Sheet Pan Carnitas Nachos with Black Beans
Slow-cooked, tender pork carnitas meet crispy tortilla chips, gooey melted pepper jack cheese, and hearty black beans, and that's just the beginning. These carnitas nachos are also topped with bright, fresh garnishes like chunky pico de gallo salsa, a cool lime sauce, thinly sliced jalapeños, and tangy quick pickled red onions. Toasted to cheesy perfection on a sheet pan for easy cleanup, these sheet pan carnitas nachos are sure to be a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
Beans for Nachos
- 15 ounces canned black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- ½ medium red onion
- 3 cloves garlic (minced or grated)
- 1½ teaspoons diamond crystal kosher salt (use half as much of any other brand)
- ¾ teaspoons black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons finely minced cilantro (optional, plus more for garnishing)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- water
Quick Pickled Red Onion
- ½ medium red onion, sliced into crescent shapes root to tip (for quick pickling)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (juice from ½ a lime)
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt (use half as much of any other brand)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Lime Yogurt Sauce (Lime Crema)
- ½ cup whole fat plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (juice from ½ a lime)
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt (use half as much of any other brand)
Carnitas Nachos Assembly
- 18 ounces tortilla chips (one "party sized" bag)
- 1½ cups carnitas (prepared according to package directions)
- 1 jalapeno (thinly sliced into rings, seeds removed for less heat)
- 8 ounces pepper jack cheese (grated, see notes for other cheeses)
- ½ cup pico de gallo
- ⅛ cup cotija cheese (crumbled)
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (optional, for garnishing)
Instructions
Black Beans for Nachos
- Rinse and drain one can of black beans. Set aside.
- Finely chop half a red onion. Heat oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes until soft. Then add minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Stir in cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and cilantro.
- Add the beans to the pot and stir well, then add water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat until ready to use.
Lime Yogurt Sauce
- Whisk greek yogurt, juice of half a lime, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Quick Pickled Red Onions
- Thinly slice half a medium red onion vertically root to tip. Place in small jar or container with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Shake well. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Carnitas Nachos Assembly
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
- Arrange a layer of tortilla chips on the bottom of the sheet pan. Try to get a fairly even layer all the way to the edges as best you can.
- On top of the chips, sprinkle about a third of the grated pepper jack cheese. Follow that with about a third of the carnitas, half the beans, and a third of the jalapeño slices. Finish with another quarter of the grated pepper jack cheese. Pop the whole sheet pan in the oven for about 10-13 minutes to get the cheese all nice and melty.
- Repeat the layers: tortilla chips and another third of the cheese, followed by the remaining carnitas, black beans, jalapeno slices, and cheese. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese and the edges of some of the chips start to brown slightly.
- Finish with fresh toppings — dollop on the pico de gallo, quick pickled red onions, and crumbled cotija cheese. Dollop the lime yogurt sauce all over or put it in a piping bag (or plastic bag with a corner snipped off) to do a fun zig zag over the top. Finish with more crumbled cotija and/or fresh cilantro leaves if desired.
- Serve hot (for melty cheese!) with quartered lime wedges on the side.
RECIPE NOTES
- You can use monterey jack cheese, colby jack cheese, cheddar jack cheese, or a combination of them in addition to or instead of pepper jack cheese for less heat.
- For less heat from the jalapenos, remove the seeds and ribs before placing them down.
- If you're using store bought carnitas, make sure they are fully cooked before use.
- Nachos are best prepared immediately before serving for maximum cheese melting goodness. You can prepare the nachos without the fresh toppings a couple hours ahead of time, but pop them back in the oven for 10 minutes or under the broiler for 1 minute before adding the fresh toppings and serving.
- Carnitas nachos do not store well, unfortunately. There's just too many wet/dry ingredients that make it really hard to preserve the crispy texture of the chips. Your only choice is to enjoy them all in one sitting (oh no, how sad for you).
- You can make the black beans, lime yogurt sauce, and quick pickled red onions up to 3 days in advance. Store them in airtight containers in the fridge until ready to use. The lime yogurt sauce will need to be stirred again before use.