Description
These baked ground beef tacos are a delicious and easy-to-make meal featuring a spiced ground beef mixture simmered in tomato sauce, filled into crispy taco shells, topped with melted cheese, and baked to perfection. Perfect for a quick dinner that the whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients
Scale
Ground Beef Mixture
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
Taco Assembly
- 1.5 cups grated cheese (cheddar, gouda, or similar)
- 12 taco shells
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) to ensure it’s ready for baking the tacos later.
- Cook Ground Beef: Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook it until no longer pink, breaking it up continuously to ensure even cooking.
- Add Spices: Stir in the ground cumin, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika powder thoroughly to coat the beef evenly with the spices.
- Add Tomato Paste: Mix in the tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. This step reduces the raw and bitter taste of tomato paste and deepens the flavor.
- Add Tomato Puree: Pour the tomato puree into the pan, stir well with the beef and spices, and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes to combine the flavors.
- Assemble Tacos: Place the 12 taco shells upright in a casserole dish. Fill each shell with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the ground beef mixture evenly.
- Add Cheese and Bake: Sprinkle grated cheese evenly on top of the filled taco shells. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly.
- Serve: Remove from oven and serve immediately with optional toppings such as sour cream, salsa, avocados, cilantro, tomatoes, lettuce, beans, or corn.
Notes
- Use a mix of cheeses like cheddar and gouda for a richer flavor.
- You can adjust the cayenne pepper to control the heat based on your preference.
- To make it gluten-free, ensure taco shells are corn-based and check labels for additives.
- Leftover taco filling can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.
- Feel free to add any fresh toppings to customize your tacos to your taste.
