Recipe: Crunchy Oven Baked Beef Tacos

My family absolutely loves taco night. But to be honest, our taco nights are not always that exciting. I usually grab a pack of flour tortillas and fill them with seasoned ground beef, salsa, cheese and maybe a little guacamole if I’m feeling a bit fancy.

My kids are always satisfied eating these basic tacos, but I wanted to add a little excitement to our taco night so I decided to make these Crunchy Oven Baked Beef Tacos. These tacos are truly perfection. They are filled with seasoned meat, tomatoes, cilantro and melted cheese, then baked to a crispy, crunchy perfection.

My favorite thing about these crispy tacos is that they’re extremely versatile. You can add your favorite combination of toppings for a quick and easy dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes.

Here’s what you’ll need

• Lean ground beef — You can use whatever ground beef you prefer or even ground turkey. I like to use 90% lean ground beef because the meat is flavorful and tender, yet not overly greasy.
• Taco seasoning — I prefer to use my homemade taco seasoning because it’s low in sodium, but you can use a premade pack of taco seasoning if that’s more convenient.
• Onions — Onions add a ton of flavor to the beef. I used yellow onions in this recipe, but you can also use red or green onions.
• Diced tomatoes — I always keep several cans of diced tomatoes on hand because they last a lot longer than fresh tomatoes.
• Cilantro — The cilantro adds so much flavor to this dish, but if you’re not a fan of cilantro, feel free to omit it.
• Cheese — I typically use a Mexican style cheese blend, but you can try using a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses.
• Tortillas — I’ve seen several recipes using hard taco shells, but for this recipe, I prefer to use flour tortillas. They brown perfectly in the oven … trust me on this.
• Olive oil — The olive oil is the key to making these tacos crunchy. So don’t omit this ingredient.
• Toppings: My favorite toppings are sour cream, jalapenos and feta.

Crunchy Oven Baked Beef Tacos

Click here for a printable recipe.

Serves: 10 tacos

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef or any preferred ground meat
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium taco seasoning
• 1 small onion sliced
• 1 & ½ cups diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup cilantro chopped
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 10 medium soft flour tortillas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese
• Optional toppings: sour cream fresh cilantro, jalapenos, feta cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
• When hot, add in the ground beef, taco seasoning and onions.
• Cook for about 5-7 minutes, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until the beef is browned.
• Drain fat, as needed.
• Stir in the diced tomatoes and cilantro and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
• Season with salt & pepper to taste and remove from the heat.
• Lightly spread olive oil on both sides of the tortillas and place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Spoon about 1/3 of the ground beef mixture onto one side of each tortilla and sprinkle cheese on top.
• Fold the other side over and bake the tacos for 12-15 minutes, and broil on high for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are golden brown.
• Serve the tacos topped with your favorite toppings and enjoy.

Recipe notes

Nutrition information (serving 1 taco): calories 297, carbohydrates 21 grams, protein 18 grams, fat 16 grams, saturated fat 3 grams, sodium 393 milligrams, fiber 2 grams, sugar 3 grams.

Andrea Mathis is a registered dietitian and owner of Beautiful Eats & Things. For more great recipes, visit beautifuleatsandthings.com.