Ohhhhhh man are these ever good. Make ’em fancy or trashy – I’ll show you both ways.
These Loaded French Fries are about to be your new obsession. At least I hope they will be because I really need someone to help me eat the endless batches of these I keep making. Please?
There are many version of Loaded Fries – and I have intimately studied them all – but this taco version is my current fave. If you’ve ever tried Fries Supreme at Taco Bell you’ll have a bit of an idea of what you’re in for here. Except these guys take it up about a bajillion notches. Perfectly spiced taco beef, creamy jalapeño cheese sauce, fresh tomato salsa, sour cream and yes, of course, even more cheese. They. Are. Insane. Forks optional.
I am going to give you some options with this recipe friends…
You can go all high-brow with these if you’re into it – and you should be because it’s all so much easier than you may think. Homemade taco seasoning, homemade jalapeño cheese sauce, homemade salsa… yes you can. You can do all of this and still be shovelling in these babies in 30 minutes.
Not up for it? Maybe you’re making these as part of your recovery from a hard night and barely have the energy to open the bag of frozen fries. Have no fear. Throw the fries in the oven, crack a jar of salsa, tear open a pack of taco seasoning, crack a jar of store bought queso (fake cheese rules!), and make things easy on yourself. I promise they will still be crazy good.
Scroll past the recipe if you’re looking for tips, substitutions, questions, etc. and details on how to make this recipe, but if you want to get straight to it, here’s my recipe-ish…
Loaded French Fries
Ingredients
For the fries:
- 750 grams/26 oz frozen french fries
- 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
For the taco beef:
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 3 Tbsp taco seasoning
Jalapeño cheese sauce
- Jalapeño cheese sauce my recipe or store bought
For the Pico de Gallo:
- 3 roma tomatoes diced
- 1/2 cup sweet onion diced
- 1 fresh jalapeño diced (seeded or not)
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
For topping:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
Make the fries:
- Sprinkle the fries with seasoning salt. Bake until crisp.
While the fries cook, prepare the beef:
- Heat a skillet and add in a drizzle of oil. Add in the beef and when almost cooked, stir in the taco seasoning (store bought or mine) and cook according to directions. Set aside.
Make the jalapeño cheese sauce, if making:
- Set aside. (Skip this step if using store bought queso)
Make the Pico de Gallo:
- Combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, lime juice and a good pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
Load the fries:
- When the fries are ready, top with the beef, cheese sauce and cheese.
- Bake at 425 for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Remove and drizzle with the sour cream. Sprinkle with Pico de Gallo.
Loaded French Fries recipe ingredients, tips, substitutions:
Fries – obviously. You can make homemade fries if you want to be serious about this. I usually just opt for frozen fries. Any kind works… regular, crinkle, waffle… all good choices.
Beef – taco beef is our fave, but you can use ground chicken or turkey, chopped cooked chicken or even steak. If you want to make an amazing vegetarian version just sub in a can of black beans for the beef.
Taco Seasoning – go ahead and use that packet of taco seasoning in your pantry, but you can also make my homemade taco seasoning… it’s super easy and super good.
Jalapeño Cheese Sauce – my homemade sauce takes less than 10 minutes to make and is awesome. Go ahead and crack a jar of store bought queso though if you want… no judgements, that stuff is pretty awesome.
Pico de Gallo – there is nothing like fresh salsa and I used to hate making it because I did it so often, but now I use my favourite chopper and it whips up in less than 5 minutes. Store bought salsa is just fine though.
Loaded French Fries Recipe Variations:
Extra Spicy Version – add an extra pinch of cayenne pepper to the taco beef and to the cheese sauce. Do not seed the jalapeño in the salsa and add fresh sliced jalapeños to the top before serving.
Bacon Version – because why wouldn’t we add bacon too? Cook and crumble 6 slices of bacon and add on top along with the cheese.
Loaded French Fries Recipe, how to make it…
Start with a batch of hot, crispy fries – store bought, homemade, waffle, curly, whatever your fave is. Spread them evenly on a baking sheet, sprinkle with seasoning salt and cook them until super crisp. We’re loading them up with toppings, so the crispier, the better.
While your fries are cooking, make the taco beef. Heat up a skillet with a little drizzle of oil and brown your beef until it’s almost cooked through. Then mix in your taco seasoning (store-bought is fine, mine is of course better) and let it simmer until it’s thick and a little saucy.
Next, the jalapeño cheese sauce. If you’re making homemade, do that now (it’s super easy and it’s worth it). If you’re using store bought queso, no judgements, just warm it up so it’s smooth and drizzle ready.
For the Pico de Gallo, toss together some chopped tomatoes, onion, jalapeño and a squeeze of lime juice. Season well with salt, taste and adjust. Break out some chips and do a little quality control here, but save some for the fries.
Build the fries! Pile on the taco beef, that creamy cheese sauce and a handful of shredded cheese (because double cheese is obviously important here). Pop them back in the oven for 5-10 minutes until everything is melty and hot.
Finish them off with a little sour cream (or a lot of sour cream) and top with a sprinkle of Pico de Gallo.
looking for things to serve with this Loaded French Fries recipe? try these…
- Amp up your party spread with these Barbeque Chicken Sliders and these Spicy Chicken Tenders
- …and these Soy Garlic Chicken Wings
- I also like to break out the tortilla chips and make this Loaded Avocado Dip with Chili Crisp too.
- Make them extra saucy with a drizzle of Buffalo Ranch right before serving.
- Give it a high-low feel by whipping up some martinis with these Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives and I’ll be over shortly.
If you like this Loaded French Fries Recipe let me know what you think in the comments below and please find and follow me on Social Media!
