Description

This recipe for Crispy Beef Tacos offers a delicious twist by baking instead of frying, resulting in perfectly crispy and flavorful tacos. Ground beef is seasoned with taco spices, garlic, lime juice, and green chiles, then combined with melted colby jack cheese and wrapped in soft corn tortillas. Baked until golden, these tacos are served with a smoky chipotle crema and your favorite toppings for a satisfying meal.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Tacos

1 Tbsp oil (canola, vegetable, or olive oil)
1 lb. ground beef (85% lean/15% fat or 90/10)
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning (packet seasoning for convenience)
1/2 cup water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lime, juiced
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz. colby jack cheese, shredded, divided
8-10, 6-inch white or yellow corn tortillas

Chipotle Crema

1/2 to 3/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tsp. honey or sugar
1/2 lime, juiced
1 clove garlic
Salt to taste

For Serving

Sour cream
Shredded lettuce, finely chopped
Fresh cilantro
Pico de gallo
Guacamole
Pickled red onions

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Instructions

Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Lightly oil or spray two baking sheets with nonstick spray and set aside.
Cook beef: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, then drain excess fat.
Add seasoning and simmer: Return the skillet to heat, add taco seasoning, water, minced garlic, lime juice, diced green chiles, salt, and pepper. Cook until most moisture evaporates, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
Melt cheese into beef mixture: Stir in 1 cup of shredded colby jack cheese until combined, then remove from heat.
Prep tortillas: Wrap tortillas in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave for 45-60 seconds, flipping halfway through, to make them pliable. Microwave an additional 10 seconds if still breaking.
Assemble tacos: On one half of each tortilla, spread about 1/4 cup beef mixture, top with a little shredded cheese, then fold the tortilla over to seal. Lightly brush the top with a little oil.
Bake tacos: Arrange tacos on prepared baking sheets, about 6 at a time, to yield 8-10 tacos total. Bake for 15-20 minutes until hot and crispy. No need to flip.
Make chipotle crema: While the tacos bake, combine crema or sour cream, chipotle peppers, honey, lime juice, garlic, and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning as desired.
Serve: Serve crispy baked tacos with chipotle crema and your favorite toppings such as sour cream, shredded lettuce, cilantro, pico de gallo, guacamole, and pickled red onions.

Notes

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat tacos in the oven for about 10 minutes or microwave for 1 minute.
Be careful not to overfill the tortillas to prevent filling from leaking out while baking.
Use a damp paper towel when microwaving tortillas to keep them soft and pliable.
Adjust the amount of chipotle peppers in the crema to control heat level according to preference.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 taco
Calories: 320 kcal
Sugar: 3 g
Sodium: 450 mg
Fat: 20 g
Saturated Fat: 9 g
Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 18 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 18 g
Cholesterol: 55 mg