Tacos are always an easy weeknight meal. Cook up the meat, grab your favorite toppings, stuff them in tortillas and voila! Dinner is served. But what if we kicked it up a notch? These baked tacos are about to be one of your favorite new 13×9 pan dinner recipes. Layered with spicy beans and melty cheese, this baked tacos recipe takes your Taco Tuesday to a new level. Just give yourself 15 extra minutes to cook and we promise you’ll thank us for it.
Ingredients for Baked Tacos
- Ground beef: Use ground beef that is 90% beef or less. Anything leaner than 90% will result in a dry texture.
- Taco seasoning: Use an envelope of your favorite taco seasoning brand or make your homemade seasoning.
- Diced tomatoes and green chiles: This recipe calls for two cans to provide flavor and spice to ground beef as well as the bean mixture layered at the bottom of these baked tacos.
- Refried beans: A can of refried beans is used to create a base layer to hold the meat and the taco shells to retain their shape while baking.of tomatoes to flavor and spice the ground beef and
- Mexican cheese blend: Use a bag of shredded Mexican cheese blend of your choice, both mixed within the bean mixture and sprinkled on top of your meat before baking.
- Fresh cilantro: Fresh cilantro is added to the bean mixture to enhance the flavor of these baked tacos. Feel free to save extra to sprinkle on top.
- Hot pepper sauce: If you love tacos with a kick of spice, mix in your favorite hot sauce to the bean mixture.
- Taco shells: These oven baked tacos are set in hard corn tortilla shells.
- Green onions: Chop up green onions for an extra garnish, if desired.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the meat
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large skillet, crumble and cook the beef over medium heat, around six to eight minutes or until it is no longer pink. Drain the excess fat, then stir in the taco seasoning with one can of undrained tomatoes and chiles. Cook until everything is heated through and then remove the skillet from the heat.
Step 2: Mix the bean mixture
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the can of refried beans, 1/2 cup of the Mexican shredded cheese, cilantro and the remaining can of tomatoes and chiles, undrained. If desired, add in hot pepper sauce as well. Spread the bean mixture on the bottom of a 13×9-inch casserole dish.
Step 3: Fill the tacos
Stand the taco shells upright on the bean mixture. Fill each taco with 1 tablespoon of cheese and 1/3 cup of the cooked beef. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Bake with remaining cheese, then top
Top the tacos with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered again for five to seven minutes or until the cheese is melted and the shells are lightly browned. Sprinkle the tops with green onions or whatever taco toppings you desire.
Recipe Variations
- Use different protein options: Not a fan of ground beef? This recipe also works well with ground turkey or chicken. You could even crumble up chorizo or plant-based meat alternative.
- Make the batch bigger with black beans: If you plan on cooking for a large crowd but don’t have as much ground beef, mix in a can or two of black beans with the ground beef mixture. This bulks up your taco filling without having to cook up more meat.
- Top with salsa: Before the final bake of these tacos, add 1 teaspoon or two of salsa (whether it’s your favorite jarred salsa or homemade salsa) with the shredded cheese so the tacos are already topped with warm salsa when they are finished.
How to Store Baked Tacos
For the best results, wrap each individual taco up with aluminum foil and place in an airtight container in the fridge. When it’s time to eat, pop that taco in the oven (still wrapped) at 350° for five to eight minutes.
Can you make baked tacos ahead of time?
It’s best to wait to set up the full casserole with the bean mixture and the tacos until it’s time to cook them. However, if you want to prep the beef taco meat before hand you can store the cooked meat in an airtight gallon-sized bag and store in the fridge for three to four days or in the freezer for three months.You can thaw the meat quickly by sticking the bag in a bowl of tap water until the meat is no longer frozen and ready to heat up.
Baked Taco Tips
Can you make baked tacos with chicken?
Yes! This baked tacos recipe also works with chicken. Swap out the ground beef with shredded chicken instead. Heat up the chicken on the stovetop in a skillet with the can of tomatoes, cheese and seasoning until everything is heated through.
What toppings should I add to my baked tacos?
You can top your oven baked tacos with anything you desire! Some of our favorites include guacamole, sour cream, chopped lettuce, tomatoes and salsa.
How do I keep the taco shells from falling apart?
Adding cheese at the bottom of your taco holds the juices from the beef mixture, ensuring your taco shells stay in tact and don’t fall apart when you pick them up.
