Make Applebee's Famous Neighborhood Nachos Right At Home

Applebee's back in the '80s was a very different place than it is today, with a much fancier menu that offered such items as quail, chilled seafood on the half shell, and champagne. Even at that time, however, nachos were a staple item, although back then they were topped with chili and cheddar as well as lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, and jalapeños. Today's Neighborhood Nachos, as they're now known, are available with a choice of taco-seasoned ground beef and chipotle lime chicken toppings. They've lost the lettuce and tomatoes, but gained pico de gallo, queso blanco, cilantro, and sour cream.

According to developer Patterson Watkins, "This recipe is as close to the authentic Applebee's Neighborhood Nachos as I could get it without actually applying for a job." She describes the queso blanco as the star of the show, "The signature component to AB's nachos is the queso blanco. A melty combo of American cheese and Monterey Jack simmered with onion and jalapeños. That duo of cheeses makes for a super creamy queso, with just the right amount of sharpness and heat." The zesty seasoned beef, fresh pico, and other toppings also add to the fun, making this the perfect shareable for either game day snacking or a movie night.

The main nacho ingredients are ground beef, tortilla chips, Colby Jack cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, while olive oil and taco seasoning are needed for cooking the meat. Homemade queso blanco requires a white onion, jalapeños, heavy cream, salt, pepper, American cheese, and Monterey Jack, while the pico de gallo calls for tomatoes and cilantro.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

To make the queso blanco, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Once hot, add the onion and jalapeño, and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the cream to the saucepan, stir to combine with the veggies, and bring to a simmer.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the American cheese and Monterey Jack cheese in batches, whisking until the cheese has melted before adding the next batch.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside. (If the sauce becomes too thick over time, thin it with a little extra cream and water.)

To make the pico, place the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño in a medium bowl. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt. Set aside.

To make the taco beef, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Once hot, add the ground beef, and cook until brown, about 5 minutes.

Season the beef with taco seasoning, stir to combine, and continue to cook for 1 minute more.

To assemble the nachos, place the tortilla chips in a single layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Sprinkle the tortilla chips with grated Colby Jack cheese.

Drizzle the queso blanco sauce over the chips (reserve any remaining queso blanco for additional dipping) and evenly distribute the ground beef over the chips and place the pan in the oven.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the grated cheese has melted.

Remove the nachos from the oven and top with half of the pico de gallo (reserve the remaining for additional dipping).

Dollop the nachos with sour cream and guacamole.

Top the nachos with jalapeño slices before serving.

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There are a number of different changes you can make to this recipe, starting with the cheese. For starters. American cheese doesn't typically come in block form, but you may be able to buy some at the deli counter, which you can grate at home. If you can't find it, you can use a different type of cheese, but Watkins suggests that you stick with a melty cheese such as cheddar, mozzarella, or pepper jack. As a shortcut, you could also use premade queso and swap the pico de gallo for a jar of chunky salsa. 

A different type of meat could be used in the place of the beef — ground turkey, chicken, or chorizo would all work, as would a plant-based substitute or even sauteed mushrooms. It's also possible to just leave out the meat, too. 

As for the heat level, Watkins tells us, "The queso blanco and pico de gallo are only moderately/medium-level spicy." You can certainly adjust to suit your heat tolerance. If you'd like to reduce the heat, go with a milder pepper like poblano or green bell pepper. "To make this recipe spicier, you can use habanero or serrano peppers, and a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce over the baked and assembled nachos wouldn't be bad either."

If you'll be prepping this in advance, you could cook the meat ahead of time and refrigerate it for a few days. The same is also true of the cheese sauce and salsa. In the latter case, though, don't let it sit more than two days as the flavor and texture may start to drop off after this point. You may also need to add a little water or milk to the cheese sauce when you warm it up in the microwave or on the stove.  

Any and all toppings, too, can be readied ahead of time. The one thing you can't do until the last minute is to assemble the nachos, lest they grow soggy. This is also why the hot toppings like meat and cheese go on the tortilla chips first, while cold ones like salsa, guacamole, and sour cream are saved for last. Not only can the cold ones not go into the oven, but the combination of cold meets hot is what causes the sog, and if it starts from the top down, the chips on the bottom stay safe for a few more minutes. In fact, you can even heat up the chips in the preheated oven for about five minutes before adding the cheese and meat. That way, they'll stay warmer and crisper for just a little longer

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