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Crunchy baked tacos are a delicious and easy to make dish that delivers your favorite taco flavors with a satisfying crunch. These tacos are loaded with beef, cheese, jalapenos, and onions and are topped with your favorite taco toppings.

A taco on a plate drizzled in sour cream.

Tacos are one of our favorite meals around here. They are easy to make, everyone can customize them to their own taste, and you can fill them with a variety of meat.

The challenge is always what vessel is going to hold the tacos. Are we going for soft tacos or hard tacos? Maybe we want to try a taco salad. Sometimes we go for nachos with the same taco filling.

The taco I make most often is a Spicy Beef Taco. When I know we are all going to be eating at different times of the day Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos are a great dinner. In the summer Grilled BBQ Pork Tacos with slaw and guacamole are our go to. Then every once in a while I love a good fish taco.

Today I decided I wanted a crunchy taco but I only had soft taco shells. That is no problem since it’s easy to make tortillas crispy in the oven.

How do you make tortillas into crunchy taco shells?

Baking the tortillas in the oven at 425 degrees is the way to turn them into crunchy taco shells. Simply drizzle the tortillas with olive oil or spray them with cooking spray to help them crisp up in the oven.

Making the filling was easy. I just used a combination of ground beef, chopped onions, jalapenos, and taco seasoning. You could use fajita seasoning if you prefer.

Can I use a different protein?

You can definitely use chicken or pork in this recipe. Simply chop the chicken or thinly slice the pork and cook with the taco seasoning and vegetables. You can even use firm tofu that is pressed and cut into small pieces.

Filling the taco shells you should only include your protein, the vegetables cooked with it, and the cheese. Save anything else for topping the tacos at the end.

Ingredients:

lean ground beef (I used 85/15)
taco seasoning (you can also use fajita seasoning)
yellow onion (I like using a sweet onion but use your favorite type)
jalapenos (I used tamed jarred jalapenos but use fresh without the seeds if you like spice)
corn tortillas (you can also use flour tortillas if you prefer)
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
chili powder
salt and pepper
garlic powder
limes
cilantro (optional)

To make the tacos preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add in the taco seasoning, water, onion, and jalapenos. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Place the tortillas on a paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds. Fill one half of each tortilla with the beef mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Fold the tortilla in half and spray with cooking spray. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Meanwhile mix the sour cream, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, lime juice, and cilantro in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water and mix well. Drizzle over top of the tacos.

These tacos were delicious. I love the crispiness of the shell, the melted cheese, and spicy beef mixture. They were even delicious the next day.

What toppings can I put on these tacos?

You can put any of your favorite taco toppings on these tacos. Choose from salsa, taco sauce, jalapeno slices, guacamole, or pico de gallo. You can even sprinkle lettuce on top.

If you like crunchy tacos you are going to love these. They were easy enough to pick up but you could also cut through them with a fork.

If you’ve tried my Crunchy Oven Baked Taos or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

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