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Camping Grilled Nachos

Camping grilled nachos with melted cheese and layered toppings cooked in a disposable aluminum pan over a campfire. Crunchy tortilla chips, bubbling cheese, and a quick build topped with salsa, sour cream, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Tortilla chips
  • 1 bag tortilla chips
Mexican cheese blend
  • 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 jalapeño sliced
Cilantro
  • 0.25 cup cilantro chopped
Lime wedges
  • 1 lime wedges

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Build the nachos in the pan
  1. Line a large disposable aluminum pan with half the tortilla chips, spreading them into an even layer for full coverage (visual cue: chips are evenly distributed).
  2. Layer half the shredded Mexican cheese blend over the chips, then add half the drained black beans and half the cooked ground beef (visual cue: toppings are visible and form an even mound).
  3. Repeat the layers with the remaining tortilla chips, remaining cheese, remaining black beans, and remaining ground beef (visual cue: top layer is covered with cheese).
Grill over the campfire
  1. Place the pan on the grill grate over medium campfire heat (visual cue: you can see heat and movement under the pan).
  2. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly (visual cue: cheese is fully melted and bubbling across the surface).
Top and serve
  1. Remove from the heat and top with salsa, spreading it over the nachos (visual cue: salsa adds bright red spots).
  2. Spoon on the sour cream in small dollops (visual cue: white swirls contrast against the melted cheese).
  3. Scatter the sliced jalapeño and chopped cilantro over the top (visual cue: green flecks and jalapeño slices are evenly visible).
  4. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side (visual cue: lime wedges are ready to squeeze over the top).

Notes

Pro tip: keep the campfire at medium heat so the chips stay crisp while the cheese melts—if flames flare up, shift the grate or move the pan slightly away from the hottest spot. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, then rewarm briefly until cheese loosens (best texture within 24 hours). Freezing is not recommended because chips soften. For a lighter option, swap half the cheese blend for shredded low-fat cheese while keeping the same layering method.