Description
These Baked Chipotle Beef and Melted Cheese Tacos combine a smoky, flavorful chipotle sauce with seasoned ground beef and melty cheese, baked to perfection for a delicious and comforting meal. Served with fresh lime, cilantro, avocado, and optional grilled corn, these tacos are perfect for a satisfying dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Chipotle Sauce
- 1 can red enchilada sauce
- 1/4 cup canned chipotle chilies in adobo
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2-3 tablespoons salted butter
Tacos
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or chicken
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 16-20 corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- limes, cilantro, avocado, and grilled corn for serving
Instructions
- Make the Chipotle Sauce: Combine the red enchilada sauce, canned chipotle chilies in adobo, dried oregano, and apple cider vinegar in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce into a skillet over medium heat, add the cinnamon stick and salted butter. Fill the empty enchilada can with water, add it to the sauce, and simmer over medium-low heat until combined and steaming. Season with salt as needed.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425° F to prepare for baking the tacos.
- Cook the Meat Filling: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef or chicken with the sliced onion and taco seasoning, breaking up the meat as it cooks until browned, about 10 minutes. Add 3/4 cup water and reduce heat to medium, simmering until the sauce thickens around the meat, about 5 minutes.
- Assemble the Tacos: Dip each corn tortilla into the chipotle sauce, coating both sides, then place on a baking sheet. Add a small handful of shredded Mexican cheese and Monterey jack cheese to one half of each tortilla, spoon over the cooked meat, and sprinkle additional cheese on top. Fold the tortillas in half, pressing gently to close.
- Bake the Tacos: Bake the assembled tacos in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then carefully flip each taco and bake for an additional 5 minutes until the tortillas are crisp and the cheese has melted.
- Serve: Serve the baked tacos with lime wedges, fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, and extra chipotle sauce for dipping. Optionally, add grilled corn as a side.
Notes
- If you don’t have premade taco seasoning, mix 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, and 2 teaspoons salt.
- Use 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken as a lighter alternative to beef.
- For a spicier sauce, add extra chipotle chilies or some of the adobo sauce.
- To make prep easier, shred the cheese ahead of time and have all ingredients ready before cooking.
- If corn tortillas are brittle, warm them briefly in a dry skillet to make them more pliable before dipping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
