Easy Homemade Carne Asada Nachos
Did you grill up Carne Asada this weekend and have leftovers? Make these Easy Carne Asada Nachos, piled high with deeply flavorful bits of steak, hearty black beans, melty cheese, spicy jalapeƱos and – the piĆØce de rĆ©sistance – creamy homemade guacamole.
Inspired by one of my favorite tacos, these delightfully adorned chips are a far cry from the neon orange “nasty nachos” of my youth. (Just to be clear, I still love nasty nachos. These are just better in every way imaginable.)
Nachos, how I love thee, let me count the ways… You’re crunchy, salty, spicy, cheesy, filling, and intended to be eaten by hand. In short, you are the perfect appetizer or entree,Ā especially when you’re topped with my favorite recipe for quick and easy carne asada.
About This Recipe
One of our favorite snack-meals is without a doubt nachos. I mean, what is better than crispy, crunchy tortilla chips loaded up with tasty toppings? NOTHING. That’s what.
The best part about making your own nachos at home is that you can do serious quality control. (Read: no more stale chips or cold, coagulated nacho “cheese” here!) And while I love nachos of all sorts – including those concession stand atrocities – these carne asada nachos take the proverbial cake.
Not only are they prettier and healthier than the ungodly orange numbers my cousin Erika and I used to devour on Friday nights, they’re also SUPER easy to pull off. Once the meat is cooked and ready to go, these yummy carne asada nachos can be made and plated.
While you are free to get ready cooked carne asada from your local carneceria, making your own marinated Mexican meat is also a piece of cake. This carne asada recipe is so good that it made it into my NEW cookbook. It requires just 30 minutes of marinating time and is cooked on the grill, which means almost no dishes need to be cleaned.Ā No grill? No problem! Try a cast iron grill pan.
After the meat is prepped and ready to go, all that is left to do is shred some cheese, chop a few veggies, do some strategic layering and pop everything in the oven. It honestly couldn’t be simpler. So let’s get to the kitchen, shall we?
Ingredients & Equipment
Making homemade nachos is a snap, and as an added bonus, you get to customize them exactly to your liking. Here is everything I need to make the perfect platter of carne asada nachos:
- Tortilla Chips: Homemade tortilla chips are a nice touch, but not necessary. For ease of use, feel free to pick your favorite bagged variety at the store.
- Black Beans: Again, if you have some homemade black beans left in the fridge, feel free to use them! Canned beans will do just as well, and you can absolutely swap in pinto beans if you prefer.
- Grilled Carne Asada: Do yourself a favor and make a double recipe of this super easy carne asada; you’ll want to put it on everything from pizza and fries to quesadillas, skewers, enchiladas, and of course these nachos.
- Shredded Cheese: Any melty variety will do. I prefer Oaxaca, Quesadilla, or Monterey Jack cheese, but you do you. As a side note, I should mention that pre-grated cheese will work here, but grating your own will result in better cheese pulls.
- Onion, Tomato, and JalapeƱos: This trio makes for a sort of deconstructed pico de gallo. Feel free to swap in a fresh, chunky salsa, or use pickled jalapeƱos, and pickled red onions instead.
In terms of equipment, you don’t need much. Just grab a sharp chef’s knife, cutting board, and cast iron skillet or baking sheet (depending on how many people you’re serving).
How To Make
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place your tortilla chips across the bottom of your cast iron skillet or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add beans evenly across the chips; sprinkle the grilled carne asada, shredded cheese, onions, tomatoes, and jalapeƱo slices across the chips evenly.
For the best results, I suggest using equal parts cheese, chips, and meat/beans.
Repeat to build layers if youāre feeding a crowd. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and veggies are warm, about 15 minutes for a single layer or 20 minutes for multiple layers.
While the nachos are baking, make the guacamole.Ā
When the nachos are nice and melty, pull them out of the oven, top with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Optional Variations
Homemade nachos come in about a gazillion different ways, which is yet another reason to love them! Feel free to change out the ingredients at will to make your perfect plate. Here are a few ideas:
- Swap out the protein, using Chicken Tinga, Slow Cooker Pasilla Pulled Pork, Chorizo Chili con Carne, or even a vegetarian option like grilled vegetables.
- Switch up the cheese! You can get some of those old school vibes by swapping in homemade chile con queso for shredded cheese.
- Change your base! If corn is out of the question, try using flour tortilla chips. You can also go off script and use any number of different potato varieties like tater tots, french fries, or sweet potato fries.
