Nachos made from scratch on a budget: homemade fresh queso, charred tomato salsa, black bean refried beans, and spiced beef mince. Better than anything from a packet.
Nachos
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Category
Lunch
Servings
4
Prep time
30 minutes
Cook time
40 minutes
Who doesn't love a good nachos? This is my budget nachos recipe which is built around making everything from scratch.. except the corn chips.
Key steps
The queso is a simple homemade fresh cheese made from full cream milk and vinegar which we're going to make ourselves in this recipe. If you want to save time, you can just swap it out for queso fresco or fresh ricotta.
For the salsa, we'll char tomatoes and onion then blitz them with a single dried ancho chilli. And of course we have the spiced beef mince which uses paprika, cumin, coriander and oregano to add some great flavour. Each component is inexpensive and the queso is the only part that needs planning ahead, since it takes several hours to strain properly.
The charred tomato salsa takes about 12 minutes in a dry pan to build a deep char on the vegetables, giving it a smoky, concentrated flavour. The refried beans are mashed black beans cooked down with butter, onion, and garlic. If you don't like refried beans, you can leave it out and the nachos will still be incredible.
If you want a recipe that takes nachos to the next level, check out my birria nachos.
Ingredient Notes
Fresh queso: The homemade queso is made by heating full cream milk and adding acid (vinegar and lemon juice) to split the curds from the whey, which are then strained through cheesecloth. It needs a minimum of 15 minutes draining on the counter but ideally several hours or overnight in the fridge to become firm enough to crumble. Plan ahead: make it the day before and refrigerate until needed. If you need a shortcut, crumbled fresh ricotta or queso fresco work in its place.
Ancho chilli: A dried poblano pepper. It’s mild (more flavour than heat) and gives the salsa a fruity, slightly sweet depth. Available at supermarkets in the spice or dried chilli section and at specialty grocers. If you can’t find it, a teaspoon of smoked paprika blended into the salsa gives a similar smokiness, though without the same body.
MSG: Monosodium glutamate. It amplifies the savoury quality of the beef mince without adding any specific flavour of its own. Sold at Asian grocers and increasingly at supermarkets. It’s optional here and the beef will still be well-seasoned without it, but it makes a noticeable difference to the depth of the mince.
Equipment
Large saucepan (for heating milk)
Fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth (for straining queso)
Dry frying pan (for charring salsa vegetables)
Small food processor or blender (for salsa)
Large frying pan (for refried beans and beef)
Potato masher
Chopping board and chef’s knife
Oven-proof tray (for assembly)
Oven with grill/broiler function
Ingredients
Queso (Oaxaca-style Fresh Cheese)
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2 litres full cream milk
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½ cup (125ml) white vinegar
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1 lemon, juiced
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Sea salt, to season
Charred Tomato Salsa
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4 roma tomatoes
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1 white onion
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4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
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1 ancho chilli
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Juice of 1 lime
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Sea salt
Refried Beans
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2 tbsp butter
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1 white onion, finely diced
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3 garlic cloves, minced
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Sea salt and cracked black pepper
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400g can black beans, rinsed and drained
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125ml (½ cup) water
Spiced Beef
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4 garlic cloves, minced
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1 white onion, finely diced
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2 tbsp neutral flavoured oil (peanut/ vegetable/ canola)
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500g beef mince
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Sea salt and cracked white pepper, to season
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1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
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1 tsp ground cumin
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1 tsp ground coriander
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1 tsp smoked paprika
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½ tsp MSG
To serve
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175g corn chips
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Fresh coriander
Directions
Make the Queso
Heat the milk in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, until it just starts to steam (do not let it boil). Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar and lemon juice. Leave it for 10 minutes, for the curds to split from the whey.
Season with some salt and strain the mixture through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Set aside to drain for 15 minutes, before transferring to the fridge to strain for several hours, ideally overnight.
Make the Charred Salsa
Halve the onion and tomatoes and place in a dry frying pan with the garlic over high heat. Allow them to char on all sides, about 10-12 minutes. Add the chilli in the last minute so that it just softens.
Transfer the chilli, onion and tomatoes to a small food processor. Peel the garlic and add with the lime juice and some salt. Process until smooth, then set aside.
Make the Refried Beans
Finely dice the white onion and garlic cloves. Add the butter to a large frying pan and place over a medium heat.
When the butter has melted add the onion and garlic and season with some salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, until softened.
Add the beans and water and stir to combine. Cook for 10 minutes, until well softened.
Transfer to a bowl and mash the beans with a potato masher or in a small food processor, leaving them with a little texture still.
Cook the Beef
Finely dice the garlic and onion.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the mince, season with some salt and leave it to cook without moving it, for 10 minutes, until it forms a crust. Begin breaking the mince up with the back of a wooden spoon.
Reduce the heat to medium high and add the garlic and onion. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until the beef is completely browned.
Add the oregano, cumin, coriander, paprika and MSG. Cook for 2 minutes, to toast the spices. Season well with salt and white pepper, then remove from the heat.
Assemble
Preheat the oven grill (broiler) to high. Layer the chips on an oven proof tray in an even layer. Break up the fresh queso into smaller chunks and sprinkle over the chips. Place under the grill for 1-2 minutes, until warmed through.
Dollop the refried beans over the top, followed by the beef, then the charred salsa. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
Recipe notes
Chef Tips
Make the queso the day before
The queso needs several hours to drain properly in the fridge, so start it the day before or at least first thing in the morning. A short 15-minute counter drain gives you a wetter, softer curd that still works crumbled over the chips, but overnight gives a firmer, drier cheese that holds its shape and crumbles more cleanly. Season the curds with salt before refrigerating.
Don’t touch the mince for the first 10 minutes
This builds a caramelised crust on the base of the mince that adds a lot of flavour to the finished beef. A mince that’s constantly stirred steams in its own liquid and stays grey rather than developing any colour. Leave it alone, let it form the crust, then break it up.
Storage
The individual components store well separately. The queso keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. The charred salsa keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days. The refried beans and spiced beef both keep for up to 4 days refrigerated. Assembled nachos don’t keep: build them just before serving.
FAQs
Can I use store-bought cheese instead of making the queso? Yes. Crumbled fresh ricotta, queso fresco, or feta all work in place of the homemade queso. The texture and flavour will be slightly different but the result is still good and significantly quicker. Feta is the saltiest of the three so taste before seasoning.
Can I make this vegetarian? Yes. Skip the spiced beef and double the refried beans, or add a sliced avocado or rough guacamole on top to provide the richness the beef contributes. The salsa and queso are both already meat-free.
Can I use a different bean for the refried beans? Yes. Pinto beans are traditional in Mexican cooking and have a slightly creamier texture than black beans. Kidney beans work too but mash a little less smoothly. The cooking process and seasoning is the same regardless of which bean you use.
