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beef and cheese oven baked tacos on a white plate with more tacos on a wire rack in the background
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4.61 from 257 votes

The Best Oven Baked Tacos

Extra cheesy beef tacos baked in the oven in bulk.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked tacos, beef tacos, healthy taco meat recipe, meal prep tacos
Servings: 15 tacos
Calories: 120kcal
Author: Mason Woodruff

Ingredients

Taco Meat

  • 1 lb Ground Beef 96/4
  • 1 medium 200g Yellow Onion, diced
  • 5 cloves 25g Garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp Paprika
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt or 1/4 tsp table salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Crushed Chipotle Pepper
  • 1/2 C 120g Enchilada Sauce (I used Trader Joe's)

Oven Baked Tacos

  • 15 Extra Thin Corn Tortillas I used Mission
  • 1 C 112g Finely Shredded Mozzarella (or your choice of cheese)
  • 1/2 C 56g Finely Shredded Reduced Fat Cheddar

Instructions

Cooking the Taco Meat

  • Dice the onion and mince the garlic before adding to a large skillet with the ground beef over medium-high heat.
  • Cook until no pink remains in the beef. While it cooks, mix the dry spices for the taco meat. Add them towards the end of cooking. Stir well.
  • Reduce the heat and add the enchilada sauce, stirring everything together until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.

Assembling the Oven Baked Tacos

  • Preheat an oven to 400F.
  • Wrap the tortillas in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave for 45-60 seconds, flipping halfway through. This will make the tortillas easier to fold. Place the warmed tortillas on a large wire rack or baking sheet. (If you have trouble folding or the tortillas crack when folding, heat them a bit longer.)
  • Place a generous pinch of cheese on one half of each tortilla. Follow the cheese with the beef and another pinch of cheese. Fold the tortillas in half, pressing down gently to seal. (Be careful to not press too hard and squeeze the beef/cheese out of the tacos.)
  • Spray the tops of the tacos with a bit of cooking spray and place a baking sheet on top of them to prevent the tacos from opening during baking.
  • Bake for 14-18 minutes or until the tacos are golden brown and crisp. Be sure to check on them during baking as the extra thin tortillas can burn quickly. (Using a baking sheet on the bottom instead of a wire rack may extend the bake time. If you have trouble getting the tacos crispy, you can remove the top baking sheet after a few minutes once the tacos have sealed to speed up the process.)

Notes

 
  • You can swap the mozzarella and cheddar for monterey jack or another melty cheese. Since the base recipe is extra cheesy, you could reduce the cheese to save a few calories, too. 
  • If you use a fattier meat, be sure to drain some of the fat before adding the spice and enchilada sauce to prevent soggy tortillas or runoff during baking.
  • To reheat, air fry or bake at 400F for 3-5 minutes. Time may vary based on how many tacos you're reheating at once. 
Troubleshooting cracked tortillas:
  1. Microwave a bit longer before assembling and only microwave right before assembling.
  2. Don't add a piping hot beef mixture. 
  3. Avoid overfilling. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco | Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 4g