- Play with your toppings! Want refried beans instead of black beans? Or want to add roasted Mexican street corn for a pop of sweetness? Go with your gut!
For even more homemade nacho inspiration, check out some of my other favorite recipes:
- Brisket Nachos
- Classic Nachos
- Kettle-Chip Nachos
- Chicken Mole Nachos
- Sheet Pan Spicy Shrimp Nachos
- Ground Turkey Nachos
Frequently Asked Questions
*Sort of.* Nachos are best served hot from the oven, and don’t really make for great leftovers. That said, you can do ALL of the prep work ahead of time – cooking the carne asada, chopping and grating the remaining ingredients – so all you have to do is layer and bake.
Oops, sounds like you broke the cardinal rule: don’t overcrowd your nachos. Be sure that you are working with a single layer of chips, and don’t be stingy with the toppings. The perfect ratio in my book is composed of equal parts chips, cheese, and meat/beans by weight.
If you have a large crowd to serve, build the nachos in layers. This is a bit more time consuming – you’ll need to remove the nachos from the oven every 3-5 minutes to keep adding more layers – but the results will be well worth it.
Also, be sure to serve creamy dips like sour cream and guacamole, plus salsas or hot sauce on the side. If you end up with any naked chips (gasp!), these powerhouses will solve the problem for you.
I am personally fond of using the oven – the heat is even, and my cookie sheet fits. In a pinch, you can microwave a plate of nachos if you’re only serving yourself, but this is not a recommended method.
If you come up with a particularly amazing plate of nachos, be sure to tag me in your Instagram so I can see (and cheer) your creativity! If you tried this recipe for my Easy Homemade Carne Asada Nachos, please be sure to rate and review it below!
Carne Asada Nachos with Guacamole
Ingredients
- Tortilla chips
- 1 ½ cups black beans, drained and rinsed
- Grilled carne asada, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Oaxaca, Quesadilla, or Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
- 1 roma tomato, chopped
- 1 to 2 jalapeƱos, sliced
Topping Options:
- Guacamole
- Crema Mexicana or sour cream
- Chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place your tortilla chips across the bottom of your cast iron skillet or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add beans evenly across the chips; sprinkle the grilled carne asada, shredded cheese, onions, tomatoes, and jalapeƱo slices across the chips evenly.
- Repeat to build layers if youāre feeding a crowd. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and veggies are warm, about 15 minutes for a single layer or 20 minutes for multiple layers. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings and donāt forget the guacamole.
- Add the garlic, onion, jalapeƱo (optional), salt, and tomato (optional). Squeeze the lime juice over all the ingredients and give everything a gentle stir, but donāt overdo it.
Notes
- Swap out the protein, using Chicken Tinga, Slow Cooker Pasilla Pulled Pork, Chorizo Chili con Carne, or even a vegetarian option like grilled vegetables.
- Switch up the cheese! You can get some of those old school vibes by swapping in homemade chile con queso for shredded cheese.
- Change your base! If corn is out of the question, try using flour tortilla chips. You can also go off script and use any number of different potato varieties like tater tots, french fries, or sweet potato fries.
- Play with your toppings! Want refried beans instead of black beans? Or want to add roasted Mexican street corn for a pop of sweetness? Go with your gut!
- More game day recipes:
Originally published:Ā January 2013.Ā
Photography:Ā Jenna Sparks
34 Comments on “Easy Homemade Carne Asada Nachos”
Yvette, I made these last night and thought they were delicious. I used a flank steak and your marinade is easy and delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Such an amazing blog you have posted dear i like it and also suggesting it to my friends for visiting your blog because it has really admirable and informative data which provide us through your blog so i would like to thank you for sharing it with us and also appreciate you on this so keep it up.
Ohh that sounds heavenly too! I’m not up on what everything means but I’m sure good at trying everything out;)
entered the contest..thanks!
Wow, that looks really good. I’ve got a recipe for Asado (it’s Texas style or so I’m told) that has some of the best juice ever. I swear I could swim in it.
Asado
2 lb. stew meat
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 onion grated
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. blk. pepper
1 14 oz. can tomato sauce
4 beef bullion cubes
Trim excess fat if any, cut into 1″ pieces, brown meat in dutch oven or heavy pot in bacon grease. just enough to cover bottom of pan. place meat, garlic, and onion in pot together until lightly browned.add enough water to cover meat, add bullion cubes, cumin, pepper, and tomato sauce. Cover and simmer on low until tender, about 1 1/2 hrs. toward end of cooking time flour can be added to thicken. Dip out with slotted spoon to serve on flour tortillas.
