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Celebrate Cinco de Mayo or game day with this easy Beef Nachos loaded with your favorite Mexican ingredients. Slow Cooker shredded beef is added to chips along with black beans, salsa, jalapeños, cheese, green onion and cilantro. These nachos also make an easy weeknight meal for a crowd!

BEEF NACHOS

I am excited to be celebrating Cinco de Mayo today with the Ohio Beef Council.

You can’t go wrong with a big sheet pan of loaded nachos. Am I right?

And I love sharing information with you guys about the cattle raised in Ohio since that is where I live.

Did you know there are 17,000 beef farming families in Ohio, and 98 percent are family farms? Beef cattle can be found in every Ohio county.

These easy Beef Nachos are great for feeding a crowd and feature your favorite Mexican ingredients.

The star of these nachos is the slow cooker shredded beef that also works great in a variety of other weeknight meals. The shredded beef is cooked in salsa which infuses a great flavor in the shredded beef. 

Lets dig in and talk about what ingredients you will need for your nachos! 

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN BEEF NACHOS?

CHUCK ROAST: For the shredded beef I like to use a chuck roast. It is a great cut of beef for the crockpot.

I brown the chuck roast before adding it to the slow cooker to help bring out the flavors of the beef. If you are short on time you can skip that step.

BLACK BEANS: I use black beans on my nachos. I drain and rinse them, add a sprinkle of taco seasoning along with salt and pepper.

You can also use refrained beans if you like those. 

FRESH VEGETABLES: There are a lot of fresh vegetable ideas you can add to nachos including diced tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, green onions and sliced jalapeños.

Speaking of jalapeños, from time to time I will add these Pickled Jalapenos to the nachos. They are so good! 

SALSA: Salsa adds nice flavor to nachos. For today’s nachos I had a pineapple salsa and a pico de gallo on hand so I used those. You can use your favorite.

FRESH HERBS: I always add fresh cilantro to my nachos after they are done cooking. 

CHEESE: You can’t have nachos without cheese. I like to add a mixture of sharp cheese and pepper jack cheese. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand. 

CHIPS: I mix between using yellow corn tortillas and blue corn tortillas depending on what I find at the store. One tip is to make sure the chips you use are thicker and sturdy.

The thin restaurant style chips aren’t great for nachos as they break easily and get soggy. 

HOW DO I MAKE NACHOS?

I like to make my nachos on a large sheet pan in the oven. Start by spreading a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the baking sheet.

This helps keep it clean and also allows the nachos to easily be removed from the pan. 

First, spread a layer of chips on the bottom of the sheet pan.  

Next, add half of the black beans, the shredded beef and half of the cheese. Add another layer of chips, the rest of the beans, beef and cheese.  

It is that easy! Bake them at 350 until the cheese is melted. 

Once the nachos are baked I add my favorite toppings like salsa, jalapeños, green onion and cilantro.

This type of nacho recipe is so easy and involves little clean-up. It makes a great snack for a big group or a quick weeknight meal for your family. 

IS BEEF NUTRITIOUS FOR ME?

• Make Cinco de Mayo or Taco Tuesday nutritious and delicious. A 3-oz serving of beef provides 25 grams of protein and 10 essential nutrients, wrapped up in one tasty package.

• Big things often come in small packages. Aside from being a great source of protein, beef provides essential nutrients in a smaller package than some other proteins. 
• Add lean beef to your diet and your heart will thank you! Research shows that enjoying lean beef as part of a heart-healthy diet can lower cholesterol and reduce heart disease risk. 

TIPS FOR COOKING BEEF

• It’s time to break out the grill! Some of the best cuts for grilling during your Cinco de Mayo fiesta include Strip Steak, Flank and Ribeye.
• Wanting to serve your family a nutritious steak or roast that’s also affordable? Check out these great-tasting cuts that are budget-friendly! 
• Adding a spicy marinade to your Cinco de Mayo beef dish? Allow ¼ to ½ cup of marinade for every pound of beef, and always marinate beef in the refrigerator, never at room temperature. 

• Before cooking, remove beef from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel to promote even browning and prevent steaming.
• Tenderizing your beef doesn’t have to be a challenge! Try marinating with an acidic juice, such as lime juice, which helps break down tough meat. Be careful – marinate too long and beef will become too soft. Aim for 30 minutes to 1 hour.    

WHAT RECIPES CAN I USE THE SLOW COOKER SHREDDED BEEF IN?

THREE CHEESE BEEF ENCHILADAS: Substitute the shredded beef in to these enchiladas in place of the ground beef.

ONE POT BEEF ENCHILADA CASSEROLE: Use the shredded beef in this dish in place of the ground beef.

SHREDDED BEEF TACOS: Shredded beef works great in tacos along with your favorite toppings.

BEEF BURRITO: I love a good burrito and the beef goes great in these. 

SPICY BEEF QUESADILLAS: You can’t beat an easy quesadilla. This one sounds great! 

Beef Nachos

Yield: 6-8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes

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Ingredients

For the shredded beef

• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds beef chuck roast, fat trimmed
• 1 - 16 ounce jar of salsa
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 of a sweet onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper

For the nachos

• 1 bag of thick tortilla chips
• 1 - 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed {add taco seasoning if you desire}
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded

For the topping

• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 cup pico de gallo {or any salsa you desire}
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• Sour cream to drizzle {optional}
• 1/4 of a red onion, diced

Instructions

For the slow cooker shredded beef:

1. Heat the 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil over medium high heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the chuck roast. When the skillet is heated, brown each side of the chuck roast {takes about 2 minutes per side}.
2. In a 5-qt. slow cooker place the chuck roast. In a large mixing bowl combine the salsa, sweet onion, garlic, cumin and a dash of salt and pepper and stir to combine.
3. Pour the salsa mixture over the beef making sure that the salsa covers the chuck roast.
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 3-4 hours {when preparing beef in the slow cooker, it should be cooked to 160 degrees, or until it is fork tender}. With 30 minutes left use two forks to shred the beef and mix it back into the salsa making sure all of the beef is under the salsa {this really helps to keep the beef moist}.

For the nachos:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. On a large baking sheet lay parchment paper down. Add half the tortilla chips and top with half of the black beans and then a layer of shredded beef and half the cheese. Repeat another layer chips and then of each ingredient.
3. Bake until cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Pull the nachos out of the oven and sprinkle on the tomatoes, salsa, cilantro, green onions, red onion, jalapeños and other toppings of your choice. Enjoy warm!

Notes

The shredded beef works great in tacos, quesadillas, rice bowls, enchiladas and burritos.