Baked Tacos

Baked Tacos

You're thinking, "I already know how to make tacos."  I am sure you do.  And your tacos are likely very tasty and 1200% more authentic than this recipe.  But once you have tried it...I believe you will drop your old tacos like a bad habit.  Not like those bad habits that you like and are going to keep, but like one that you're actually stopping.  Like...I'm not sure, I'm very loyal to my bad habits, so this example isn't working out.  Onward.

To be clear, we stole this baked taco recipe from somewhere else on the interwebs and made only very minor changes before claiming it as our own.  It's really delicious so I'm ok with that.

Here's the ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 pkt of taco seasoning
1 10oz can of refried beans
1 4oz can of chilis
1 8oz can tomato sauce
2 cups of cheese
24 taco shells


You're looking at that list, saying, "Hey, that's a ridiculous amount of food," and you're right.  I thought the same thing.  But then I tasted them and suddenly eating Baked Tacos for 4 nights in a row sounded like a GOOD idea.  Actually, baking 20 more tacos and eating them immediately sounded terrific too.  But I resisted.  Barely.

First, chop the onion.  Saute the onion until soft.  At this point I move it out of the pan to make more space, because I'm a spaz with stirring.  But YOU could leave the onion in there and just add the meat to it. 

So...you're browning ground meat.  You NEED THIS THING.  I'm sure it has a name but I just call it "that one meat smushing thing" and regularly thank the gods that my sister-in-law gave it to me. 




After the meat is browned, add the tomato sauce, chilis, and refried beans.  (Add the onion back if you took it out.)  Mix well.


Now, you've got this vat of taco filling.  You have options!  You could make all the tacos now.  Which would make perfect sense if you have a family of 8, or perhaps you ran 20 miles this morning.  Or you can carefully set aside portions for later.  One fourth of the mixture will fill 6 taco shells.  I consider this to be the right amount for two hungry adults. 

Carefully set them upright and add filling. 

You can see I have the perfect size pan for this, a little smaller than 8x8.  It's that one pan that everyone's mom had in the 70s.  I believe I stole this one from my mom's house.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese evenly amongst the 6 tacos.  If the sprinkling is not even, you will need to carefully ensure that YOU, rather than your significant other, get the cheesier ones.  I'll let you decide if that is worth the effort required.


Bake for 10 minutes at 425.  Remove from oven.  Somehow during the baking process the shell and cheese and filling become one single entity.  Amazing.  Top with whatever toppings you deem appropriate.  I like guacamole and salsa.  You may enjoy veggies here, if you're into that kind of thing. I won't judge.

3 tacos ends up at 530 calories.  And, it has secret vegetables stashed in there and has 10 grams of fiber.  A reasonable and very filling dinner portion, and it won't require you to slave away on the treadmill for hours to offset the cheesy goodness.





Leftovers:
Shanon did a test of re-heating the already-cooked shell/cheese/filling combo...not ideal.  We strongly suggest that you only bake the ones you are planning to eat right away.
When I made this, we ate it two nights in a row, then froze the two other fourths for later.  Be aware that when the time came to defrost, the filling took AN ETERNITY to thaw.  I may exaggerate, because I was hungry, but truly the filling is very dense and it sat in the fridge for 36 hours, and I still needed to microwave it a bit.   This didn't seem to damage anything, and I do also recommend ensuring the filling is warm prior to baking, so your shells don't scorch while the filling is not yet heated.
I also believe there could be many other applications for the filling...for use with nachos, as a dip, or in taco cupcakes.  (Yes, taco cupcakes.  Google it.  You won't be sorry.) I of course advise against attempting to eat it without cheese, but as an adult you are authorized to make your own choices, even if I find them sad.  Go forth and boldly try new tasty things.