Ground Beef Baked Tacos

These Ground Beef Baked Tacos are the perfect way to prepare tacos for a crowd. Bake a batch of crispy and cheesy beef tacos and serve with a topping bar so everyone can add their own toppings.

I like to serve them with pico de gallo, guacamole, shredded lettuce, lime wedges, and always a batch of my easy homemade pickled red onions.

Baked tacos that are like the perfect blend of taco and quesadilla

If you had asked me one month ago, “whats your favorite taco?”, I probably would NEVER say ground beef. They are sometimes dry and the toppings tend to fall out as you eat. These baked ground beef tacos completely change that for me.

First, cook the ground beef taco meat with simple seasonings and tomato paste. The result is a moist, but not too wet taco meat that is perfect for the baked tacos.

Then, bake the ground beef in a small street taco shell with lots of shredded cheese until the outside is crispy perfection. Once they are finished you can open them up and add the toppings inside or just layer toppings on top and enjoy with a fork and knife.

Serving Suggestions

There are so many toppings you can add to get as creative as you want with these beef tacos. Some of my favorite taco toppings are shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes or pico de gallo, fresh avocado or guacamole, and cojita cheese. I also always serve my tacos with a batch of pickled red onions!

Make a simple dipping sauce for the tacos by blending sour cream, lime juice and cilantro. Or add some extra protein by making a simple spicy sauce with greek yogurt and hot sauce. You can even serve with a small bowl of taco sauce or enchilada sauce for dipping.

I like to serve these oven baked tacos with a simple salad and my copycat chipotle vinaigrette. You can also serve them with some cilantro lime rice and seasoned beans.

For another easy taco recipe, try these crockpot chicken tacos or these baked chicken tacos.

What ingredients will I need to make these simple beef tacos?

You will be amazed at how easy it is to make these baked tacos with just a few simple ingredients. Feel free to put your own spin on this recipe!

• Ground beef – I like to us a 90/10 ground beef so that there is still a little fat for flavor, but not too much fat
• Taco seasoning blend – make a homemade taco seasoning with salt, black pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper powder. This blend of spices and seasonings is so good that I use it any time I make homemade tacos. You can add any additional seasonings you enjoy like dried oregano and onion powder.
• Tomato paste – add a little tomato paste and water in with the seasoning blend to really make the flavor of the taco meat pop.
• Shredded Mexican cheese blend – I like to use a shredded cheese blend, but you can also use just one cheese like a sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese.
• Street taco size white corn tortillas – the corn tortillas are soft enough to fold in half and then the edges get delightfully crispy when the tacos are baked.

Recipe Variations

If you are a vegetarian, feel free to use some crumbled tofu, vegan refried beans, tempeh in place of the ground beef. For another great vegetarian option, try these black bean baked tacos.

Substitute the ground beef for any ground meat. Ground turkey or ground pork will work best. Use ground chicken to make delicious chicken tacos. If you use ground chicken, add a bit of oil into the pan when you cook it because its very low in fat.

Many people prefer soft flour tortillas of corn tortillas, those will work just fine for this recipe. Look for the smaller size flour tortillas that are between 5 and 6 inches in diameter.

Add extra spice to these tacos by layering sliced jalapeños or pickled jalapeños in with the ground beef and cheese before baking.

How to make Ground beef Baked Tacos 🌮

Step 1: Preheat oven and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix taco seasoning blend together in a small bowl.

Step 2: Brown ground beef in a skillet, season with the seasoning blend and then mix in a tomato paste and water mixture.

Step 3: Arrange 6 corn tortillas at a time on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread some shredded cheese and taco meat over the top of each tortilla. Bake until the cheese melts.

Step 4: After the cheese melts for the baked tacos, take the sheet pan out of the oven, fold the tacos in half and bake again for just a few minutes. I like to serve them with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

Make extra crispy tacos

If you are a fan of hard tacos or like to use hard taco shells, you can make these baked tacos extra crispy and crunchy. After you fold the tacos in half, but before you bake them again, spray the outside with some cooking spray oil.

Bake again as instructed. Then, increase the oven heat to a broil. Allow the tacos to cook for just another minute so that the outer shell gets nice and crispy.

Storage, Reheating and Freezing

To keep the tacos warm as you are serving them, transfer them to a baking dish and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

Allow the tacos to cool completely and then transfer to an airtight container in the fridge. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven, toaster oven or air fryer at 250F until just warmed through – about 15 minutes.

You can also freeze these baked tacos to save them for longer. Wrap in foil first and then place in a plastic freezer friendly bag. Keep frozen for up to 3 months.