTURE
- Add all ingredients to a large skillet and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally while you make the cheese sauce. Reduce heat to low after 5 minutes; continue simmering until ready to serve. Remove from heat.
FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE
- Toss the cheeses with the cornstarch in a bowl to combine, then transfer to a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add in 2 cups of the evaporated milk along with the jalapeño juice or hot sauce (if using). Place the saucepan over low heat. Use a whisk to stir constantly for 5 minutes, or until the cheese sauce has smoothed out and thickened (it will look pretty gnarly at first). If the sauce is too thick, add additional evaporated milk until it reaches the consistency you like (add in small amounts until the sauce looks right to you).
TO SERVE
- If you have a multi-compartment Nesco-type food warmer, place the meat mixture in one compartment and the cheese sauce in the other at the lowest setting (or use 2 crockpots). You can also serve from the stovetop, with both the meat mixture and cheese sauce on the lowest setting (stir the sauce frequently). Set out bowls, chips, the meat and cheese, toppings, and condiments and let guests serve themselves (I always advise my guests to give the cheese sauce a stir before scooping it up). Enjoy!
Notes
- Absolutely DO NOT use pre-shredded cheese for this recipe: these contain additional starch to prevent the shreds from clumping up in the bag. It's impossible to calculate the necessary adjustments for accommodating that extra starch: suffice to say, it will destroy your sauce. Instead, buy good-quality block cheese and grate it yourself with a box grater (you can do this in advance and keep the cheese in a ziploc until "go time").
- Keep any extra evaporated milk in a plastic container in the refrigerator in case the sauce needs to be thinned out (particularly when reheating).
- To reheat the sauce, either add to a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth and heated through, OR microwave at 50% power, stirring every 2 minutes until heated through.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Related content
Pico de gallo: A zippy, spicy Pico de Gallo recipe that is perfect for football parties and potlucks. Serve alongside a bowl of sturdy tortilla chips!
Salsa Verde: Fresh Salsa Verde gets its great flavor from charred green peppers, tomatillos, and onions. It’s a great weekend cooking project that results in a delicious sauce that serves not only as a fantastic dip for chips, but also as the base for such wonderful meals as Green Chile Pork and Huevos Rancheros Salsa Verde.
About Us
Hi there! We're Michelle and Phil, the blogging duo behind flipped out food. Our mission is to inspire you with our favorite strategies for delivering easy, healthy dishes—even at the busiest of times.
Monika Dabrowski says
These sound yummy, I especially like the addition of cumin to the meat, and the choice of toppings is so varied there is definitely something for everyone - I'd go for tons of avocado! Shared around. Thank you for bringing this delicious recipe to #CookBlogShare and have a great birthday weekend:)
Michelle says
Thanks, Monika!! I like doing my own simple taco seasoning, since the pre-made ones usually have a twang I don't care for. I love the avocado topping as well!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Whoa - these look properly epic. Loaded nachos is one of my all time favourite recipes and I love your tips and tweaks. I am so with you on the using proper cheese thing...I really don't 'get' fake cheese! And yes, yes YES to letting people help themselves...more fun for everyone, plus less stress for the host - WIN WIN!! Eb x
Michelle says
Thanks so much, Eb!! You and me both: I'm making these this weekend, for sure. It's my birthday, after all...:-P