These 30-minute Sheet Pan Nachos with ground beef and no beans are a quick, customizable recipe perfect for a crowd-pleasing appetizer or easy weeknight dinners. The taco meat is the best part (it's soooo good!), but then top it with all your favorite nacho fixings, and the whole thing comes together in minutes for a satisfying meal that's family friendly and drool worthy.

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Ingredients for Sheet Pan Nachos Recipe

• Taco meat: You can make this recipe using leftover ground beef taco meat from earlier in the week. But if you're making this from scratch, you'll need ground beef (or ground turkey/chicken), taco seasoning, salt, and a little bit of salsa or fire roasted crushed tomatoes.
• Tortilla chips: Use tortilla chips that will withstand all the hearty toppings. I like Late July's chips made with ancient grains like millet, amaranth, and quinoa. But Siete is also a great brand. You can also make homemade baked tortilla chips out of sprouted corn tortillas.
• Cheese: Go with grated hard cheese like Mexican blend or Monterrey Jack cheese. My personal favorite is raw medium cheddar for its beneficial enzymes. And because we're only baking the nachos for 5 minutes, the cheese should still retain its' health benefits.
• Toppings: I usually just go with the favorites like finely chopped lettuce, diced red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, and dollops of homemade sour cream.

How to Make Sheet Pan Nachos

The complete printable recipe is below in the recipe card for your convenience. Follow these simple step-by-step instructions for the best results.

💭Make Ahead Suggestion!
These nachos are so great to have in your back pocket for busy Saturday mornings of doing yard chores or especially great after running around kids' sports practice. 

While this meal isn't ideal for leftovers, you can cut your time in the kitchen by knocking these things out:

• make taco meat up to 4 days prior to assembling nachos
• make tortilla chips up to 6 days if necessary
• shred cheese and make raw sour cream
• dice everything and store in airtight container in the refrigerator: onions, tomatoes, lettuce, (except skip the avocado - that is best fresh to avoid oxidation)

Make it a meal! Serve the sheet pan nachos with these ideas:

Frequently Asked Questions

Looking for more sheet pan recipes? Here are some ideas:

Did you make this sheet pan nachos recipe? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ recipe rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comments. Thank you!💚

Printable Recipe

Learn how to make taco meat that is juicy and flavorful and comes together in 30 minutes. This easy, no-fuss recipe starts with cooking ground beef on the stove, then flavored with taco seasoning and tomato sauce for the most mouthwatering taco meat. Plus, you can batch-cook this ground beef taco meat recipe at the beginning of the week to make all sorts of delicious meals throughout the week.

I know the struggle of figuring out what to make for dinner when time is tight and hunger is looming.

But worry not, my friends. This ground beef taco meat recipe is the perfect solution and it will become your go-to protein on repeat.

The juicy and flavorful taco meat comes together quickly, making it ideal for busy weeknights when you need a quick and delicious meal.

Looking for more Taco Tuesday ideas? 
Check out beef tongue tacos, Cajun fish tacos, and white chicken chili.  

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Recipe Overview

• Prep and Cook Time: 5 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to cook
• Cooking Method: Stove-top
• Dietary Info: GAPS, Low-Carb, Keto, Paleo, Whole30, Ancestral diet
• Tools Needed: Large skillet like stainless steel or cast iron skillet
• Skill Level: Easy

What is an ancestral diet? Read my post on what nourishing foods are based on the traditional dietary principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Reasons to Love This Taco Meat Recipe

• Easy weeknight dinner - Homemade taco meat calls for 3 simple ingredients and takes only 20-25 minutes to prepare, and most of it is hands-off anyway, freeing you to prep the toppings.
• Fits any budget: All you need is a pound of meat, but from there, the spectrum on quality and price point varies. You can start with the cheapest lean meat from your grocery store or go with an ancestral blend of regeneratively grown grass-fed beef from a local rancher. Do what works best for your family.
• Suitable for dietary needs - As long as you use homemade taco seasoning or a sugar-free variety from the grocery store, this taco meat recipe fits most healing diet protocols.
• Versatile serving options - There are so many ways to serve this taco meat: taco salad, ground beef tacos, or loaded sheet pan nachos, giving you endless possibilities to satisfy your cravings.
• Meal prep friendly - Scale the recipe to make a double batch as an easy protein to add to tortillas or salads throughout the week.

Ingredients

Learn how to make ground beef for tacos, nachos, or burritos with 3 basic ingredients. This easy recipe takes only 30 minutes. See the recipe card for exact quantities.

