Crispy Oven Baked Tacos (with Taco Bell Copycat Beef)

These delicious, Taco Bell-inspired Baked Tacos are an easy way to make taco night any night of the week! Corn tortillas are filled with savory ground beef and shredded cheese, and then baked to crispy, golden brown perfection.

Why You’ll Love These Baked Tacos

Taco Bell used to be my favorite fast-food spot, and it still is today. However, it bothers my stomach and I haven’t eaten it often in recent years. I decided to recreate their iconic taco meat using healthier ingredients and used them for Crunchy Baked Tacos, and it turned out amazing. Full of flavor and incredibly easy to make, you will love this recipe (and so will your kids!).

This taco recipe is really so simple. You place taco meat and cheese in corn tortillas and bake to crispy perfection. The resulting beef tacos are super easy to customize– prefer flour tortillas? Sure! Want to make ground chicken tacos? Great! Enjoy whatever version you make with your favorite toppings and make any weeknight or Taco Tuesday a delicious and easy dinner for the whole family.

Watch a Short Video of This Recipe

Ingredient Notes

• lean ground beef: You can use another protein source like ground turkey or ground chicken for the taco filling if preferred. 
• corn tortillas
• cooking spray
• shredded cheese: Use cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese.
• toppings of your choice: Such as shredded lettuce, diced red onion, diced tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, hot sauce, jalapeño slices, bell pepper, cotija cheese, cilantro, lime juice, etc.

Meat Seasoning

• tomato paste
• chili powder
• paprika
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• cumin
• sea salt
• sugar
• bone broth or beef broth
• cornstarch

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add ground beef. Cook until browned, breaking up the ground beef mixture as much as you can, about 5 minutes. I used a potato masher to break it up as much as I could.
3. Add in all ingredients for the meat seasoning, and stir cooking for 3-4 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat.
4. Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray and lay them out on the baking pan. They can overlap a bit.
5. Add about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture to one half of each tortilla (I used a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop), then sprinkle with 2 tbsp of cheese on top.
6. Bake for 5 minutes, then fold the empty side of the tortilla over. Press firmly so it sticks to the melted cheese on top. 
7. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until the taco shell is crispy.
8. Serve these crunchy tacos with your favorite toppings and dips. You can gently open the tortillas and add toppings inside if you like.

Expert Tips

• A great way to easily cook lots of tacos at once for a big group, kid-friendly too.
• Ground beef can be subbed with ground turkey or ground chicken, if preferred.
• For that true Taco Bell-like meat, I used a potato masher to break up the meat into very small pieces. I recommend you do the same.
• Baking the tacos open first allows the cheese to melt and the tortillas to become soft enough so they can fold over and stick to the cheese without tearing.
• I made my own homemade taco seasoning for this recipe with simple spices, tomato paste, bone broth, and cornstarch. If you don’t have these spices on hand, feel free to use your favorite taco seasoning packet in place of the pantry spices. 

Serving and Storage Tips

Serve these crispy oven-baked tacos with your favorite taco toppings such as shredded lettuce, diced onion, diced tomatoes, sour cream, pico de gallo, salsa, jalapeño slices, bell pepper, cotija cheese, cilantro, lime juice, etc. Add a side of refried beans or black beans and Mexican rice or a side salad if desired. 

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat, place in a baking dish or sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can place in the air fryer at 350F and cook for 5-10 minutes until warmed through and crisped back up.

More Mexican-Inspired Recipes

• Big Mac Smash Burger Tacos
• Cauliflower Mexican Rice
• Easy Grilled Pollo Asado Recipe
• The Best Homemade Guacamole
• Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

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