These Loaded Skillet Steak Fajita Nachos are hearty, savory and loaded with flavor. Crispy tortilla chips are topped with sautéed peppers and onions, and perfectly spiced skirt steak, with lots of cheese and a host of toppings. They’re the BEST nachos and the ultimate crowd-pleaser, whether you're hosting a game night, or a family dinner, and come together in one pan in under 20 minutes!
If you’ve followed me for very long, you know I love an easy dinner. Something that comes together quickly, cooks in one pan, and that my family devours in just minutes. I’ve long served my family nacho recipes for dinner with great success. (These Sheet Pan Nachos, which are also a quick and equally delicious meal, are on repeat over here.)
But making these nachos in a cast iron skillet was a game changer because it's such a quick and easy recipe. These Loaded Skillet Steak Fajita Nachos are a staple at our house for busy weeknights and sometimes even replace our weekend pizza night - a true family favorite!
In This Post
Why This Recipe Works
Loaded Skillet Steak Fajita Nachos is one of my favorite recipes for many reasons:
- Fast and easy. This recipe is perfect for those busy nights when you crave something tasty but don't have hours to spend in the kitchen. Not only are they delicious, but they’re so easy to make - especially if you marinate the steak in advance.
- Easy cleanup. This dish cooks in just one pan, making clean up a breeze.
- Huge flavor. Bold and Balanced Flavors: The fajita seasoning, combined with the tender skirt steak, peppers, and onions, creates a harmonious flavor profile that's a perfect balance of smoky, spicy, and zesty.
- Customizable. You can easily adapt this recipe to suit your taste by adjusting the spiciness, changing out the protein, making them vegetarian, using your favorite type of cheese, or adding extra toppings.
- Great meal for leftovers. I love the marinade this recipe uses, but these cheesy nachos are also a great option for using up leftover chicken or leftover steak.
- Impressive presentation. Did I mention that serving these loaded nachos in a sizzling cast iron skillet looks super impressive? It’s a great way to serve these up as an app or an easy family style dinner.
Ingredients
You’ll find the ingredients for these fajita nachos fairly simple and mostly what you’d expect in a fajita nacho recipe:
- Skirt steak. The star of the show! You’ll marinate this for at least 30 minutes to create tender, juicy, steak strips that will work perfectly for these loaded skillet fajita nachos.
- Olive oil. (You’ll use this, plus some lime juice as a base for your marinade.
- Fajita seasoning. You can easily use a store-bought mix to save some time, but if you’re making these on the fly and don’t have it on hand, mixing up your own homemade fajita seasoning with some common spices like chili powder, paprika, cumin, onion and garlic powder and cayenne pepper is pretty easy.
- Cilantro. For the marinade and to add as a topping at the end.
- Onion. I like using red onion with steak nachos but you could also use white or yellow onion if that's what you have. (Learn the best way to cut an onion for fajitas here!)
- Bell peppers. Green bell peppers are a traditional choice for fajitas but you can use any combination of red, yellow, orange or green.
- Cheese. Of course it wouldn’t be a nacho recipe without that melty cheese coating every bite! I used a cheddar cheese here, but you could also experiment with any other melty shredded cheese, some queso, Cotija, or even a shredded Mexican blend.
- Chips. Choose a sturdy chip for these beef nachos - you'll want something that can stand up to the weight of the skirt steak and all those toppings! I like corn chips vs. flour for nachos, but you can use whatever you prefer.
- Your favorite toppings. The sky really is the limit here, but some options include sour cream, guacamole and jalapenos (or other spicy pepper!) to make the ultimate loaded nacho dish.
How To Make Loaded Skillet Steak Fajita Nachos
- Marinate the Steak. Start by marinating the skirt steak in the fajita seasoning. In a large bowl, combine the chili powder, paprika, kosher salt, onion powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, olive oil and the juice of one lime. Add the steak and make sure it’s well-coated with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Tip: You can marinate your steak for up to 24 hours so this is a great meal to prep the night before or morning of, then make quickly once you’re ready to pull everything together!
- Cook the steak. Heat a cast iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the marinated skirt steak and cook to your desired level of doneness (about 2-3 minutes per side for medium-rare). Once done, transfer the steak from the skillet to a cutting board, let it rest for a few minutes, then slice it thinly.
- Prepare the fajita veggies.In the same skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss in the sliced red onion and peppers, and sauté until they become tender and slightly charred.
- Assemble the nachos. Turn your broiler on. In the same cast iron skillet, arrange a layer of tortilla chips. Top with the sautéed fajita veggies, sliced steak, and a generous sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese. Note: I usually layer this a couple of times - chips/veggies/steak/cheese - to make sure the chips are well incorporated into the dish and aren’t all on the bottom.
- Broil. Place the skillet in the oven and broil for about 2-4 minutes or until the cheese is melty and bubbly. Watch this carefully!
- Add toppings and serve. Once out of the oven, garnish your nachos with dollops of sour cream, guacamole, fresh cilantro, and sliced jalapeños. Feel free to pile these high on top of the nachos, or serve them on the side to help prevent the nacho chips from becoming soggy.
