Baked Tacos
These baked tacos are the best easy weeknight meal and are done in under 30 minutes. Crispy corn tortillas filled with perfectly seasoned ground beef, refried beans, and creamy cheddar cheese. Your family will be sure to love them.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These crispy baked tacos are the perfect weeknight meal.
- They take less than 30 minutes to make.
- The ground beef, refried beans, and creamy cheddar cheese create a flavor packed dinner.
- They are a family favorite – husband and kid approved!
- They are gluten free and can be made dairy free.
- They truly couldn’t be easier to make.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground beef. You will need 1-1.5 lb ground beef for these crispy baked tacos. You can sub with ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Refried beans. Homemade refried beans are my favorite but you can use canned if you are in a pinch.
- Yellow onion. 1 medium yellow onion, diced. You can sub with red onion or white onion.
- Cheese. You need 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Layering shredded cheese with the ground beef mixture helps these tacos stay closed while they’re baking in the oven. You can sub a dairy-free cheese if needed.
- Spices. Cayenne, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt are used to season the ground beef.
- Corn tortillas. Corn tortillas are the best gluten free tortillas to use for these crispy tacos. You can sub with flour tortillas and you can try almond flour tortillas but they tend to be more fragile so it may not work.
- Lime. 1 lime, juice. 1/2 lime is used in the ground beef. The other 1/2 is used with the mashed avocado.
- Avocado. 1/2 avocado mashed with lime, salt, and pepper.
- Cilantro. Fresh cilantro is used as a garish.
- Olive oil. You will lightly brush the tortillas with olive oil. Some will also be used to cook the beef.
How to Make
Step 1
Make the ground beef. Preheat oven to 425 and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Heat olive oil in a medium sized skillet at a medium heat. Add diced onion and saute for a few minutes. Then add ground beef. Break up beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
Step 2
Prep the tortillas. Add corn tortillas to your baking sheets. Lightly brush each side of the tortilla with olive oil or avocado oil. Then, transfer to the preheated oven for 3 minutes – don’t skip this step!
Step 3
Assemble the tacos. Add a little bit of cheese to one half of each tortilla. Then, spread on some refried beans followed by the ground beef. You may have a little bit extra, depending how heavily you fill them. Finally, add a little bit more cheese and then fold the tortillas in half and firmly press down so they stay closed.
Step 4
Bake the tacos. Bake the crispy baked tacos for about 10 minutes and then flip and cook for another 10 minutes or until crispy.
Step 5
Serve & enjoy! Remove tacos from oven. Serve hot with fresh cilantro and mashed avocado (or guac).
Expert Tips
- For the best crispy tacos make sure you bake the tortillas brushed with olive oil for a few minutes before assembling the tacos – this is a MUST! It helps to make them more pliable so they don’t break.
- You can use flour tortillas but make sure to follow the same step as above.
- Serve tacos with mashed avocado or guac and fresh cilantro.
- Cheese is a necessary to hold the tacos together, if you are dairy free you can sub your favorite dairy free cheese.
- Make sure not to fill the tacos with too much filling or they will overflow and be much harder to eat. The first time I made them I put too much filling, do not make the same mistake as me!
Serve them hot with mashed avocado or guac and fresh cilantro.
Almond flour tortillas tend to be more fragile so I would proceed at your own risk. I have found corn to be the best gluten free option with these tacos.
They are not dairy free because cheese is necessary to hold the tacos together. If you need to you can sub with a dairy free cheese.
Baked Tacos
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsps olive oil
- 1-1½ lb ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cayenne powder
- 1 cup refried beans
- ½-1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 10-12 corn tortillas
- 1 lime
- 1 avocado, mashed with lime juice, salt, and pepper
- fresh cilantro, to garnish
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Medium sized skillet
Instructions
- Make the ground beef. Preheat oven to 425 and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Heat olive oil in a medium sized skillet at a medium heat. Add diced onion and saute for a few minutes. Then add ground beef. Break up beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Prep the tortillas. Add corn tortillas to your baking sheets. Lightly brush each side of the tortilla with olive oil or avocado oil. Then, transfer to the preheated oven for 3 minutes – don’t skip this step!
- Assemble the tacos. Add a little bit of cheese to one half of each tortilla. Then, spread on some refried beans followed by the ground beef. You may have a little bit extra, depending how heavily you fill them. Finally, add a little bit more cheese and then fold the tortillas in half and firmly press down so they stay closed.
- Bake the tacos. Bake the crispy baked tacos for about 10 minutes and then flip and cook for another 10 minutes or until crispy.
- Serve & enjoy! Remove tacos from oven. Serve hot with fresh cilantro and mashed avocado (or guac).
Notes
- For the best crispy tacos make sure you bake the tortillas brushed with olive oil for a few minutes before assembling the tacos – this is a MUST! It helps to make them more pliable so they don’t break.
- You can use flour tortillas but make sure to follow the same step as above.
- Serve tacos with mashed avocado or guac and fresh cilantro.
- Cheese is a necessary to hold the tacos together, if you are dairy free you can sub your favorite dairy free cheese.
- Make sure not to fill the tacos with too much filling or they will overflow and be much harder to eat. The first time I made them I put too much filling, do not make the same mistake as me!