• Ground beef: This forms the base of the taco filling. You'll need a pound of ground beef with moderate fat content, typically labeled as 80/20 or 85/15 for best flavor and texture. Recently, I started using Waguy ground beef and let me tell you - I didn't know I could love ground beef taco meat so much.
• Tomato sauce: Adds a tangy and slightly sweet element to the taco meat and enhances its overall taste and consistency. It also helps the spices adhere to the meat and adds that red hue associated with good taco meat.
• Broth: You want to add a little liquid to thin out the taco meat mixture and make it more saucy. My favorite here is beef broth but chicken feet broth or meat stock will work. In a pinch, you can always use water if you don't have broth on hand but I think using broth not only adds rich flavor but also extra nutrition.
• Taco seasoning: A mouthwatering blend of spices, including chili powder, minced garlic, ground cumin, minced onion, oregano, and red pepper flakes, adds the perfect balance of heat and zest to the meat. If you love Mexican food as much as we do, make a double batch of taco seasoning to always have on hand.

Substitutions and Variations

• Meat - Swap the beef with another ground meat such as ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground pork. If you use lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken, I recommend adding healthy fat like tallow or butter to the taco meat for flavor and rich texture.
• Tomatoes - if you don't have tomato sauce, use tomato paste and thin it out slightly with a liquid like beef broth, chicken broth, meat stock, or water. You can also use tomato juice to give it acidity and moisture.
• Seasoning - If you don't have any taco seasoning on hand and you're short on time, do this: add 2 teaspoons of chili powder, followed by 1 teaspoon ground cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and onion powder.
• Use minced garlic and onion - When re-hydrated from the tomato sauce and ground beef, these small flakes of alliums create amazing flavor and texture. I would not suggest subbing them with powdered garlic and onions.

💭Tips to Make it Nutrient-Dense
Add ground organ meats. Increase the nutrient profile of this taco meat by using ancestral blend grinds, which include grass-fed beef and organ meats like liver and heart.

Organ meats like beef liver, kidneys, and heart are a great source of bio-available vitamins and minerals that can't be readily found in plant foods. Including them regularly is essential to supporting health. And adding small amounts of organ meats to grinds is an easy way to boost nutrition. Force of Nature makes this part easy with their pre-packaged ancestral blends that already include organ meats.

How to Make Ground Beef Taco Meat

The complete printable recipe is below in the recipe card for your convenience. Follow these simple step-by-step instructions for the best results.

Helpful Tips

1. Start with a hot pan - Heat your cast iron skillet or stainless steel pan for a few minutes first before adding the meat. This will help it cook and brown properly.
2. Use room-temperature beef - Pull the meat from the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Brown properly - Don't disturb the meat as it cooks and browns, only occasionally when necessary. Stir and give time to brown again.
4. Season last - Salt pulls moisture and creates steam and will produce rubbery, dry taco meat. Instead, wait until the ground beef has been browned to add seasonings and tomato sauce.

Troubleshooting

• Too dry? That's likely from overcooking the meat. If using lean ground meat like turkey, add a tablespoon or two of butter and a little more tomato sauce to bring some moisture back.
• Not browning? The best taco meat is with browned bits. Make sure you let it brown over medium-high heat to create that Maillard reaction. Cook it undisturbed to give enough time for the meat to be exposed to heat.
• Too runny? If the taco meat is a little too runny after adding the seasonings, keep the skillet uncovered over medium heat to allow the moisture to evaporate and the fat to be reabsorbed back into the meat.

💭Meal Prep Suggestion: Make taco seasoning ahead of time and store it in the spice cabinet until ready to use. You can also make a big batch of the taco meat and have enough to last you all week for tacos, nachos, burritos, salads, and more. 

Serving Suggestions

Main dish: Our most favorite way to serve this taco meat is in sheet pan nachos recipe, along with all the favorite toppings. But you can also tuck the taco meat into sourdough tortillas or glute-free Siete tortillas. Or add on top of chopped romaine lettuce to make a quick taco salad. 

Side dish: Taco meat is traditionally served with other Tex-Mex foods like refried beans, black beans, and white rice. 

Toppings: Top your salad, tacos, or nachos with chunky guacamole, roasted jalapeno peppers, sour cream, raw cheddar, and blender salsa.

Fermented Condiments: Adding a serving of ferments keeps the gut happy. Consider topping with fermented peppers and pico de gallo that can be turned into probiotic-rich  fermented salsa. 

Storage and Reheating Instructions

To store: Store leftover taco meat in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days. If you anticipate not consuming the leftovers within that time, it's best to freeze it to extend shelf life.

Storage containers: These glass snap containers are perfect for leftovers.

To freeze: Transfer completely cooled ground beef taco meat to a freezer bag and remove excess air to avoid freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

To reheat: To reheat taco meat while preserving its flavor and texture, transfer the refrigerated meat to a small saucepan with a lid. Add a few tablespoons of water or broth. Cover and heat on low-medium. Stir and break up the meat until warmed through, then remove from heat promptly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Looking for more quick dinner ideas? Check these out:

Did you make this Ground Beef Taco Meat? Please leave a ⭐ recipe rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comments. Thank you!💚

Printable Recipe