Helpful Tips:
- Watch the nachos carefully under the broiler. Using a broiler is a great way to make everything nice and melty, while still keeping the chips crisp. But it can go from done to burnt in a minute. Keep a close eye on the nachos when they're in the broiler and take them out once the cheese is melted.
Substitutions And Variations
Here are some ways to customize this recipe to your liking:
- Protein swap. Not a fan of skirt steak? You can use chicken breast, shrimp, or even tofu as a protein substitute.
- Cheese choices. Experiment with different types of cheese like Monterey Jack cheese, pepper jack, a blend of Mexican cheeses, or cotija cheese.
- Mix up the veggies. Feel free to add or substitute veggies like mushrooms, corn, or black beans for some added nutrition and flavor.
- Adjust the spice level. Adjust the spice level of these delicious fajita nachos by increasing or decreasing the amount of cayenne pepper in the fajita seasoning.
- Experiment with the toppings. Get creative with toppings by adding salsa, pico de gallo, diced tomatoes, pickled red onions, green onions, or hot sauce to these loaded nachos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Skirt steak is my favorite type of steak to use for nachos. It usually comes as a thin cut and cooks quickly over high heat. Plus it has a delicious flavor that goes perfectly with fajitas and nachos.
No problem! You can easily make this steak on the grill, then just add everything to the cast iron skillet and broil as instructed to get that melty, bubbly cheese effect.
Absolutely! Swap the meat for grilled tofu and you'll have a delicious vegetarian version of Loaded Skillet Steak Fajita Nachos. You could also sub the meat for beans (black beans or pinto beans would work great in this dish.)
Cheddar cheese is my go-to for nachos for it’s sharp flavors and meltability, but you can also use Monterey Jack cheese, pepper jack, or any blend of Mexican cheeses for similar gooey, cheesy results. Steak fajita nachos also pair particularly well with cotija cheese so if you’re up for something a little different give that a try.
The spice level is moderate. You can adjust it by altering the amount of cayenne pepper in the fajita seasoning or by using milder peppers.
If you happen to find yourself with leftovers (which would be shocking!) you can easily store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Any longer than that and you'll end up with soggy nachos!
It's easy! I usually just place them on a sheet pan, or an oven safe skillet, then just pop them into an oven set to 380 degrees and bake for about 10 minutes. Use the broiler at the end to help crisp the chips up again.
No one likes soggy nachos, and I've found the best way to prevent that is to layer the nachos so that they're incorporated throughout the dish. You can also serve any wet toppings, like sour cream, guacamole, or salsa on the side to prevent the dish from becoming soggy.
Loaded Skillet Steak Fajita Nachos are the perfect combination of convenience and flavor. I love that with just a tiny bit of effort, you can have a delicious and easy crowd-pleasing dinner or app on the table.
If you try these easy Loaded Skillet Steak Fajita Nachos, let me know what you think in the comments below. And don’t forget to tag me @frontrangefed with a pic on Instagram - I love to see your masterpieces!
Recipe
Loaded Skillet Steak Fajita Nachos (Fast And Easy)
Ingredients
- ½ lb skirt steak
- 1 red onion sliced
- 2 bell peppers (red, green, yellow or orange)
- 4-6 cups corn tortilla chips
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup cilantro (divided)
Fajita seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅓ teaspoon paprika
- ⅓ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- juice of one lime
Toppings
- sour cream
- guacamole
- jalapenos
Instructions
- Combine the 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil, fajita seasonings and ½ cup of cilantro in a small bowl. Rub over the fajitas and marinate for about 30 minutes. Remove the steak from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.
- In a large cast iron skillet, over medium high heat, add ½ teaspoon of olive oil. Allow the oil to heat up for about a minute so that it’s very hot when you put the steak in. Add the steak and pan sear on each side for about 2 minutes, depending on how thick your steak is and your desired level of doneness (my steak was rather thin and I like it medium rare on the inside so you may need a slightly longer cooking time if yours is thicker or you want it cooked further.)
- Remove the steak from the pan and allow it to rest for 5 minutes under tented foil.
- While the meat is resting, add another ½ teaspoon of oil to the pan (if needed) and add the onions and peppers. Allow them to sear for one minute in the pan, then stir every 90 seconds, cooking them for a total of 5-6 minutes.
- Slice the steak across the grain into thin strips and set aside. You’ll want the strips to be thin so that they’re easy to scoop up with the chips.
- In the same skillet, layer half the tortilla chips, then add half the cheddar cheese to the top of the chips. Add the peppers and onions, the steak, then the rest of the cheese.
- Place the entire skillet under the broiler on low to get the cheese nice and melty. Top with pico de gallo, more cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, and jalapenos, if desired.
Hanna says
This was such an easy and quick recipe. All the flavours just hit the right spot. Delicious
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Hanna! It's one of our family favorites!
Julia says
The photos of this recipe had me drooling so I made it for our game day feast. All I can say is WOW! My family loved it. It was also my first experience with skirt steak and how to prepare it and I am thankful for the experience. I will certainly be making this often. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe with the world!
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Julia! Yes - skirt steak is the BEST!