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Pile of ground beef and cheese tacos laying on top of each other with cilantro and red onion sprinkled on top.
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4.75 from 4 votes

Crispy Baked Ground Beef Tacos

Crunchy ground beef tacos with gooey melted cheese that are oven-baked to perfection! This simple recipe is fun for the whole family to make!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 12 Tacos
Calories: 177kcal
Author: Julia

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 medium-sized yellow onion finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 2 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder optional
  • cup tomato sauce*
  • 1 tsp sea salt to taste
  • 12 soft corn tortillas**
  • 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella cheese***

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet or baking dish with parchment paper or lightly spray it with cooking oil. Note: if you have two large baking sheets, feel free to use two, as you’ll need to make two batches.
  • Heat the avocado oil over medium heat and add the onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
    Onion and garlic cooking in a large nonstick skillet.
  • Scoot the onion and garlic off to the side and add the ground beef along with the chili powder, garlic powder, and sea salt. Use a spatula to chop the meat into small bits and continue cooking until the meat has browned.
    Ground beef in a skillet with chili powder and garlic powder sprinkled on top.
  • Stir in the tomato sauce (or tomato paste and broth) and continue cooking at a boil until the meat has cooked through.
    Ground beef taco meat in a skillet with tomato sauce being mixed in.
  • Lay 6 corn tortillas on the prepared baking sheet (or spread 12 tortillas over 2 baking sheets if you have two). Spread grated cheese over the full surface of each tortilla and bake for 3 minutes to melt the cheese.
    Six tortillas on a parchment-lined baking sheet with grated cheese sprinkled on top of the tortillas, ready to go into the oven.
  • Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spoon about ¼ cup of the taco meat mixture over half of each tortilla.
    Spoon spreading beef taco mixture on top of the melted cheese tortillas.
  • Fold the side that doesn’t have the meaty taco filling over the side that has the meat and gently press.
    Hand folding over the taco shell to form tacos.
  • Place the baking tray back into the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the tacos reach your desired level of crisp.
    Ground beef tacos ready to go into the oven to make crispy tacos.
  • Note: if you're using store-bought crunchy taco shells, simply stuff them with your desired amount of grated cheese and meat and bake for 5 to 8 minutes at 425 or until the cheese is melted.
  • Repeat this process for the remaining 6 tortillas and the rest of the meat. Serve with chopped red onions, cilantro, fresh salsa, and any of your favorite toppings on top!

Notes

*You can replace the tomato sauce with 3 tablespoons of tomato paste plus ½ cup of chicken broth or beef broth if you’d like.
**If you’d like, make hard shell tacos using crunchy taco shells and bake with all of the fillings for 8 to 10 minutes at 425.
***Use your favorite melting cheese such as cheddar cheese, colby jack, or pepper jack cheese.
The tacos are best when served fresh right out of the oven. If you do end up with leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco | Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 400mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g