Loaded Nachos Served In A Football Is This Year’s CLUTCH Game Day Snack Recipe

Chips and dip are the snack everyone mindlessly munches on during the big game. Whether you’re watching the commercials or standing around catching up with friends, chances are you’ve got at least a few of these on your plate.

That ubiquity comes with a price, though, as these are often just put together with store-bought cheese sauce or dip that can be heated at the last minute. Going the extra mile to make your own cheese sauce, salsa, and meat to pile on top, and THEN serving that in a halved football? As Cris Collinsworth would say, here’s a sign that a true gourmet is running the snack show.

These Loaded Football Nachos are the snack that will wake people up out of their grazing in a momentary pause of “WOW, that’s amazing!” They’re stacked with a custom cheese sauce, Hansen’s Root Beer-marinated steak, and a mango-pineapple salsa infused with Hansen’s Mandarin Lime Soda syrup.

All of these ingredients combine for hits of sweet, savory, spicy, tangy, and acidic that create an orchestra of flavors that’ll have the entire football shell it’s served in empty by halftime.

Forget your favorite team taking home the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Getting everyone to ask you for this recipe and to make it again next year will be the real win come game day.

To make these Loaded Football Nachos, peep the recipe below.

Ingredients:

1 Pound Skirt Steak

1 Can of Hansen’s Root Beer Soda

1 Bunch Large Mexican Green Onion greens and bulbs divided

½ Cup Ketchup

2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp minced Fresh Garlic

For the Cheese Sauce:

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Flour

1 Cup Milk

1 1/2 Cup Mexican Style Shredded Cheese

For the Nachos:

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 Can Sliced Black Olives

1/2 Bunch Cilantro, chopped

1 Can Black Beans  

1 Bag Round Style Restaurant Tortilla Chips

Sour Cream

1 Football (Composite)

For the Mango Pineapple Salsa:

1 Pineapple, ¼” cube

1 Mango, ¼” cube

3 Cans Hansen’s Mandarin Lime Soda

1 Orange Bell Pepper, diced

1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

2 Jalapenos, diced with seeds removed

⅓ Cup diced Red Onion

½ Cup Lime Juice

½ Bunch Cilantro, chopped

Salt (To Taste)

Directions:

Step 1:

Combine thinly sliced green onion bulbs, Hansen’s Root Beer Soda, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic for the meat marinade. Marinate meat for 12-24 hours for best results.

Step 2:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter and flour, and whisk together until combined. Continue whisking while slowly adding milk. Once mixture comes to a simmer, turn off the heat and incorporate cheese until melted.

Step 3:

In a large skillet, lightly oil pan and set the temperature to high. Drain marinade from meat and reserve for later use. Once pan is hot, sear both sides of the meat. Pour some of the reserved marinade in on the seared meat. Cook meat on both sides, and once the liquid is evaporated, remove meat and cut into small pieces.

Step 4:

For the Mango Pineapple salsa, pour Hansen’s Mandarin Lime Soda in a small pot and reduce half the volume to make a soda syrup. Set aside to cool.

Step 5:

Combine cooled soda syrup, lime juice, red and orange peppers, pineapple, mango, jalapeno and cilantro. Let rest in a refrigerator for 2 hours, drain excess liquid.

Step 6:

Time to cut your football in half! Using a box cutter, x-acto, or utility knife, carefully cut the the football in half along the seam. Remove rubber lining.

Step 7:

Assemble the nachos! Line the football with parchment paper. Layer the chips, cheese, steak, warmed black beans, diced tomatoes, thinly sliced green onion stalks, black olives and chopped cilantro inside the half cut football. Repeat this process until all ingredients are used, put as much sour cream as you want on top, and serve!

Created in partnership with Hansen’s Soda.