These Ground Turkey Nachos are ultimately cheesy, topped with fresh slices of jalapeño, shredded lettuce, fresh tomatoes and drizzled with a lime crema. Bring these to your next tailgate or potluck and watch your guests be impressed with this game winner sheet pan meal!
Update: This post was originally published in 2020 and has been republished with new photos and updated recipe.
Take Nacho night to the next level
I think nachos are having a comeback – maybe they never went out; but the different kinds of nacho I see on social media lately are CREATIVE!! Like dill pickle nachos or a dirty martini mash-up…dessert nachos, sushi nachos…there are a lot of variations out there.
For a good reason, nachos are relatively quick to make and super versatile. I like to think they’re for the picky eaters out there because you can truly customize them however you’d like.
Anddd if you’ve been here since the start of APOP, you’ll know that this is an OG recipe. I used to call them ‘game-day nachos’ fitting since most weekends there is a big game on. After updating the recipe, I’m calling them ground turkey nachos for simplicity sake and because they’re tasty any day, not just game day (but if you are making game day snacks, try these homemade Pigs in a Blanket, too!).
These sheet pan nachos are made with simple ingredients and drizzled in a lime crema, but the best part is that they’re highly customizable. Use your favorite meat (or vegetarian substitute), your favorite veggies, and favorite nacho toppings. It’s really up to you!
Ground Turkey Nacho Ingredients
I firmly believe that the more of your favorite toppings on nachos, the better. Pick your favorites and load them up to your liking. Here’s what the recipe calls for, but see below for more creative ideas:
- Base: Tostitos Multigrain scoop chips or hint of lime tortilla chips are my favorite.
- Ground Meat: I used 93% lean ground turkey. You can also use ground beef or chicken. We will cook it with white onion, taco seasoning, and black beans.
- Cheese: I like thick cut cheese because it’s thicker and covers the chip better. Plus it’s like double the cheese in every bite – what’s not to love?!
- Toppings: shredded lettuce, sliced jalapeño, diced tomatoes.
- Lime Crema: Made from greek yogurt, lime juice and lime zest and some salt.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Beans: Use any beans you have on hand. Pinto beans, refried beans or kidney beans would be Mexican classics for nachos.
- Meat: Ground chicken, lean ground beef, or meat substitute will work great!
- Veggies: Add avocado, diced red onion or green onions, bell peppers, radishes, green chiles, olives, or lots of fresh cilantro.
- Toppings: If you want to get lost in the sauce, in addition to or in place of the lime crema try guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, queso or plain sour cream.
- And if you don’t want to put any thought into it, but want another variation, try this Sloppy Joe Nacho recipe for a whole other flavor experience!
How to Make This Recipe
1. Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Once warm, add the ground turkey and diced white onion. Add a spritz of olive oil if needed (depending on the pan you’re using and fat percentage of the meat – higher fat = greasier and less oil necessary).
2. Once the meat is 80% cooked, add in the taco seasoning and water. Stir to spread. Add ½ cup of shredded cheese and black beans. Stir together and allow to cook until meat is done. Remove the turkey mixture from heat and set aside.
3. Spread the nacho chips on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Top with turkey meat mixture and cover with cheese. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the nachos into the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted!
4. While nachos are cooking, prep the toppings: dice tomatoes, jalapenos, chop lettuce and make the crema.
5. To make the crema, mix together greek yogurt, lime juice, lime zest, and salt.
6. Once the nachos are cooked, top with tomatoes, shredded lettuce, jalapeno slices, and lime crema. Customize to your liking and enjoy warm!
PRO TIPS
The key to making good nachos is knowing what needs to be warmed or cooked in advance and the ingredients that are best off as a topping only.
Example: it’d be pretty silly to put raw meat on chips and hope it cooks in the oven. Just like you wouldn’t want to put lettuce on the base of the chip because it would get soggy and lose all its crunch. Follow the steps as listed and always always save adding the fresh/wetter toppings for just before serving.
Recipe FAQs
You can make the meat mixture ahead of time. Just don’t make the nachos for prep as they’ll get soggy quick. Any leftover turkey can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
Traditional nachos often have cheese baked over top (think that classic cheese pull when grabbing a chip). I like adding the cheese to the meat mixture directly because it makes for easier enjoying. Although the cheese pull is satisfying, you can often lose a lot of the toppings on each chip during the process.
Yes! The ingredients on these nachos would be tasty in a tortilla as taco filling or would make a fabulous taco salad bowl.
Serving suggestions
With guacamole and lots of salsa please!! Restaurant-style salsa is perfect for nachos if you want homemade. My infamous Street Corn Dip would also be great for serving for any of the chips that might end up without enough toppings.
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Ground Turkey Nachos
Equipment
- sheet pan
- knife & cutting board
- skillet
- Rubber Spatula
- Small bowl
- Spoon
- measuring cups / spoons
Ingredients
- 12 oz tortilla chips
Taco Meat
- 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 2-4* tbsp water, *according to taco seasoning packet directions
- 1/2 can black beans
- 1½ cups shredded cheese
Nacho Toppings
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
Lime Crema
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- zest of 1 lime
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp sugar, optional if too tart for liking
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Once warm, add the ground turkey and diced white onion. Add a spritz of olive oil if needed (depending on the pan you’re using and fat percentage of the meat – higher fat = greasier and less oil necessary).
- Once the meat is 80% cooked, add in the taco seasoning and water. Stir to spread.
- Add ½ cup of shredded cheese and black beans. Stir together and allow to cook until meat is done. Remove the turkey mixture from heat and set aside.
- Spread the nacho chips on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Top with turkey meat mixture and cover with cheese. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the nachos into the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted!
- While nachos are cooking, prep the toppings: dice tomatoes, jalapenos, chop lettuce and make the crema.
- To make the crema, mix together greek yogurt, lime juice, lime zest, and salt.
- Once the nachos are cooked, top with tomatoes, shredded lettuce, jalapeno slices, and lime crema. Customize to your liking and enjoy warm!
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find Ground Turkey 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!
so soo good! definitely making again. perfect for a crowd!
Made these for dinner and they came out amazing!
Definitely will be adding it to my weekly dinner rotation! Served it with a side of fruit and it made a great meal!
made these on Sunday while we sat parked in front of the TV watching football all day really living up to the ultimate game day nacho name if you asked me. So tasty!!
Packed with flavor – perfect for the big games!