Nothing sounds simpler than heating up a few tortilla chips and some cheese, perhaps with a few extra ingredients thrown in for flavor. But how long should you cook nachos when heating them in the oven?
It depends on your ingredients, but the aim is to melt the cheese. This should take 3-15 minutes at 350°F. If simply heating chips and cheese, aim for closer to 3 minutes. For fully loaded nachos, assume 15.
Naturally, your mileage may vary. Luckily, we’ve compiled a few extra tips to help you prepare the best nachos your kitchen can manage.
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How to Cook and Serve Nachos in Oven
Thanks to the wide variety of available nacho recipes, less savvy cooks may struggle to find a set of instructions generic enough to follow without a very specific set of ingredients. However, don’t lose hope just yet.
You can still tailor basic cooking instructions to meet your needs, provided you keep a few guidelines in mind.
Some of these guidelines pertain to the actual preparation and heating of your homemade nachos. If you’re having guests over, you may want to take a few serving tips in mind as well.
General Oven Heating Instructions for Nachos
Regardless of which ingredients you choose to include (suggestions below), basic nacho ingredients can be split into a few categories: chips, cheese, beans, meat, veggies, and toppings.
By making these distinctions, you can easily adjust your recipe as needed. Note that some additions will increase cooking times.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Depending on the amount of toppings you intend to use, either line a flat baking sheet with parchment paper or grease a ceramic baking dish.
- Line your baking sheet with the tortilla chips of your choice.
- Begin adding ingredients. Start with the cheese.
- If adding meat or beans, you may wish to spread another layer of cheese on top.
- Add your fresh ingredients. It is a matter of taste whether you wish to leave some veggies cold and add them later, or allow them to heat with the rest of your nachos. Set toppings such as salsa, sour cream, and guacamole aside for the time being.
- Place your nachos on the center oven rack for 3-15 minutes. You want the cheese to melt and the other ingredients to get hot, but without burning the chips. Begin checking around 3 minutes. The more ingredients you’re using, the longer it will take.
- Once nachos are heated to your satisfaction, turn off heat. You may wish to leave the nachos sitting in the oven for another 3 minutes, but this is not required if cooked fully.
- Remove from oven and add toppings of your choice.
Best Way to Serve Nachos from the Oven
Now that you know how to cook your nachos, how should you go about serving them to friends or family? The answer depends largely on the nature of your guests.
For less picky eaters, you may simply leave them in the pan and allow guests to serve themselves. If serving your guests, be careful to ensure each guest receives roughly equivalent portions of each ingredient.
For slightly fancier occasions, consider making each nacho individually. Follow the above recipe but allow each chip its own small space on the pan. Give it a small bed of cheese, along with miniscule helpings of each ingredient you’ve chosen to include.
This method works great when preparing pre-meal hors d’oeuvres as opposed to a full course.
You may also choose to serve your nachos buffet-style. This will save you some cooking time, as you’ll only need to heat the cheese and tortilla chips in the oven.
Set out small serving dishes for each of your other ingredients, allowing your guests to choose their own nacho toppings in accordance with their preferences.
Finally, you may choose to serve your nachos fully loaded while still leaving toppings such as salsa, sour cream, and guacamole on the side.
For an added touch of class, those choosing this serving method should plate the nachos in such a way as to leave room for individual ramekins containing each topping.
What Ingredients Are Best for Oven Nachos?
Chips
Since the chips form your base, these are essentially the foundation of your recipe. You may choose whichever brand you like but try not to select chips that run too thin.
Not only will they fail to support the other ingredients you’ve chosen, but thinner chips will also burn more easily in the oven.
Cheese
As for cheeses, pre-shredded cheese is obviously the easiest choice. However, processed cheese sometimes takes a bit longer to melt. Additionally, it may prove less nutritious.
If fighting a time crunch or trying to remain health conscious, consider buying your own cheese and then grating it yourself. Good options for nachos include:
- Monterey jack
- Colby
- Pepper jack
- Cheddar
If you’re feeling a bit experimental, mozzarella can work as well, although it isn’t for everyone. If you hate your guests, opt for American.
