Recipe for Great Loaded Nachos

Make Your Base

The base of your loaded nachos is going to be your tortilla chips. You have your choice between flour tortilla chips, which will give a lighter, crispier texture to your nachos, as opposed to corn tortilla chips, which have a sturdier, crunchier texture. Because you are going to be filling your chips with quite a few ingredients, the corn tortilla chips are the best option. One bag of corn tortilla chips should be enough for four servings.

To make loaded nachos you will need one bag of tortilla chips, one package of shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, two cans of nacho cheese sauce, one container of sour cream, one can of back pitted, sliced olives, one red or white onion, one tomato, one package of taco seasoning mix, and one lemon.

Preparing the Meat

The next key ingredient of your nachos is going to be the meat. Because nachos give you the option to mix your ingredients, you can choose between chicken, beef, shrimp or steak. More traditional nachos use ground beef, although chicken and steak have become very popular toppings. For ground beef, prepare one and a half pounds of ground beef in a skillet and place a package of taco seasoning into the mix, following the package directions. For chicken, dice two to three boneless, skinless chicken breasts into cubes and follow the same directions as if you were preparing the ground beef with the taco seasoning mix. If choosing steak, omit the taco seasoning so the flavor of the grilled steak can stand alone, and cook to your liking. The shrimp should be prepared so that they are cooked until they have curled and only show a pink color. If you choose to use the taco seasoning with the shrimp, use approximately one fourth of the package. The shrimp do not need to be overpowered by the seasoning.

Other Toppings

Prepare your guacamole buy peeling it and removing the seed. Smash with a fork and squeeze in fresh lemon juice to maintain color. Mix until smooth and add salt to taste. Once your meat is prepared, you can begin to build your nachos. Warm your cheese spread in the microwave or on the stove top and open your packages of shredded cheese. Spread out the tortilla chips on to a cookie sheet and warm in the oven for two or three minutes. You do not want to burn the chips. Place the warmed chips onto plates or a large platter. Spoon the prepared ground beef or other meat over the chips so that every chip is covered. Follow the meat with the warmed cheese sauce. Layer the nachos evenly with sour cream, shredded cheese, jalapenos, olives, onions, tomatoes and guacamole.