Carne Asada and Asado are quite different. We have a delicious Asado de Chile Colorado (Pork in Red Chile Sauce) in our printed cookbook. It is sooo amazing!
Awesome Prizes.. Can Only Hope For A Win, GLTA
I can’t wait to try these dishes out! yum
I cannot get the image of how good this looks, and the blackened skillet just tops it. I am making this right now!
Your post/blog has brought back so many memories. I discovered you on the Homesick Texan blog. I too was born in El Paso, lived in Texas most of my life and now transplanted in Michigan. Your recipes have brought warmth and comfort to me. They have re-ignited my passion to keep alive those recipes I too learned from my Grandmother and my Father – also from El Paso. I laughed at your yellow cheese comments, I too secretly indulge at times. In San Antonio there are a couple of places that do the Carne Asada layered nachos…so fresh and yummy. Alas there are also some “Fruiterias” that have the ooey, gooey yellow versions too. I am educating my British/Italian husband on the varieties and differences of Mexican food; the BIG difference between Mexican avocados and the “other” av ocados; and the ties between Mexican food and holidays…tortas de carmaron, capirotada and Easter,etc. Best of luck for continued success! Can’t wait to keep reading!
Well hello Rose from El Paso! So glad you found us! I have a feeling you would LOVE our printed cookbook. It is a beautiful collection of all of our favorite dishes — most not on this blog. I have a feeling your hubby would love all the special dishes too.
May our blog and cookbook warm your heart and Michigan home š
Please keep in touch!
Salud!
Avocados make me so happy!
this sounds so good! i cant wait to make it
Thank you Amanda! Buen provecho!
Oh, I will be trying these for sure. Sound delicious!
Thanks Lisa, they are quite yummy! Can’t wait to Super Bowl to eat them again š
I still love the “nuclear cheese nachos” .. they actually remind me of u and old days when would walk home from school and put all of our money together to buy those nachos and a big gulp.. almost everyday. I had some not to long ago.. and they took me right back there.. they were so good.. but I don’t have them to often either.
The fancy ones like in this recipe are for restaurants and special occasions like SuperBowl.. I will whip some up. š
Oh Lordy — 7-11 and Dairy Queen nachos oh my. Its a good thing we walked home after school (1.5 miles) to walk off those nasty nachos. LOL! Hysterical!
These nachos look mouthwatering!
Thank you Laura! Have a yummy Super Bowl!
LOL! Actually, I think I had to twist your arm a time or two to eat those wonderfully sinful nachos every Friday night. It was nice to be able to eat to our hearts content without ever worrying about calories, fat or carbs. I still crave those same nachos from time to time; however, I think I’ll make this recipe next time I sit down with the hubby to watch VH1 Classic “Pop-Up Videos”.
I love all our fun teenage memories! That could be a book all on its own. Ahhh the good ol’ days. Miss you cuzin!
I’m with you on the nacho love – absolutely my favorite party snack! This recipe looks fabulous, good enough to serve for dinner!
Thank you Jean! We have nachos frequently for dinner in our home. Its the perfect way to use up some leftovers š
Yeah Nachos!!! I love how you can customize your nachos to suit so many occasions. They are perfect for a football game for sure. Yours look great and what a nice photograph. I entered the contest, thanks!
Best of luck Holly! It is quite the prize package.
OM Gosh I am so glad to have found your site – you must have so much fun doing what you love and being together – can’t wait to flip thru your cookbook and try your recipes – I love the pictures and the way you talk us thru them!
Welcome to our blog Jennifer! We are so glad you found us! Keep us posted on your Muy Bueno cooking adventures and please be sure to follow us on facebook and share some of your kitchen creations with us.
What a fabulous dish! Really scrumptious looking.
Don’t count me in, I live in Switzerland… ;-P
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you so much Rosa!
Those nachos are beautifully loaded. I know where I want to go to watch the Super Bowl!
Thank you Victoria! C’mon over and bring that Guinness Chocolate cake over š
This has long been a standby in our house for a quick dinner or a midnight snack. Unfortunately ours aren’t always this delicious looking. Most often my teenage son throws a handful of tortilla chips on a cookie sheet and tops them with all the cheese we have in the house and broils the whole thing. He would think he had died and gone to heaven with a plate of yours. Yum, they look wonderful.
Thank you Karen! Like I said in my post — I love all kinds of nachos and I bet your sons are just as awesome. Who can resist yummy melty cheese š