Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Nacho Sloppy Joes
Nacho cheese over a saucy beef sandwich makes a very inviting, slightly messy dinner. The pickled jalapenos give each bite a tangy spark, with taco seasoning running through the filling. Choose a toasted bun and keep a napkin nearby for the sauce at the edges.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 8 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Beef
- Cuisine
- Mexican
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Translucent onion
Let the finely diced onion turn translucent before the ground beef goes into the pan.
2. Break up the beef
Use the spatula to break the beef into smaller pieces as it cooks through.
3. Simmer the filling
Give the taco seasoning and tomato sauce their brief simmer with the beef before assembly.
Get to know the ingredients
Buns
Start with toasted hamburger buns so the saucy beef has a firmer surface to sit on.
Jalapenos
Use pickled jalapeno slices for the topping, placing a few over each layer of cheese sauce.
Cheese sauce
The nacho cheese sauce is a sandwich topping; keep it separate from the simmering beef mixture.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 4 steps completeMake room for Nacho Sloppy Joes
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Close and serve
Set the top buns over the dressed sandwiches and serve them immediately after assembly.
A little more help as you go
Start over medium heat
Heat the oil over medium heat before adding the onion so it can soften in the pan.
Share the filling evenly
Divide the cooked beef among the bottom buns before adding any of the sandwich toppings.
A few questions you might have
Does the taco seasoning cook with the raw beef?
Add it after the beef has cooked and been broken up, together with the tomato sauce.
What goes on the sandwich first?
Put the beef filling on the bottom bun before adding the cheese sauce and jalapenos.
Which beef is specified?
The ingredient list uses ground beef and identifies ninety percent lean as the example.
Do I need to chop the jalapenos?
The topping is listed as pickled jalapeno slices, ready to place on the sandwiches.
Is the onion cooked separately?
It softens first in the oil, then stays in the same pan while the beef cooks.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinneratthezoo.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
