Steak Sheet Pan Nachos

 

In my opinion, creating the perfect nachos requires three key components: a rimmed baking sheet, sturdy corn chips, and shredding your own cheese. Assembling your nachos on a wide baking sheet gives you more surface area to spread out your chips, so every bite is covered in toppings. As for the chips, while I love the thin, crispy kind, this is a time for thick restaurant-style tortilla chips—you don’t want them breaking under all those fixings. Lastly, shredding your own cheese gives you better meltability—pre-shredded cheese has stabilizers in it that make it not melt as well. From there, the potential of your nachos is limited only by your imagination! In this recipe, I top them with two kinds of melty cheese, refried black beans (they help bind the toppings), and slices of juicy skirt steak. For a final flourish, we dollop on a fresh, vibrant Avocado Salsa Verde that is our guacamole and our salsa all in one.

 

Serves 4 to 6

Avocado Salsa Verde

  • 4 medium tomatillos—husked, rinsed and chopped (about 1½ cups)

  • 1 Hass avocado—halved, pitted and chopped

  • ½ cup small cilantro leaves sprigs

  • 1 jalapeño—stemmed and chopped

  • 1 garlic clove, smashed

  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Nachos

  • One 15-ounce can black refried beans

  • 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic

  • 12 ounces sturdy corn tortilla chips

  • 1 pound thinly-sliced leftover skirt or flank steak  

  • 1½ cups shredded pepper Jack cheese (about 6 ounces)

  • 1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)

  • Sour cream, for serving

  • Pico de gallo, for serving

  • Thinly sliced jalapeño, thinly sliced radish and small cilantro sprigs, for garnish

1. Make the Avocado Salsa Verde In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and puree until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper. 

2. Make the Nachos In a small saucepan, combine the refried beans, apple cider vinegar, cumin, granulated garlic and ½ cup of water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until warm. If the beans are too thick, add more water—they should be slightly runny. Keep warm.

3. Preheat the oven to 425° and line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. On the prepared baking sheet, arrange half of the tortilla chips on a single layer. Dollop some of the refried beans on the chips, then top with half of the steak and half of the cheese. Cover with the remaining tortilla chips and dollop with more beans, and top with the remaining steak and cheese. 

4. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Top with dollops of sour cream, pico de gallo and the Avocado Salsa Verde. Garnish with jalapeño, radish and cilantro and serve right away.

MAKE AHEAD The Avocado Salsa Verde can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated overnight.