An Easy Taco Recipe to Feed a Crowd
Easy baked tacos are a fabulous midweek meal. This taco bake recipe has a slightly saucer meat filling, yet keeps all the tacos warm, crunchy, and cheesy so they’re ready at the same time! I realize it’s a small problem… But it’s still a problem. You’re making crunchy tacos for your family, but as you fill them, the bottoms get soggy and cold while you try to get each plate ready. An easy way to fix this issue is to prep all the tacos in a baking dish and then bake them so the bottoms stay hot and crunchy! Plus, adding a little extra cheese to the bottoms and over the ground beef mixture makes them extra cheesy and delicious. Serve the taco bake with your favorite toppings and sides for a fun and filling dinner in only 30 minutes!
Taco Bake Ingredients
Taco shells – crunchy taco shells (corn tortilla or flour tortilla) Ground beef – or ground turkey Onion – peeled and diced Taco seasoning packet – choose your favorite brand of store-bought taco seasoning or use homemade taco seasoning Rotel tomatoes and chilies – mild or spicy, with the juices Mexican hot sauce – like Cholula, or another preferred brand Mexican cheese – shredded, either packaged store-bought or grated by hand ( sub Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese) Pico de gallo – plus other toppings… Keep reading for some of our favorite taco party topping ideas!
How to Make Baked Tacos
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Spray the dish with nonstick cooking spray. Stand as many hard taco shells up in the baking dish as possible. (Some of my baking dishes will hold 14 and some will hold 16, based on the angle of the sides.) Set a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the ground beef to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat up into small pieces. Then add in the diced onion and taco seasoning packet. Stir and cook the meat and onions until the taco meat mixture is fully cooked and broken into small pieces. Then stir in the Rotel and hot sauce. Simmer and stir for another 2-3 minutes to tighten the sauce. Sprinkle 2-3 teaspoons of shredded cheese in the bottom of each taco shell, about 1 cup total. Then spoon the meat evenly into the taco shells. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the meat in each taco shell. Bake the tacos for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the taco shells are extra crunchy.
Best Taco Toppings
Now comes the fun part… Time to load these beauties up with your favorite extra goodies! Here are a few of your favorite taco toppings to get the party started:
Sour cream or magic taco dip Guacamole Salsa Taco sauce Sliced avocado Pickled jalapeno slices Crunchy fried onions Shredded lettuce Drained and rinsed kidney beans or black beans Lime wedges Crushed Doritos chips
Serving Suggestions
Any night is a party when you serve these crunchy, cheesy baked tacos. Make it a full meal and pair them with a buffet of toppings and any number of tasty sides! We love hearty classic Southwestern dishes like whole black beans, refried beans, authentic Frijoles de la Olla (Mexican pinto beans), or Papas Bravas (Mexican potatoes). Any of these also pairs well with delicious and fluffy Spanish rice, yellow rice, or green rice. You want extra goodies like chips and salsa at your taco bar! And, speaking of bar, I also highly suggest including some Tex-Mex-style cocktails on taco night… Try our fabulous traditional margarita, grapefruit margarita, or strawberry margarita recipes. For something a bit less sweet, pair this taco bake recipe with a frozen beerita or spicy michelada (essentially a Mexican Bloody Mary).
Looking for More Crowd-Pleasing Party Ideas? Be Sure to Try:
Philly Cheesesteak Sliders How to Make Baked Party Reuben Sandwiches Drowned Carnitas Party Sandwiches Mac and Cheese Pizza Cheesy Enchilada Meatball Sub
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