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There’s something seriously divine about biting into a juicy, delicious cheeseburger. My family is pretty serious about our beef and our cheeseburgers– every year, we even buy an entire cow. That’s how much we really, really like burgers. But burgers are just a pain in the booty to make for tailgating and Big Game parties. Getting it just how everyone likes it, making the perfect patty, standing over the grill… that’s not how I want to spend my game time events. That’s why these loaded cheeseburger nachos are perfect. They totally keep the party going, and they have all of the best parts of a cheeseburger– beef, bacon, fries, and delicious ketchup. You can’t go wrong with them!

To incorporate the best of actual cheeseburgers, you really want to start with the best ingredients you’d have for a cheeseburger, from your ketchup to your freshly diced onions to your slices of American cheese.

For game time parties, you always want to make sure cleanup is a breeze, which is why you only use one pan in this recipe. Starting with a cast iron skillet on the stovetop, you’re going to combine ground beef, chopped bacon, and a purple onion. Now is also a good time to add powdered seasonings, like garlic, salt, and pepper. (You can totally tweak this recipe to make it your own, so if you add another seasoning to your burgers, like cayenne or onion salt, now is the time to go for it!)

Cook until your ground beef and bacon are cooked through and your onions are tender, then set the beef mixture aside in a separate bowl, draining off any of the excess grease.

Now is when we really kick things up a notch. See, when it’s just beef, bacon, onions, and some dry seasonings, you’ve basically got a bowl full of seasoned beef. But when you add in some ingredients you’d usually find on top of a burger, trust me, you’ve just taken it to a whole new level that makes it taste like the best. cheeseburger. ever.

One of those essential ingredients that will keep your beef mixture nice and moist while adding an amazing flavor to it is French’s Tomato Ketchup, which I picked up at my local Walmart Neighborhood Market, in the condiment aisle.

The thing I love about French’s Ketchup is that it is made with high-quality, real deal kind of ingredients. Think about it: when is the last time you had ketchup that was made with actual tomatoes and real sugar, instead of corn syrup? Well, French’s actually does that– it uses real tomatoes, real sugar, and has no high fructose corn syrup or GMO’s, which is pretty snazzy. And that color? It’s all real, too– French’s® ketchup doesn’t use any artificial colors or flavoring, meaning I feel good about feeding it to my family and friends during football parties and every other day, too.

To keep your ground beef mixture nice and moist, and really pack on the flavor, you’re going to want to give it a generous squeeze (okay, actually about a quarter cup) of French’s ketchup.

You’ll also want to add some mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and pickle juice at this stage in the game. Yum! Give that a really good stir so it’s all coated nicely.

Finish with a generous amount of shredded cheddar, and you’re ready to move on to baking it.

Coat your cast iron skillet with a fair amount of the grease that you drained off earlier, just enough to really season the pan so the food doesn’t stick. Then, using your favorite shoestring potatoes, line the pan (I’m from Kansas, so I like to say that you should make it look like a sunflower at this point!) You’re going to want a good ring of fries around the edges. Scoop as much of the beef mixture into the middle as you possibly can, then bake at 450 for about 12 minutes.

Once you’ve baked it, remove it and lower the temperature to 325. Place on some slices of American cheese and bake it for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is nice and bubbly.

One thing I’ll note is that you can totally shake this up to your taste– if you aren’t a fry fan, try swapping in some tater tots for an awesome alternate. Prefer to serve these nachos with potato chips instead of fries? Grab your favorite ruffly chips, and instead of putting them in the skillet, fill the entire skillet with the beef mixture, bake, add cheese, and serve it with chips on the side. It’s super versatile to make it easier for whatever side potato you like best with your burgers.

When it comes to football parties, it becomes seriously hard to balance your plate of goodies, like nachos and fries, with your dipping sauce, like your ketchup. And trust me, I’m not going to be one of those maniacs that put ketchup allllll over their fries willy-nilly. Nope, I’m a dipper for life. That’s why I love this awesome hack that lets you add a nice little dip cup to a plate so you’re not having to juggle a plate AND a cup of ketchup, and when you sit down, it doesn’t all go flying. To do it, all you have to do is grab any disposable plate and a mini disposable cup. Trace around the cup, and use a sharp knife to cut wedges into the circle, like a pie or pizza. Poke the cup through, and tape it down if needed.

Now, when you flip it over, you’re ready to fill your plate and squeeze plenty of ketchup into the cup! One-handed eats for the win!

During football parties, I love knowing that I’m feeding my friends and family awesome food that they can enjoy, but one thing I also love is knowing that when I serve French’s Tomato Ketchup at my big game party, I’m helping French’s do its part with a partnership with Feeding America as they donate 10 million meals this year, in 2017. Real ingredients and a commitment to the community makes this ketchup the perfect match for my family.

(You can also view the above video here).

Loaded Cheeseburger Nachos Recipe

More Appetizers for Your Big Game Spread

Raspberry Black Bean Dip
Cowboy Egg Rolls
Snackin’ Crackers
Football Cake Pops from PintSizedBaker
Slow Cooker Carne Asada from ClarksCondensed

What’s your favorite food for football parties?

Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out more awesome football party-inspired dishes with French’s here. You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!