OVEN BAKED TACOS

Oven Baked Tacos are always a favorite at dinnertime with the family, or when feeding a crowd at a party. Crisp taco shells are filled with cheese and our favorite seasoned ground beef taco meat and then baked in the shells the cheese is melted.
This is one of our favorite taco recipes! Baking these shells with meat & cheese helps to keep everything together – which means more yummy food in the mouth and less on the lap! Add your favorite toppings and serve!
The difference between these baked tacos and typical tacos is that the meat and a bit of cheese is added to the shells and baked for a few minutes.
Not only do they look so yummy packed together and standing upright in a casserole pan; they are easy to prepare, and even easier to grab and enjoy. You can also make these with pork or chicken. Just three simple steps to make this delicious crowd pleaser:

Brown the ground beef and onion. Stir in taco seasoning, or (use Homemade Taco Seasoning), and diced tomatoes.
Stack the taco shells side-by-side in a casserole pan and fill with cheese and meat mixture.
Top with shredded cheese and bake until the shells are crispy and the cheese is thoroughly melted.

To Keep Baked Tacos Crispy

These tacos are naturally a little bit soft on the bottom due to the moisture from the meat. Here are a few tips to keep them as crispy as possible.

Start with a thin layer of cheese in the bottom to create a barrier between the shell and the meat.
Ensure your meat is cooked until all liquid is evaporated.
Fill and bake just before serving. Once baked, serve immediately.

Can I use soft tortillas? While you can use soft tortillas for regular ground beef tacos, these baked tacos need a crunchy taco. I find the crisp taco shells that stand by themselves are the easiest to use.
Of course the best reason to make oven baked tacos is that they’re just plain delicious!

INGREDIENTS

2 lb ground beef
1 can refried beans
1 can of tomato sauce
1 packet taco seasoning
1 oz shredded cheese
12 tortillas/taco shells

DIRECTIONS

Start with the taco shells, buy them in the store or make em yourself. If you make them yourself, I don’t think you will ever go back to purchasing taco shells. All you need is some tortillas and cooking spray. We used some small, soft “taco” tortillas. We used the flour kind but corn is fine too.
First you want to steam them… Wet some paper towels and wring them out well. Layer the tortillas with the wet paper towels on a plate and then microwave (we did 6 at a time). Keep an eye on them, it should be about 30 seconds until they are steamed. Then lightly spray each side with cooking spray and drape each tortilla over two bars of the oven rack. It is wise to put a baking sheet below them to catch any oil from the cooking spray. Bake at 350-375 degrees for 7-10 minutes. You will be able to tell that they are browning & getting crispy. Take them out and set them aside!
Okay, now for the filling All you need is ground beef (2 pounds), 1 can of refried beans, 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 packet of taco seasoning, shredded cheese, & your favorite taco toppings.
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. COMPLETELY drain all grease and return to skillet. Over low heat, add refried beans, taco seasoning, and about half to two-thirds of the tomato sauce (you can eye this to see whats best, you don’t want the filling to be too runny or your tacos will be soggy on the bottoms). Blend well and scoop into the tacos (which should be “standing” in a lightly greased casserole type dish). Then just sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake. I think I did my at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.