We love tacos and probably have them once a week in one form or another. This recipe is a fun method of making crisp tacos that turn out super kid friendly! After you prepare the delicious meat filling, you fill the shells, sprinkle with cheese, then bake in the oven. What this does to your taco is soften the shell a bit to keep it from breaking when you bite into it! Kids get less frustrated with the taco breaking apart, plus they are all prepared and ready at the same time. You could do this with any taco filling, but I hope you'll give it a try. It's been a life changer for me!
Baked Tacos
Serves 4-6
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 (1 oz.) packet taco seasoning (or 1/4 cup if you have the giant Costo one)
1 cup salsa
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
12 crispy taco shells
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
Optional toppings: shredded lettuce, sour cream, olives, diced tomatoes
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large skillet, heat some oil over medium-high heat and add onion and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add ground beef and taco seasoning. Cook until browned and no longer pink. Add salsa and beans (if desired). Mix well and reduce heat to let simmer a few minutes to thicken. In a 9X13 baking dish, line up all of the taco shells. Fill each one with a couple of spoonfuls of beef mixture and pack down into the shell. After all the shells are filled, top each with shredded cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite taco toppings.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need an onion, garlic, ground beef, taco seasoning, salsa, and crisp taco shells.
Chop the onion. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add onion and 2 cloves garlic, minced.
Saute, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add the 1 lb. ground beef and packet of taco seasoning (or 1/4 cup if you have it in bulk). Cook until the beef is completely browned and no pink appears.
Add the salsa (and black beans, if desired). Mix well.
Allow the beef mixture to simmer on low for a few minutes to thicken while you prepare the taco shells.
Line a 9X13" baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil, or spray your regular foil with cooking spray. This makes clean-up a breeze. Lay out the taco shells standing up.
Fill each shell with a few spoonfuls of the beef mixture. Divide evenly among the shells.
Sprinkle each with shredded cheese.
Bake in 400° F oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite taco toppings!
I hope you'll try this method of crisp tacos and see what you think. We love to eat them, I love the speed and ease of making them, and my kids love that they don't fall apart. It's a win win win!
Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from a recipe by Six Sister's Stuff from this cookbook: