Crisp, hot tortilla chips, spicy taco meat with beans and sweet corn along with gooey melted cheese on top, this all added up to a deliciously simple meal. This was a very fast dinner that I made the night we arrived at our cabin. I’d planned to make something else and I just wasn’t in the mood to really cook. I had ground beef waiting to be used and this was a great way to use some of it and in the process make everyone very happy.
I didn’t take a picture or plan to blog this meal at all, until my kids and husband all requested the same thing for lunch a couple days later. I snapped a picture this time and decided it was a great summertime meal to share. You could certainly fancy it up with optional toppings for a prettier presentation, but it worked great for us just the way I served it. Way less than 20 minutes, start to finish and even easier than traditional tacos.
I melted the cheese over our nachos in the microwave, because I didn’t want to turn on the oven or wait that long. However, both cooking methods work great.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Mexican Spice Mix or taco seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn or 1 can of corn drained
- 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or the bean of your choice or 1 can of beans, rinsed and well drained
- 2-3 cups shredded cheese or your choice I used a Mexican cheese blend, Monterrey jack and pepperjack on our separate plates
- Tortilla chips
- Optional toppings: sour cream jalapenos, green onions, salsa, guacamole
Instructions
- Cook and crumble the ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. My beef had almost no grease, however, if yours has a good bit, drain most of it off before continuing. Season generously with the Mexican Spice Mix as it is cooking and stir to coat well. Add the corn and beans and stir to combine. Cover with lid and cook for a couple minutes, until everything is warm.
- OVEN DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread tortilla chips across a large baking sheet (line with a silpat for easy cleanup). Top with the meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
- MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS: Place tortilla chips on individual plates and top with a scoop of the meat mixture spread across the chips. Sprinkle with cheese and then cook each plate for about 20 seconds, just until the cheese has melted.
- Serve with the toppings of your choice. Enjoy!
- FREEZER MEAL: The filling can be cooked, cooled and frozen until
- needed. Thaw in the refrigerator or reheat from frozen. Prepare nachos
- as directed above.
Chris Scheuer says
I love have quick and easy but delicious meals like this in my bag of tricks. It had to be good if your family requested it again! Have a wonderful time, how fun to be with family on a cabin-vacation. I know you'l make some amazing memories
Jenn S says
YUM! This sounds wonderful. Love how you took nachos to a whole new level 🙂
Big Dude says
They look great Mary – love the gooey cheese on top
Tricia Buice says
My husband would indeed love this. We adore your mexican spice recipe! Perfect every time. Have a great weekend Mary!
Lisa @ The Meaning of Me says
My husband said "I like it." Had me at nachos and the photo of that cheese! But you really won me over at the freezer meal part – woo hoo.
Sue/the view from great island says
These look so good, Mary!
Chris says
I am going to pin this to try with leftover beef brisket, yum!
annie palone says
This was great, I did add a 1/4 cup chili verde and it was super good….and so easy to make, thanks!!!