Double-Decker Loaded Nachos with Beef Picadillo and Skillet Queso

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Bar-style loaded nachos built the way a good kitchen does it: two shallow layers instead of one deep pile, so every chip gets meat, beans and cheese. A quick evaporated-milk queso keeps things glossy and pourable, shredded cheese under the broiler does the browning and welding, and all the cold, sharp stuff goes on at the very last second. Hot, handheld, no soggy middle.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water or beef broth
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp lime juice

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 6 oz sharp yellow cheddar, coarsely grated
• 4 oz Monterey Jack or American cheese, grated or torn
• 1 canned chipotle in adobo, minced, plus 1 tsp adobo
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 10 oz sturdy restaurant-style tortilla chips
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 oz Monterey Jack and cheddar blend, freshly grated
• 1/2 cup pickled jalapeño slices, drained

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the upper third. Line a large rimmed sheet pan with foil or parchment.
2. Make the picadillo: heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high. Add the onion and cook 3 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the ground beef, break it into small pieces with a spoon, and cook 6 to 8 minutes until well browned, letting it sit undisturbed in spots to get real color.
3. Spoon off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano and tomato paste and cook 60 seconds until the spices smell toasty. Pour in the water, add the salt, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture is thick and glazed with no loose liquid in the pan. Stir in the lime juice and pull off the heat.
4. Make the queso: melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low, whisk in the cornstarch and cook 30 seconds. Whisk in the evaporated milk and bring to a bare simmer, about 2 minutes, until slightly thickened.
5. Drop the heat to low and add the cheddar and Monterey Jack a large handful at a time, whisking until each addition fully melts before adding more — this takes about 3 minutes total. Do not let it boil. Whisk in the minced chipotle, adobo and salt. Keep warm over the lowest heat, whisking occasionally.
6. Build layer one: spread half the tortilla chips over the sheet pan in a single overlapping layer. Scatter half the picadillo, half the black beans and half the grated cheese blend over the top, getting into the edges and corners.
7. Build layer two: repeat with the remaining chips, picadillo, beans and cheese. Tuck the pickled jalapeños over the surface.
8. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling and the exposed chip edges are just starting to darken. For a browned top, switch to broil for 60 to 90 seconds, watching constantly.
9. While the nachos bake, thin the sour cream with the milk until it's drizzle-able and load it into a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off.
10. Pull the pan out and immediately drizzle the warm queso over the nachos in wide ribbons, then zigzag the thinned sour cream over the top.
11. Finish with the avocado, tomatoes, scallions, cilantro and crumbled queso fresco. Squeeze a lime wedge over the whole pan and serve straight from the sheet pan with the remaining wedges — nachos wait for no one.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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