Who says nachos can’t be dinner? When they’re loaded with seasoned ground beef and pickled jalapeños, they’re sure to be plenty filling.
We made a simple microwave cheese sauce, so you don’t even need to turn on your oven to make these easy nachos.
Ground Beef Nachos with Sweet Pickled Jalapeños
Serves 4
4 jalapeño chiles, stemmed and sliced thin
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt, divided
1/2 cup ice plus 3/4 cup water
1 pound 85% lean ground beef
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/4 cup tomato paste
12 ounces American cheese, chopped coarse
3/4 cup whole milk
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1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
12 ounces tortilla chips
1. Bring jalapeños, 1/4 cup sugar, vinegar, and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until jalapeños are just softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and stir in ice. Refrigerate until needed.
2. Combine beef, taco seasoning, remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until beef is no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook until paste begins to darken, about 1 minute. Stir in water and cook until sauce thickens and coats beef, about 4 minutes.
3. Microwave American cheese, milk, and chipotle in a large bowl until cheese is fully melted, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Arrange half of the chips on a serving platter. Drizzle half of the cheese sauce over chips. Repeat with remaining chips and cheese, then dollop beef mixture over top. Drain jalapeños and scatter over nachos. Serve.
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