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Home » Recipes » Recipes » Dinner » Red Meat » Nachos with Homemade Taco Meat and Sriracha Cheese Sauce

Appetizers and Snacks Dinner Kid Food Mexican Food Red Meat

Nachos with Homemade Taco Meat and Sriracha Cheese Sauce

Today I am bringing you one of my favorite dishes to date: Nachos with Homemade Taco Meat and Sriracha Cheese Sauce!

Nachos with Homemade Taco Meat and Sriracha Cheese Sauce | The Weary Chef #mexicanfood #nachos #sriracha

Usually when I make nachos (which is fairly regularly), I just sprinkle shredded cheese over the top and bake until melted. On the day I made these, I was in the mood for something different. I wanted something reminiscent of the concession stand nachos that come with a little sidecar of orange “cheese” for dipping, but I wanted it to be made from real ingredients.

This is actually two recipes, but they go so well together that I didn’t want to split up the pair. You could use this homemade taco meat recipe on its own for tacos, burritos, or Mexican dip. (Skip the taco seasoning packet!) The sriracha cheese sauce would be delicious drizzled over french fries, broccoli, baked potatoes… Why am I even providing a list here? What doesn’t taste better covered with cheese sauce?!

Nachos with Homemade Taco Meat and Sriracha Cheese Sauce | The Weary Chef #mexicanfood #nachos #sriracha

You might think chicken broth is an odd addition to nacho cheese sauce, but I’ll tell you why it’s in there. I actually made this twice, the first time with all milk, and it turned out a little sweet. I wanted to use the same amount of liquid without all the sweetness from the milk, and the chicken broth worked perfectly. The version I’m sharing here was SO GOOD! Of course you can adjust the sriracha (a hot sauce found in the Asian section of your grocery store) to taste or eliminate it completely if you are looking for something more mild. I should let you know that this cheese sauce  thickens up quickly once it cools, which is not a problem once it’s on your chips, but it wouldn’t be a great choice for serving in an unheated bowl for dipping at a party. It is meant to be eaten right away, which will not be a problem. This cheesy goodness doesn’t last long!

Nachos with Homemade Taco Meat and Sriracha Cheese Sauce | The Weary Chef #mexicanfood #nachos #sriracha

Print Recipe
Nachos with Homemade Taco Meat and Sriracha Cheese Sauce
This is really two recipes in one, but they come together perfectly over crispy corn chips!
Nachos with Homemade Taco Meat and Sriracha Cheese Sauce | The Weary Chef #mexicanfood #nachos #sriracha
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
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Rate this recipe!
Course Main
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Taco Meat
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1/2 onion finely diced
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • cayenne pepper to taste
Sriracha Cheese Sauce
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tbsp. flour
  • 3/4 c. cold milk
  • 1/4 c. chicken broth
  • 1 tsp. sriracha hot sauce or adjust to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 c. shredded Mexican cheese
Nacho Makings
  • corn tortilla chips
  • guacamole, salsa, sour cream, or any other toppings you like
Course Main
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Taco Meat
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1/2 onion finely diced
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • cayenne pepper to taste
Sriracha Cheese Sauce
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tbsp. flour
  • 3/4 c. cold milk
  • 1/4 c. chicken broth
  • 1 tsp. sriracha hot sauce or adjust to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 c. shredded Mexican cheese
Nacho Makings
  • corn tortilla chips
  • guacamole, salsa, sour cream, or any other toppings you like
Nachos with Homemade Taco Meat and Sriracha Cheese Sauce | The Weary Chef #mexicanfood #nachos #sriracha
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
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Instructions
  1. For the taco meat, spray a medium skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add onions, and saute for 3 minutes. Add beef and seasoning, and brown and crumble meat until cooked through. Drain very well.
  2. For the cheese sauce, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add butter, and whisk in flour as soon as the butter is melted, stirring until a smooth paste forms.
  3. Very slowly stir in cold milk, about 1/4 c. at a time, whisking constantly to keep mixture smooth. If you see a few tiny lumps, don't worry about it. Break up any lumps larger than a pea with the whisk or the back of a fork before adding more liquid.
  4. Once all the milk is added and you have a smooth mixture, whisk in chicken broth and spices. Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently, and simmer until bubbly and thickened. Turn heat to medium-low, and stir in cheese. Stir continuously until cheese is melted, which will only take about a minute.
  5. Fill a bowl or plate with an even layer of tortilla chips, pile on some taco meat, drizzle cheese sauce over that, and top with extras like guacamole and salsa. Dig in!

