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Nachos always make a satisfying snack, especially when paired with homemade salsa or pico de gallo. These seared steak nachos are especially good if you’re a fan of this Tex-Mex classic. There are plenty of nacho toppings including juicy steak and different kinds of chillies are used to give a wonderful spicy taste to the dish. You will love these Mexican steak nachos with tomatillo serrano salsa.
Mexican steak nachos are as amazing as they sound. Corn chips are topped with steak, avocado, homemade salsa, and veggies, so every bite packs a full flavor punch.
If you enjoy comfort food, why not also try cowboy sliders with air fryer onion rings, or crockpot pepper steak? And tilapia Baja nachos are amazing!
Ingredients for Seared Steak Nachos
There are plenty of different nacho ideas for dinner to choose from but these seared steak nachos with tomatillo serrano salsa is one of the best recipes!
Of course you will need a bag of tortilla chips to make seared steak nachos. Use any kind you want. I’d use the plain kind instead of flavoured since there are so many other flavours in this recipe.
The fresh ingredients in Mexican steak nachos are tomatillos, serrano peppers, a red chilli pepper, onion, tomatoes, garlic, an orange, limes, cilantro, lettuce, avocado, and homemade salsa or pico de gallo. Olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, steak, cheese, and sour cream are also components in this dish.
How to Make Seared Steak Nachos
First halve the tomatoes and tomatillos and slice the chillies. Dice half the onion and slice the other half. Roughly chop the cilantro and juice the citrus. Dice the avocado and dice the cheese.
Next up you can make the homemade salsa. Add some oil to a hot skillet and sauté the tomatillos in there as well as the chillies. Flip them over and add the onions, tomatoes and garlic to the pan too and cook some more.
Transfer the vegetables into a blender or food processor with the citrus juices, oil, salt, pepper, cumin, and some of the cilantro. Pulse until smooth.
Toss the steak with some of the salsa. Add more oil to the skillet then sear the steak in there for a couple of minutes.
Add some chips to a baking dish then top with shredded cheese, some of the steak mixture and some of the tomatillo serrano salsa and pico de gallo. Repeat layering the chips and other nacho toppings in this steak nacho recipe.
Broil the seared steak nachos for a few minutes or until the cheese melts. Now add avocado and lettuce, as well as the rest of the sauce and some sour cream and the reserved cilantro. Serve hot!
Tweaks and Variations
There are plenty of nacho ideas for dinner so feel free to adjust your nacho toppings however you wish! You can trim some prep time off your seared steak nachos by using readymade salsa and cooked, seasoned steak. Omit the chillies or use different kinds if you want to change how spicy or otherwise the nachos come out.
You can choose from any kind of cheese as well, although something spicy is always good with the other nacho toppings. Swap the steak for pulled chicken breast if you like or even pork. You can use another kind of salsa if tomatillo serrano salsa isn’t your favourite.
What to Serve with Steak Nachos
This steak nachos recipe when served as a main dish may need some side dishes. I would suggest a rice dish or some black beans or refried beans. A Mexican vegetable soup, Mexican street corn or jalapeno cornbread and beef (of course).
Mexican Steak Nachos FAQs
I wouldn’t recommend assembling or cooking the nachos ahead of time, not unless you don’t mind soggy chips underneath. You can make the salsa ahead of time though, or cook the steak. That way you have less to do later.
Anything from 3 to 6 minutes is a good guideline and the exact timing depends on your oven plus how far away from the heat the nachos are. I would suggest you keep an eye on your Mexican steak nachos while they cook. You won’t want to burn them!
Also known as husk tomatoes, tomatillos are a fruit which are native to Mexico. They resemble green tomatoes and taste tomato-ish but aren’t so sweet or mild. Tomatillos are delicious in salsa and they feature in many different Mexican recipes.
Seared Steak Nachos with Tomatillo Serrano Salsa Recipe
Seared Steak Nachos with Tomatillo Serrano Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 Bag Tortilla chips, 11 Ounces or so
- 4 tomatillos
- 2 Serrano peppers
- 1 red Chile pepper
- 1 white onion, divided
- 2 Cups grape tomatoes
- 6 Cloves garlic cloves, depending on preference, garlic will tone down the heat
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 orange
- 2 limes
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper, coarse
- ½ Teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 pound top round steak, cut into 1” cubes
- 2 Cups lettuce, shredded
- 4 Oz pepperjack cheese, block, or your favourite spicy cheese
- 1 Cup sour cream
- 1 avocado, diced
- ½ Cup pico de gallo
Instructions
- Heat up the oven and skillet. Preheat the broiler on high. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium/high heat.
- Prepare the ingredients. Cut the tomatillos in half. Slice the Serrano and red Chile pepper into thin slices. (Seed them for less heat, however we suggest keeping the seeds in and adding more garlic cloves to balance the spicy flavor) Dice ½ the white onion, and thinly slice the other half. Cut the grape tomatoes in half. Chop cilantro. Juice the orange and limes into a small bowl. Shred the cheese into a bowl. Dice the avocado and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prepare the salsa. Once the skillet is hot, add a dash of olive oil and swirl to coat the pan to prevent sticking. Next, add the tomatillos (with the cut side up) and sliced peppers to the pan. Cook for 6 minutes to allow the skin of the tomatillos and chile peppers to slightly char. Add a pinch of salt and pepper if desired.
- Turn the tomatillos and peppers over, then add the diced onions, tomatoes, and garlic cloves. Cook for 4 more minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove ingredients and add to a food processor or blender. *Keep the skillet over heat.*
- Add the orange and lime juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin seeds, and 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro to the food processor. Puree until smooth. Remove 2 tbsp of salsa and set aside for the steak.
- Add cubed steak to a bowl and toss with 2 tbsp of the salsa. Pour another swirl of olive oil in the skillet. Add the cubed steak and sear for 2 minutes. *Do not overcook the steak. It will not be fully cooked after a short sear but will finish coming to temp in the oven. This helps the steak to remain tender*. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate or cutting board.
- Add a handful of chips to a large baking sheet. Just enough to cover the bottom of the sheet. Top with a thin layer of shredded cheese, ⅓ of the steak, and a couple spoonfuls of the salsa and pico de Gallo. Repeat layering chips, cheese, steak, salsa, and pico. *Don’t be afraid to pile this high! The goal is for each chip to have a bit of something on it rather than fighting over the cheesy top layer! *
- Place nachos into the oven under the broiler and cook for 3 minutes. The cheese will melt quickly so be sure to watch to prevent any burning.
- Top nachos with shredded lettuce and avocado, drizzle with sour cream and remaining sauce. Garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition
If you’re considering nacho ideas for dinner, you can’t go wrong with these homemade steak nachos and homemade tomato serrano salsa. This makes a wonderful dinner which everyone can share and it promises plenty of authentic south of the border flavours.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
The fam absolutely loved this dish! They’re already asking me to make it again.
This was a flavor explosion. Absolutely amazing! 🙂
I gave this a shot and it was so fantastic! Love the salsa so much!
It’s mouthwateringly delicious! I love the salsa recipe on this.
Gave this recipe a shot, and it was a delightful surprise!
they are a whole dinner!