Description

Homemade beef taco meat is added into crunchy taco shells in an oven safe dish, and baked up along with cheese before adding on lettuce, tomato and avocado to make for the easiest Baked Beef Tacos everyone in the family will love.

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 teaspoons oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 small red onion, finely minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (see note)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup beef broth
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, more as needed
12 crunchy taco shells
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 avocados, diced
1 cup diced tomato

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil and beef. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until the beef is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. If a lot of fat has been rendered, drain off nearly all of it.
Reduce heat to medium-low, add the onions, and cook until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, cornstarch, spices, salt, and pepper and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture has thickened up and the broth has reduced, 3 to 5 minutes.
Arrange the taco shells in a large baking dish (a 9x13-inch glass baking dish works well here) so they are standing up.
Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of cheese into the bottom of the shells (this help keeps the shells from getting soggy). Divide the cooked beef filling evenly between the taco shells. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melty and the shells are crisp, about 25 minutes.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Sprinkle with the shredded lettuce, diced avocado, and chopped tomato (and/or other desired taco toppings) and serve.

Notes

Look for the flat-bottomed taco shells in the store for easy assembly. If you can't find those you can nestle them close together in the baking dish or use bunched up aluminum foil to keep them upright.

A 9x13-inch baking dish typically fits about 10-12 tacos snugly, which helps keep them upright during baking.

This dish needs to be served immediately!

Originally published in 2022 date, this baked taco recipe has been regularly re-tested and updated to ensure it remains perfect.