Beans
You essentially have three options when choosing beans. Black beans are less common in most Mexican food, but they offer a firm texture that some find appealing.
Consider them if including several meats and veggies in your recipe, as black beans are less likely to get mushy when exposed to the added moisture.
Whole pinto beans are more commonly associated with Mexican cuisine. They’re still similar in texture and nutrition to black beans, and some prefer their lighter taste.
Refried pinto beans can be fantastic if serving individual nacho chips as hors d’oeuvres, since it’s easy to spread them on a chip.
The greatest advantage when cooking nachos in the oven is that refried beans can be layered evenly between other ingredients to help conduct heat.
Meat
No matter which meat you choose, you should pre-cook it prior to making your nachos.
Trying to follow the above instructions with raw meat will throw off your cooking time and result in either burnt chips or undercooked protein. As far as choices go, the most common are:
- Ground beef
- Shredded chicken
- Carnitas (shredded pork)
- Shredded beef
Naturally, the final choice is up to you. For a bit of a barbecue-inspired taste, you might consider pulled pork.
You could opt for chorizo, although it may be too salty, especially when eaten with tortilla chips. You can also play around with seasonings.
Ground beef with taco seasoning or fajita-seasoned chicken are simple touches that will blow your guests away!
Veggies
You have an almost endless variety to choose from here, but the most common include:
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Onions (fantastic when caramelized)
- Corn
- Black olives
- Jalapenos
Consider replacing the jalapenos with serrano peppers if your guests like things extra spicy. By contrast, those who like the flavor of jalapenos but not the heat may prefer Anaheim peppers.
Toppings
As previously stated, the three most common are salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. However, you may consider replacing the guacamole with sliced avocado.
You’ll still want to keep it far away from the oven, and you shouldn’t slice it until ready to serve because it browns very quickly. However, it will certainly add a nice aesthetic touch to your dish.
Should You Oven-Heat Nachos for the Nutrition?
Some prefer cooking food in the oven because they consider it more nutritious. However, that’s really not the main reason to consider oven-heating your nachos.
In truth, the theory that microwaving your food destroys its nutrients remains largely unproven.
What is known, however, is that heating your nachos in the oven will allow for a much more evenly cooked result.
Microwaving may not melt the cheese all the way. It may burn the chips more quickly. It may do both, yet without fully heating the meat or beans. Furthermore, those cooking for large groups will find microwaving borderline impossible.
On the flip side, cooking nachos in the oven remains relatively fast and easy, provided you begin checking your nachos within 3 minutes and ensure they don’t burn.
Since this method is a bit slower, you also have more leeway to let the cheese brown slightly if you wish without running the risk of burning the whole thing.
Conventional ovens also trap moisture in a less restrictive fashion than most microwaves. If you want to avoid overly soggy chips or mushy beans, conventional ovens are your best friend.
So, while there may be no proven nutritional benefits to using an oven, the pros of doing so certainly outweigh the cons!
Easy Nachos FAQs
Can I get oven-quality results when cooking nachos without a conventional oven?
Potentially. Try looking up methods of cooking nachos using a toaster oven or air fryer.
While instructions may vary, results such as crispy chips and evenly melted cheese should remain the same.
Can I try broiling instead of baking?
Absolutely! Heat your oven to 375°F and put your nachos on the upper rack. Just be aware that this method may cook the nachos more quickly, so you’ll want to check them with increased frequency to ensure they don’t overcook.
How do I reheat cold nachos in the oven?
You can follow the same heating instructions as above. However, if starting at room temperature, you may find some cooking times can be cut in half.
Furthermore, it’s highly advisable you remove veggies before reheating, as they may become shriveled and unsightly.
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Conclusion
It only takes between 3 and 15 minutes to cook nachos in the oven. However, making nachos that you and your friends will truly enjoy might take just a bit more heart and forethought.
Put a little effort into choosing your ingredients and serving style, and you’ll have grade-A nachos to write home about in well under an hour!