Crispy Beef Tacos (Baked Not Fried!)

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

oil (can use canola, vegetable, or olive oil)

1 lb. ground beef (85% lean/15% fat or 90/10.)

2 Tbsp. taco seasoning (I just used seasoning from a packet for convenience!)

1/2 cup water

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lime, juiced

1, 4 oz. can diced green chiles

salt and pepper, to taste

8 oz. colby jack cheese, shredded, divided

8-10, 6-inch white or yellow corn tortillas

1/2 cup - 3/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 tsp. honey or sugar

1/2 lime, juice

1 clove garlic

salt to taste

sour cream, shredded lettuce finely chopped, fresh cilantro, pico de gallo, guacamole, pickled red onions, etc.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly oil or spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray. (I use a standard half sheet pan 18x13). Set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, drain the excess fat.

Return to the burner and add in the taco seasoning, water, garlic, lime juice, diced green chiles, salt, and pepper to taste.

Cook until most of the moisture has evaporated, stirring occasionally ~5 minutes.

Then stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese and stir until combined. Turn off the burner & remove from heat.

Wrap the tortillas in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave for 45-60 seconds, flipping them halfway through. This step helps prevent the tortillas from breaking and makes them more pliable and easier to fold. If the tortillas don’t feel pliable or are breaking still, microwave tortillas again for about 10 seconds.

Working on one half of the tortilla, spread about ¼ cup of the beef mixture down on the tortilla.

Top with a little bit of shredded cheese.

Fold the tortilla over to seal. Lightly brush the top of the tortilla with just a little more oil.

Repeat with remaining taco filling and tortillas. Careful not to fill them too much because it will ooze out and get messy. I bake about 6 at a time on a baking sheet, you should yield ~8-10 tacos.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until hot and crispy! (no need to flip)

While they are baking, you can make the chipotle crema. Blitz everything in a food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust according to your preferences.

Serve the tacos with your favorite toppings and the crema.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 taco
• Calories: 322 kcal
• Total Fat: 21 g
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 67 mg
• Sodium: 521 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 15 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 1 g
• Protein: 18 g