This cheap & easy Doritos Nacho Bake will keep the whole crew happy and you won’t break a sweat! This is a nostalgic family favorite in our household and we’re excited to share it with you!
As a kid, I always looked forward to Friday nights. That was our family night, which usually meant a movie and something extra tasty for dinner. You know, something that didn’t involve boiled vegetables or mashed potatoes.
As a rule throughout the week, our dinners were a little more run-of-the-mill. For example, we ate a lot of simple meat and vegetable dishes – chicken and green beans or meatloaf and peas. It’s not that the meals were bad, per se. They just weren’t the kind of dishes that we got excited about.
But on Fridays, after a long week at school, we always settled in for the weekend with a treat meal like tacos, pizza, or spaghetti. And since we didn’t have a lot of money growing up, these meals could feed a family on a tight budget.
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One of my favorite Friday night meals, was our Doritos Nacho Bake! You could call it oven-baked nachos but with some “OOMPH!” Instead of using tortilla chips, we always used nacho cheese Doritos to add another punch of flavor. There is something about baked, warm, and toasty Doritos that elevates the cheesy flavor even more!
The primary ingredients are Doritos, seasoned beef, cheese, and toppings which makes this meal very simple! So you could keep it basic with just those ingredients for a budget-friendly meal idea.
Or kick it up a few notches and add tomatoes, green onions, beans, jalapeños, sour cream, avocado, or even roasted corn! You have a lot of wiggle room to amp it up or scale it down.
This dish is super flexible and you can mix up your cheese choices as well! Colby and Monterey Jack are great for this dish. Or even try out something different like Muenster cheese (which was my parents’ favorite cheese choice for this meal). We encourage you to experiment with whatever works best for your budget and family’s taste preferences!
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This dish is not only versatile, packed full of flavor, and super economical, it’s also a breeze to prepare. You only need to brown the meat, do a little bit of chopping, and pop it in the oven. That’s it! And, since this is such an easy family dinner to make, there isn’t a lot to clean up afterward, which is a huge plus.
Let’s talk leftovers! Our family food budget focuses on eating our dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. The best way to have this as a leftover meal is to set aside the amount of ingredients you need for leftovers, and bake it fresh the next day! The chips will turn soggy if you refrigerate them after it’s been baked. Making this the second day for lunch will be even easier because you’ll already have your cooked beef and toppings ready to go.
This dish is certain to be a fun and easy meal for your family and friends. Whether it’s for dinner, family potluck, or football party, you’ll keep everyone happy with Doritos Nacho Bake!
Instructions to make Doritos Nacho Bake
With just a few ingredients needed, you’ll have dinner ready in no time! Go ahead and preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Begin to brown the ground beef on the stovetop while cooking on medium heat. You can also add onions to the beef for extra flavor.
While beef is cooking, you can prepare the toppings and our homemade taco seasoning.
Once beef is cooked, add in water and taco seasoning. Then cook on medium heat until water is absorbed and beef is seasoned.
Layer bottom of pan with Doritos.
Then add cooked beef and shredded cheese.
Cook on 425 degrees for 5-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Top with desired toppings, serve, and enjoy!
Doritos Nacho Bake
Ingredients
- 1lbsGround Beef
- 15ozbag of Doritos Nacho Cheese Chips
- 2cupsColby Jack Shredded Cheese
- 1smallWhite Onion
- 2Roma Tomatoes
- Taco Seasoning Use store bought or see homemade recipe below.
- Additional Toppings: Sour Cream, Green Onions, Jalapeno, Avocado, Corn, Beans
Homemade Taco Seasoning
- 1/2tspGarlic Powder
- 1/2tspOnion Powder
- 1/2tsp Oregano
- 1tsp Paprika
- 2 tbspChili Powder
- 1 1/2tspSalt
- 1 1/2tspPepper
- 1 1/2tbspCumin
- PinchRed Pepper Flakes
- 1/4cupWater
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Add beef to stovetop skillet and cook on medium heat.
- Dice white onion and add to beef.
- Meanwhile, prepare any additional toppings desired while beef is cooking.
- Once beef has cooked, drain, add Taco Seasoning, and 1/4 cup of water.
- Continue to heat beef and taco seasoning on medium heat until water has reduced and beef is seasoned.
- Layer bottom of 9×13 baking dish with Doritos.
- Add seasoned beef on top of Doritos.
- Add shredded cheese on top of beef.
- Bake in oven for 5-8 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven, add tomatoes, and any additional desired toppings, and serve!
We hope this recipe becomes a family favorite!
If you’re looking for another cheap & easy recipe, top things off with this Nutter Butter No-Bake Banana Pudding recipe!
Let us know in the comments below how you dressed up your Cheap & Easy Doritos Nacho Bake.
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