These Loaded Grilled Nachos were created in partnership with Kroger. All opinions are our own. Guess what? We made a cooking show for you! It’s called the Summer Barbecue Series and it stars Alex and me with our friend author Tessa from Handle the Heat. Alex, Tessa and I have been working hard to create six brand new summer recipes. These Grilled Loaded Nachos are the first up in our series and man, are they good. When Alex made them for me the first time, I was stunned at how flavorful they were. They’re a fun spin on our classic sheet pan nachos for summer, infused with an irresistible smoky flavor!
Watch: how to make nachos on a grill
The Summer Barbecue Series is a 6-episode cooking show we dreamed up with our friend Tessa. Tessa runs Handle the Heat baking blog and she adds a sprinkling of science to her approach. She’s got a fabulous YouTube channel and book. We met in Detroit, hit it off, and dreamed up a collab to get us in front of the camera. We were so excited to bring on Kroger as our partner and create 6 new summer barbecue recipes with ingredients you can find at their stores.
Why grilled nachos?
Grilled nachos are a perfect grilled dinner idea to wow a crowd for summer entertaining! Making nachos on the grill brings a smoky, charred flavor to the nachos and they look stunning in a cast iron skillet. They’re a fun summer recipe to share with guests on the patio. You can eat them as a main dish with a side salad, or as an appetizer for a summer happy hour. Our grilled loaded nachos feature our best nacho toppings to make them out-of-this-world good. In this recipe, we featured two star ingredients from Kroger (and got everything else there too!): Mission tortilla chips and Private Selection salsa.
How to make nachos on a grill?
The basic concept of how to make nachos on a grill is to place the nachos in a cast iron skillet, cover it with foil, and grill it for a few minutes to melt the cheese. But Alex and I wanted to amp up the grilled flavor in these loaded nachos. So in this recipe, we’ve used the grill not once but twice: once to grill the veggie toppings, and then again to melt the cheese. Grilling the vegetables for the nacho toppings amps up the smoky, grilled flavor so it’s there in every bite! If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, it’s not necessary for this recipe. You can use any grill proof pan for the recipe, including an aluminum sheet pan.
What are the best loaded nachos toppings?
What are the very best nachos toppings to make loaded nachos? For this recipe, we used these nachos toppings:
Quick “refried” beans: We smashed pinto beans with salsa and stirred in some garlic powder and salt for a quick topping that tastes like refried beans. You also could use canned refried beans or Homemade Refried Beans.Grilled vegetables: We used the grill twice in this recipe, first to grill up vegetable toppings for the grilled nachos to infuse that smoky flavor. This recipe has red bell pepper, jalapeño peppers, and red onion, but you could use any vegetables you like.Cheese: Cheese is a must for nacho toppings! We found it’s best to place the cheese on top of the beans layer so that it stays gooey, instead of right onto the chips which makes it harden. For vegan or plant based, you can omit.Guac: Another favorite vegetarian nacho topping of ours is guacamole: it adds a super savory, creamy deliciousness to each bite!Cilantro: Cilantro makes for stunning confetti and adds a fresh undertone as vegetarian nacho toppings!Other: To add a zing. try our Pickled Jalapeños or Pickled Onions.
To us, these are the best nacho toppings: but what are we missing? What are your favorite nacho toppings? Tell us in the comments below. Also try our Spicy Chipotle Sauce and Vegan Nacho Cheese!
This loaded nachos recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten free. For vegan, plant based, and dairy free, use Vegan Sour Cream and omit the cheese.
Looking for more summer barbecue recipes?
Outside of these loaded grilled nachos, here are other summer barbecue recipes: No reviews
Cheesy Skillet CornbreadUltimate Grilled Veggie BurgerCrunchy Peanut Butter CookiesIncredible No Mayo Potato SaladVanilla Sheet Cake with Grilled StrawberriesGrilled Eggplant with Herbed Quinoa Grilled Buffalo Cauliflower SandwichSummer Dinner Recipes to Eat Al Fresco
