Southwestern Nachos are a delicious appetizer topped with creamy white queso, beans, ground beef, tomatoes, cilantro, and fried jalapeños and onions!
It shouldn’t have surprised me when I gathered my team and asked them for their ideas for our menu that Jojo, 8, replied chips and salsa, and Madden, 6, said guacamole. They love, love, love Mexican food, and I knew that they were on to something. Rarely do you go to a Super Bowl party where chips and salsa or a nacho bar isn’t found. Okay, maybe there would be a party like that, but they would be serving blinis, and then you’d have to think, what kind of sports fans are they?
So Team Champ Bailey is sticking to a game classic appetizer served year-round at many sporting events, but since it is the Super Bowl and the Broncos are playing, we decided to kick it up a notch!
Here is our take on a supreme-game-time-nacho topped with queso, beans, ground beef, tomatoes, cilantro, and for the kicker, fried jalapeños and onions! Enjoy!
XOXO San & the rest of Team Champ Bailey
How do you make Southwestern Nachos?
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Heat the oil in a sauté pan, add onion and pepper until softened. Reduce heat to medium-low.
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Add the shredded cheese and slowly add cream a little bit at a time until you get the consistency you want. I start out with 1/4 cup and go from there.
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Stir until melted then add tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream if needed. Keep warm until ready to serve.
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Line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. Place onion rings and jalapeños in a large bowl of ice water for 10 minutes; drain and pat dry. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and seltzer.
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In a heavy 5 qt. pot or Fry Daddy heat oil on high until it reaches 375 degrees. Working in seven to eight batches, place onions in batter, using your fingers to lift out, letting excess drip off. Carefully place in oil, making sure not to overcrowd pot; cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
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Transfer rings to prepared baking sheet, and season with salt. Keep warm in a 250-degree oven. Return oil to 375 degrees before starting next batch. Once all the onion rings are done, place on platter.
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In a large skillet place the ground beef and season with salt and pepper, break and crumble the meat apart. Sauté on medium high until it is browned and cooked all the way through.
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With the burner on low, add water, cumin, and chili powder. Stir until well combined. Taste and add additional seasoning if needed. We like the meat mild in this dish, to allow the other flavors not to get overpowered.
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Layer the nachos as you desire, or make this into a dip in a bowl with chips on the side.
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Additional optional toppings served on the side: guacamole, sour cream and salsa.
Check out a list of 10 of my favorite game day appetizers here!
Don’t forget to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board to save for later!
Southwestern Nachos

Ingredients
White Queso
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1/2 white onion diced
- 1 large jalapeño or serrano seeds and stem removed; diced
- 12 ounces white American cheese shredded or chopped
- 8 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese shredded
- 2/3 - 1 cup cream , half-and-half, or whole milk
- 1 Roma tomato seeds removed and diced
- 1 small bunch cilantro roughly chopped
Fried Onions and Jalapeños
- 1 medium red onion sliced into thin rings
- 1 large jalapeño sliced into thin rings
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 12 ounces seltzer water
- 6 cups vegetable oil
- coarse salt
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves
Ground Beef
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 teaspoons chili powder
- 1-2 teaspoons cumin
- 3 tablespoons water
Nachos
- 13 ounces thin restaurant style tortilla chips
- 16 ounces pinto beans rinsed
- 2 Roma tomatoes diced
- 1 bunch of cilantro coarsely chopped
- optional toppings: guacamole salsa and sour cream
Instructions
White Queso
- Heat the oil in a sauté pan, add onion and pepper until softened. Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Add the shredded cheese and slowly add cream a little bit at a time until you get the consistency you want. I start out with 1/4 cup and go from there.
- Stir until melted then add tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream if needed. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Fried Onions and Jalapeños
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. Place onion rings and jalapeños in a large bowl of ice water for 10 minutes; drain and pat dry. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and seltzer.
- In a heavy 5 qt. pot or Fry Daddy heat oil on high until it reaches 375 degrees. Working in seven to eight batches, place onions in batter, using your fingers to lift out, letting excess drip off. Carefully place in oil, making sure not to overcrowd pot; cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer rings to prepared baking sheet, and season with salt. Keep warm in a 250-degree oven. Return oil to 375 degrees before starting next batch. Once all the onion rings are done, place on platter.
Ground Beef
- In a large skillet place the ground beef and season with salt and pepper, break and crumble the meat apart. Sauté on medium high until it is browned and cooked all the way through.
- With the burner on low, add water, cumin, and chili powder. Stir until well combined. Taste and add additional seasoning if needed. We like the meat mild in this dish, to allow the other flavors not to get overpowered.
Nachos
- Layer the nachos as you desire, or make this into a dip in a bowl with chips on the side.
- Additional optional toppings served on the side: guacamole, sour cream and salsa.

cotija would be excellent on these too.
Agreed. I love Cotija~ xo San