These healthy Baked Sheet Pan Nachos have a tender potato base and are topped with black beans, cheese, salsa and (optional!) spinach. They’re a total family dinner hit—and are so easy to prep ahead of time to make getting dinner on the table possible on even busy days.
Healthy Baked Sheet Pan Nachos
The first time I made potato nachos, it was simply a way to use up the abundance of potatoes that we’d grown in our garden. (We tend to be a little overeager with our planting!) But I soon realized that this was a meal that everyone in my house loved and that it was a safe way to serve nachos to even my younger toddler who can’t yet handle the texture of a crunchy tortilla chip.
The sliced potato base is soft and tender, which makes it perfect for little kids, but it actually makes for an excellent base for the loaded nacho toppings.
Easy Sheet Pan Nachos for the Oven
The beauty of this dish is that you can do the whole thing on one sheet pan—so there’s no separate steps to do on the stovetop. This for sure makes it easier to get a family dinner onto the table on those nights when it seems like everyone needs something from you at 5 pm. (That’s every night, right?!). I love sheet pan meals because the method makes clean up so easy—and I can tuck it into the oven to bake while I tend to/play with the kids.
TIP: We like to serve these baked nachos with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream, and a simple side of fruit. There’s so much going on with the nachos that you don’t need anything else!
Ingredients You Need
To make this recipe you’ll need the following ingredients.
- Potatoes: I typically use buttery Yukon Gold potatoes in this recipe since they have a nice texture, but you can really use any medium or small potato. (I don’t love Russet potatoes here since they are sometimes grainy.)
- Beans: You can use black beans or pinto beans in this baked nachos recipe.
- Spices: I love to use taco seasoning such as cumin and chili powder here.
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese or any Mexican blend cheese work well here.
- Salsa: Mild salsa, either smooth or chunky, adds nice flavor to this recipe.
- Spinach, optional: We often top a portion of the sheet pan with spinach for an extra veggie. I often put spinach on just one half of the sheet pan so the kids and adults can decide whether or not they want it on their portion.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process involved in making this healthy potato nachos recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information.
- Preheat the oven and grease a rimmed sheet pan. Thinly slice baby potatoes. Spread in one layer on the pan and bake.
- Top with black beans, cumin, chili powder, and salt.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese.
- Add chopped spinach if you’d like and drizzle with salsa. Bake and serve.
TIP: Serve with any additional taco-style toppings you like.
Vegetarian Potato Nachos
We’ve been making these with black beans, but you can change them up as you like. Try chickpeas or pinto beans, layer on shredded chicken, cooked crumbled sausage, ground beef, or shredded pork. It’s really up to you!
Which potatoes work best in these sheet pan nachos?
Most potatoes will work, though I like baby new potatoes or red potatoes best since they tend to be moist when sliced and baked this way. We’ve also done this with sweet potatoes and that’s really yummy too!
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
I love to assemble this recipe in the morning, cover it, and stick it in the fridge until dinner. Then all you have to do is warm it in the oven for about 8-10 minutes and dinner is ready! (See the specific info on doing this at the bottom of the recipe.)
Best Tips for Success
- Try to make the potato slices relatively uniform so they cook evenly.
- Use a salsa you like the flavor of—we like mild or medium pureed since the kids don’t like chunks of onions!—and know that you can leave it off of a section if the kids aren’t salsa fans.
- Let the kids eat this with their fingers if they want to—it makes for pretty great finger food!
- Add some of the toppings to some of the pan. So do onions or greens on just one portion if you think the kids would prefer a plainer version.
- Try sweet potatoes for another fun option.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear if you make the recipe so please chime in below in the comments!
Healthy Baked Sheet Pan Nachos
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby potatoes (like new potatoes or baby red potatoes)
- 2-15 ounce cans black beans
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or Monterey Jack)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pureed salsa
- 1-2 cups chopped spinach (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a large rimmed baking pan.
- Wash and dry the potatoes. Slice about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick and place into an even layer on the prepared pan. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until soft when poked with a fork.
- Top with beans, cheese, cumin, chili powder, salt, and spinach, if using. Drizzle on the salsa in lines. salsa.
- Place into the oven to heat through and until the cheese is melted, about 5-8 more minutes.
- Serve warm, topped with sour cream or plain yogurt if desired.
Notes
- To store: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight containerfor up to 3 days.
- To make this recipe ahead, prepare through the end of Step 2. Once the pan is cooled slightly, cover with plastic wrap and place into the fridge for up to 8 hours. Heat in a 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes to warm through.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in September 2018.
Loved these nachos and so did my 2 year old!
Delicious and easy to make! Thank you!
Excellent!
We love this! Toddler hit. We use sweet potatoes and sometimes swap 1 can of beans for leftover shredded chicken.