Easy Baked Tacos
This post may contain affiliate links, read our disclosure policy.
Baked tacos with ground beef, cheese, and piled with our favorite toppings are my kids favorite dinner, we always make two pans!
If you need an easy win, this baked tacos recipe is hands down a for sure hole in one three pointer touch down. (Go, sports!). Try it alongside a fresh pineapple margarita and some cinnamon mug cakes for dessert!
Save this recipe!
Save this recipe! Enter your email below and we’ll shoot it straight to ya!
I consent to receive email from this site 💌
Baked Tacos
Easy Baked Tacos
Click the button above to save this recipe!
Ingredients for Baked Tacos
- Ground beef – Or any type of ground meat like chicken, turkey, or sausage.
- Taco seasoning
- Diced tomatoes – You can use fresh tomatoes, but I like to use a can of petite diced tomatoes.
- Sweet onion – Diced.
- Taco shells – Regular are fine, but my favorite is flat bottomed.
- Shredded cheese – Mexican or fiesta blend is our favorite.
- Shredded lettuce – I like to use a spring mix or baby spinach.
- Garnishes – Sour cream, salsa, fresh cilantro, creamy cilantro sauce.
How do you make baked tacos? (Step-by-step)
⭐ First, brown ground beef in a skillet, then drain off extra fat. Add tomatoes, onion, and taco seasoning, and bring to a simmer.
⭐ Next, while meat is cooking, stand taco shells upright in a baking dish or roasting pan.
⭐ Then, evenly divide meat mixture into taco shells, top with cheese, and bake, until cheese is melted and shells are browned and crisping.
⭐ Finally, top with lettuce and optional garnishes.
Preparation
Can you make baked tacos ahead of time?
These tacos are best made immediately before serving, but if you’d like to do some prep ahead of time, the seasoned meat can be prepared up to a day ahead (and kept in the refrigerator) or months ahead if kept in the freezer.
What toppings for baked tacos?
- Creamy garlic cilantro sauce
- Mango salsa with pineapple
- Fresh pico de gallo
- Homemade chimichurri
- Pickled red onion
- Pickled jalapeno slices
- Oven roasted salsa
Tips and Tricks
🟢 Keep the tacos crispy by making sure to cook as much liquid out of the meat as possible before adding it to the tacos.
🟢 Make it spicy by adding pickled jalapenos to the ground beef mixture or as a garnish on top.
🟢 Serve tacos right away after baking so the bottoms don’t get soggy and the cheese is soft and melty.
🟢 Try flat-bottomed tacos to keep them from tipping over.
Serving suggestions
Baked tacos are best served with a strong margarita (your choice of classic marg, pineapple margarita, frozen mango margarita, or grapefruit margarita!), oh, and also a side or too. Like cucumber tomato salad, or black bean soup. And definitely top things off with a slice of creamy key lime pie or creamy salsa soup.
More Mexican inspired recipes
- Homemade Mexican pizza
- Baked flour taquitos
- Fish tacos recipe
- Layered chicken nachos
- Mexican stuffed peppers recipe
Tools we love
- Calphalon everyday pan – This is a 12″ two handled pan that you will use pretty much every day!
- End grain cutting board – This is my absolute favorite cutting board and the one that I get the most compliments on!
Get our FREE Easy Casseroles Ebook!
Follow us below!Use #mamalovesfood on Instagram!
How to Make Baked Tacos
Baked Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 pound ground beef or other ground meat
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes 15 ounces
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 12 hard taco shells
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1 cup shredded lettuce we used a spring mix
- Optional garnishes: sour cream, salsa, fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a large skillet brown ground beef. If desired, drain off excess fat.
- Add tomatoes, taco seasoning, and onion to skillet and bring to a simmer. Continue stirring and simmering until most of the liquid has cooked away.
- While meat is cooking, stand taco shells upright in a baking dish. (I’s okay if they’re not perfect).
- Evenly divide meat mixture into taco shells, top with cheese, and bake at 350 F for 10 - 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and shells are browned and crisping.
- Top with lettuce and optional garnishes.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Share it with me on Instagram and use the hashtag #mamalovesfood and follow on Pinterest for even more!
Easy Baked Tacos
Click the button above to save this recipe!
Get Our Free Easy Casseroles ebook!
Recipes in your inbox
(your email will never be sold!)
Let’s Connect!
Tag #mamalovesfood on Instagram!
Such a fantastic way to make tacos!! My family would love these!
We love these delicious baked tacos recipe! They are so easy to make and so good.
Love how these turned out! So tasty, crunchy and just perfect!
do you drain the tomatoes & do you follow the seasoning directions or use it dry
Hi Georgia – I do not drain the tomatoes and I do not use the directions on the seasoning packet. As it states in the recipe, you’ll want to simmer until the liquid has cooked off. Hope that helps 🙂
Yes, it does. Thank You!