For a delicious twist on classic nachos, top crispy tortilla chips with a savory sloppy joe mixture made from ground beef, a homemade sauce, and seasonings to create these tasty Sloppy Joe Nachos. Finish with melted cheese, diced onions, and jalapeños for a bold and satisfying snack!
Sandwich meets Nachos
I grew up on sloppy joes. It seriously felt like every dinner was sloppy joes or tacos. A WIN-WIN in my book ya know because those are both fantastic options.
These nachos are such a fun twist on a childhood classic comfort food for me. A friend suggested I call this recipe: FRITO SALAD but I’m pretty sure that would send the internet into a frenzy, so let’s stick with Sloppy Joe Nachos!
You’ll love this sloppy joes nachos recipe because it combines the rich, saucy flavor of a classic sloppy joe sandwiches with the irresistible crunch of Frito chips. Every bite is a perfect mix of cheesy, meaty, and slightly spicy goodness that’s perfect for football season game nights or easy weeknight dinners.
And if you love the flavors in this nacho recipe, I think you’ll also want to try this Nacho Taco Salad or these Chicken Sloppy Joe Recipe for different versions of the same meal.
Sloppy Joe Nacho Ingredients
- Fritos scoops – The base of our nachos. They’re nice and sturdy and will hold lots of toppings.
- Ground Beef – I used 90% lean ground beef. Feel free to substitute ground turkey or ground chicken if preferred.
- Sauce – We’re making our own sauce and not relying on manwich original canned sloppy joe sauce:
- Tomato sauce – Alternatively, you can use 2 oz tomato paste and 6 oz water.
- Ketchup – Ketchup adds sweetness, tang, and umami flavor to sloppy joes. It also balances the acidity of canned tomato sauce.
- Mustard & Worcestershire Sauce – These ingredients add the umami depth we need to bring our sauce to life.
- Maple Syrup – To sweeten things up just a bit and balance the tangy sauce. Brown sugar is also an option.
- Onion & Garlic Powder – Every good sauce is well seasoned!
- Coleslaw – As my husband said, sloppy joes don’t have a salad too (lol)! If you’d like, simply remove the slaw or serve on the side. I much prefer the crunch but I get it if you’d just like it straight.
- Toppings – Diced pickle chips, sesame seeds, diced green onion, and a drizzle of spicy mayo.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
There are so many different varieties of nachos to make. It’s such an easy recipe to customize! Some options to switch things up:
- Bring the heat: Add some diced jalapenos, red pepper flakes or something else to give it a kick
- Make it vegetarian: Cooked lentils or black beans in place of the ground beef both are an excellent choice to make it meat-less.
- Make them walking tacos and add all of the topping ingredients to serving size bags of Fritos instead. A perfect tailgate food!
How to Make This Recipe
1. Heat a large skillet to medium heat and add ground beef and finely diced white onion. Stir and allow ground beef to cook. Meanwhile in a bowl, whisk together sloppy joe sauce. When the ground beef is almost fully cooked, stir in the sauce.
2. In a mixing bowl, toss together shredded coleslaw, sweet onion slices, pickle juice, honey, olive oil and pinch of salt. Once combined, taste to ensure it’s not too acidic. If needed add more oil or honey to taste.
3. Heat the oven to 400°F and assemble the nachos. Layer the Frito Scoops scoop side up on a parchment lined baking sheet (the closer the better). Spoon the meat mixture onto frito scoops and sprinkle shredded cheese.
4. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with diced pickles, drizzles of spicy mayo, pickled coleslaw, and sprinkles of sesame seeds/green onions. Enjoy immediately, by the scoop or spoonful!!
PRO TIPS
This recipe needs to be enjoyed immediately! The longer it sits, the more soggy it gets. If it’s game day and you’re worried about the dish not lasting the whole game, invert it! Spoon the sloppy joe meat into a bowl and scoop it up with Fritos!
You can add the additional toppings to the bowl with the meat or serve them separately.
Fun Idea
Make a build your own nacho bar. It’s a good idea for entertaining and keeps things fresh while eating! Plus, guests can choose what they do and do not want to add.
Recipe FAQs
I do not recommend saving these nachos for later. If you want to prep the toppings, you can do so and store in airtight containers SEPARATE from the chips. They’ll get much too soggy if you store them assembled.
I used Colby Jack, but American is classic for a Sloppy Joe. Shredding a block of cheese yourself as compared to buying pre shredded will result in a better melt because there aren’t any additives. Alternatively, nacho cheese sauce is also a great option if you prefer a more gooey situation.
Layering your nachos is for both practicality and visual aesthetics. Follow the recipe in the order it is written, as it is the BEST way to make nachos. Start with the chips followed by the sloppy joe filling and then the cheese.The cheese acts as ‘glue’ to keep things together and also get the additional toppings to stick. Follow the cheese up with any veggies and then put sauces last (hot honey, guac, salsa, a dollop of sour cream, spicy mayo etc.) Complete coverage of all chips is key so no chip is left naked and sad.
HOT TAKE: I actually like to add my nacho toppings UNEVENLY when sharing with a crowd. This allows for guests to pick around certain toppings they may not love.
Serving suggestions
Making an entire spread? Make this a full meal with a side of Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice and this Avocado Crack Dip that you can scoop with the extra chips.
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Sloppy Joe Nachos
Equipment
- sheet pan
- measuring cups / spoons
- skillet
- Meat masher
- Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
Meat Mixture
- 1 lbs ground beef, 90% lean
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Nachos
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1/4 sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp pickle juice
- 3-5 tbsp honey, depending on desired sweetness
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 1 bag fritos scoops
- 1 ¼ cup shredded cheese, I used Colby Jack
Toppings
- Diced pickle chips
- Sesame seeds
- Diced green onion
- Drizzle spicy mayo
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat and add ground beef and finely diced white onion. Stir and allow ground beef to cook.
- Meanwhile in a bowl, whisk together sloppy joe sauce. When the ground beef is almost fully cooked, stir in the sauce.
- In a mixing bowl, toss together shredded coleslaw, sweet onion slices, pickle juice, honey, olive oil and pinch of salt. Once combined, taste to ensure it’s not too acidic. If needed add more oil or honey to taste.
- Heat the oven to 400°F and assemble the nachos. Layer the Frito Scoops scoop side up on a parchment lined baking sheet (the closer the better). Spoon the meat mixture onto frito scoops and sprinkle shredded cheese.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with diced pickles, drizzles of spicy mayo, pickled coleslaw, and sprinkles of sesame seeds/green onions.
- Enjoy immediately, by the scoop or spoonful!!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
more of our favorite Appetizers…
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find SLOPPY JOE NACHOS calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
It’s giving walking taco nostalgia!
absolutely stellar. Must enjoy fresh; we loved them!