Ground Beef Baked Tacos
Simple Ground Beef Baked Tacos are well-seasoned browned ground beef and melted Mexican cheese blend in a crispy street-size taco tortilla. You can serve them with any desired taco toppings such as crisp lettuce, fresh salsa, and sour cream; however, they are not needed. We love the homemade seasoning of the beef and enjoy the simplicity of these fun-tiny tacos!
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 12 street taco size tortillas corn or flour 5.5" diameter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Then, in a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper powder and set aside.
- Whisk the tomato paste and water in a separate bowl and set it aside.
- In a skillet, brown the ground beef until it is no longer pink, breaking the meat apart as it browns into small crumbles. Drain the excess grease, if desired.
- Add the spice mixture and tomato paste to the browned ground beef and cook it for 2-3 minutes until thoroughly combined.
- Next, line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out 6 taco shells on top. Cover the entire surface of each taco shell with a shredded Mexican cheese blend. Then, add 2 heaping Tablespoons of the taco meat to one half/side of the shell.
- Bake these open-faced tacos at 425°F for 3 minutes. Then, fold the shell over, sandwich the meat between the cheese layers, and bake the tacos for an additional 5 minutes. Repeat the assembly process one more time for the next set of 6 tacos. Serve warm.Top or dip with your choice of taco toppings, such as shredded lettuce, sour cream, and salsa. Enjoy!