Oven-Baked Cheesy Tacos (Crispy & Loaded) You’ll Love Recipe
These Oven-Baked Cheesy Tacos are a crispy and flavorful twist on classic tacos. Ground beef cooked with aromatic onions, garlic, and taco seasoning is stuffed into warmed taco shells, generously topped with melted cheddar cheese, and baked to perfection. Finished with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and cilantro, these tacos are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a casual get-together, offering a loaded, cheesy, and satisfying meal everyone will love.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 tacos 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
Scale
Meat Mixture
- 1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey/chicken)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 packet taco seasoning (or homemade mix)
- ½ cup tomato sauce or salsa
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Tacos
- 10 small taco shells (flour or corn, slightly warmed)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or Mexican blend)
Toppings
- 1 cup lettuce, shredded
- ½ cup diced tomatoes
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Optional: Sour cream, Jalapeños, Guacamole, Hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a baking dish or line it with foil to prevent sticking and make clean-up easier.
- Cook Meat Mixture: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and minced garlic, sautéing until fragrant and softened. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks thoroughly. Stir in taco seasoning, tomato sauce or salsa, salt, and pepper, then let it simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
- Assemble Tacos: Warm the taco shells slightly to make them more pliable. Fill each shell with the cooked meat mixture, then sprinkle generously with shredded cheddar cheese. Stand the filled tacos side by side in the prepared baking dish.
- Bake: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 10–15 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and tacos become lightly crispy around the edges.
- Add Fresh Toppings: Remove the tacos from the oven and top them with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, red onions, and chopped cilantro. Add optional toppings like sour cream, jalapeños, guacamole, or hot sauce to taste.
Notes
- For a lighter option, substitute ground beef with ground turkey or chicken.
- Use corn taco shells to keep the recipe gluten-free, but verify that all ingredients, especially seasonings, are gluten-free if needed.
- If you prefer extra crispy tacos, broil for an additional 1–2 minutes after baking, watching carefully to avoid burning.
- Homemade taco seasoning can be used as a substitute for the packet for a fresher, customizable flavor.
- Leftover meat mixture and toppings can be stored separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Keywords: Oven baked tacos, cheesy tacos, crispy tacos, ground beef tacos, easy taco recipe, baked Mexican tacos
