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Camping Grilled Nachos

Camping grilled nachos with loaded tortilla chips, melted cheese, and classic toppings cooked right on a grill grate over a campfire. Layered in a disposable aluminum pan for easy outdoor cooking—cheese turns glossy and bubbly before topping with salsa, sour cream, and jalapeños.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 880
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Tortilla chips
  • 1 bag tortilla chips
Cheese
  • 3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
Black beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
Ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef, cooked and seasoned
Salsa
  • 1 cup salsa
Sour cream
  • 1 cup sour cream
Jalapeño
  • 1 jalapeño, sliced
Cilantro
  • 0.25 cup cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges
  • 1 lime wedges

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Build the nachos
  1. Line a large disposable aluminum pan with half the tortilla chips, spreading them into an even layer so the base is fully covered.
  2. Layer the pan with half the shredded Mexican cheese blend, then add the drained black beans and the cooked ground beef in an even spread.
  3. Repeat the layers with the remaining tortilla chips, remaining cheese blend, remaining black beans, and remaining ground beef so everything is covered for melting.
Grill over the campfire
  1. Place the pan on the grill grate over medium campfire heat, letting the cheese begin to soften and melt at the edges.
  2. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and actively bubbly with visible bubbling across the surface (no dry, unmelted patches).
Top and serve
  1. Remove the pan from heat, then top with salsa in small spoonfuls so it doesn’t wash away the cheese.
  2. Add sour cream, then scatter sliced jalapeños and chopped cilantro for color and heat.
  3. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the top just before eating.

Notes

For best melt and crunch, build the nachos in a single pan and move them to the grill right away—don’t assemble too far in advance. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days; reheat on a grill or in a skillet to re-warm, noting chips may soften. Freezing is not recommended due to texture changes. Swap for a lighter vegetarian version by replacing the ground beef with cooked spiced black beans.