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Crispy oven baked tacos! Made with hard taco shells, ground beef, taco seasoning, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream + avocado!
Yes. The answer is always yes to cheesy crispy baked tacos, especially on those busy, busy nights during the week.
With some ground beef, taco seasoning, shredded cheese, and all of your favorite taco toppings, these bad boys come together lightening fast. And the key is crispifying those hard taco shells for a few minutes BEFORE you add your filling. It will truly make all of the difference.
From there, you’ll pop it back in the oven again until you have melted cheesy beefy goodness. And you can make this work with ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey or even ground chicken. It’s all good.
We love it with some pico de gallo, avocado slices, and a dollop of sour cream with a fresh squeeze of lime juice. Taco Tuesdays (or Wednesdays/Thursdays/Fridays) never looked so so good.
TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
DO I HAVE TO USE GROUND BEEF?
Not at all! Ground pork or ground turkey can be used instead of ground beef.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning
- ¼ cup water or beer
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Cholula
- 12 hard taco shells
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
For serving
- Pico de gallo
- Avocado
- Sour cream
- Cilantro
- Shredded lettuce
- Lime wedges
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Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
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Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
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Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Stir in taco seasoning, water or beer and hot sauce until flavors have blended, about 2-3 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
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Place taco shells in a single layer, standing up, into the prepared baking dish. Place into oven and bake until crispy, about 3-4 minutes.
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Working carefully, add 1/4 cup ground beef mixture to each taco shell; sprinkle with cheese.
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Place into oven and bake until cheese has melted, about 4-5 minutes.
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Serve immediately with desired toppings.