Want more nachos? Your answer should be yes. Check out these!

Chilaquiles are like a delicious cross between nachos and enchiladas. You'll want to try this super easy version with chicken!

Red Chicken Chilaquiles

Salmon and Black Bean Nachos - wearychef.com

Salmon and Black Bean Nachos

Sky High Layered Chicken Nachos

Sky High Layered Chicken Nachos



14 Comments

Comments

  1. Kristin says

    April 26, 2014 at 2:29 pm

    What is Mexican cheese, exactly?

    Reply
    • Andi says

      April 27, 2014 at 7:40 am

      Hi, Kristin. I often use pre-shredded cheese in my recipes (this one included), and the bag of cheese says “Mexican Blend Cheese.” It’s usually a blend of cheddar, monterey jack, and a couple others. Colby Jack works well too. Thanks for your question!

      Reply
  2. Liz says

    January 27, 2014 at 1:32 pm

    I like this recipe. Thanks so much.

    Reply
  3. Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says

    October 26, 2013 at 6:16 pm

    In my opinion nachos should be considered a main food group. These look amazing!

    Reply
    • Andi says

      October 26, 2013 at 10:13 pm

      Thank you! Just looking at them makes he hungry for nachos, but it doesn’t take much ;)

      Reply
  4. Heather @ Sugar Dish Me says

    September 29, 2013 at 6:59 am

    And now we are best friends because you made Sriracha Cheese Sauce.

    Reply
    • Andi says

      September 29, 2013 at 8:20 am

      Haha now I know how to stay on your good side!

      Reply
  5. buttons says

    September 28, 2013 at 10:45 am

    Mmm, sriracha cheese sauce sounds so good! That will have to be a date night dinner. The little one doesn’t like anything too spicy (she’ll be pretty bummed though, she does LOVE nachos. She picked nachos for her birthday breakfast last year!).

    Reply
    • Andi says

      September 28, 2013 at 10:55 am

      Hi, Buttons! Nachos for breakfast is awesome! Did you put bacon on them?

      The sriracha is completely optional. You could leave it out or add it after serving up hers.

      Reply
      • buttons says

        September 28, 2013 at 2:46 pm

        I tried to do some sort of breakfast nachos with egg and bacon, but she just wanted my regular nachos!

        I have never made cheese sauce from scratch, I either get a can of nacho cheese or just bake them with grated cheese depending on what we’ve got, since they’re usually an I’m too lazy to go to the store kind of dinner and we’ve usually got most of the fixins. I will definitely have to try making my own cheese sauce, I never even would have thought to!

        Reply
  6. Jeannie says

    September 27, 2013 at 7:26 pm

    I’ve not seen Sirracha hot sauce. Where do you find it?

    Reply
    • Andi says

      September 27, 2013 at 8:36 pm

      Hi, Jeannie! Thanks for asking, and I should have explained what it was in the post! It’s a hot sauce usually found in the Asian section of your supermarket. It’s orangish red, and the bottle has a white rooster on it. Here’s some more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha_sauce. I added this link in the post too for others who have the same question. Thank you so much for stopping by!

      Reply
  7. tanya says

    September 27, 2013 at 6:43 am

    Oh my gosh Andi this looks soooo good! That cheese sauce was meant for me! Love it!

    Reply
    • Andi says

      September 27, 2013 at 2:01 pm

      When I was making this, I thought of your Facebook status asking if other people used food as an excuse to eat sriracha. In a way, this one really was made for you because I had you in mind :)

      Reply

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