Ground Beef Tacos are made with deliciously seasoned ground beef, wrapped in golden corn tortillas and topped with melty cheese. It’s all baked to perfection for the easiest, crunchiest tacos. Serve with all your favorite toppings. Pure. Simple. Perfection.

baked ground beef baked tacos in dish

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Make Taco Tuesdays that bit easier with these Ground Beef Tacos. Crunchy tacos with crispy tinged ground beef, all slathered in melted cheese. These are great for a go-to weeknight treat, game day, movie night or party time!

If you’re looking for more Mexican inspired recipes, why not also try my Cheesy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas or my Easy Chicken Fajitas Recipe!

Why you’ll love these Ground Beef Tacos

  • An easy taco recipe. You can whip up a big batch of these beef tacos in 30 mins.
  • Versatile. Keep the tacos simple or go load ’em up with all your fave toppings.
  • A succulent filling. The ground beef is mixed with a delicious tomato sauce, so it stays moist and doesn’t dry out.
  • Perfect for parties. Easily double up the recipe for a bigger batch, this beef taco recipe is a real crowd pleaser.

How to make these Ground Beef Tacos

Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for the full recipe

  • Cook your ground beef – In a pan on medium heat, cook your beef until it’s not pink, then stir in the seasoning. Finally mix in your tomato paste and sauce.
  • Assemble your tacos – In a casserole dish place in the taco shells, fill with the ground beef mix and top with cheese.
  • Bake – Bake for around 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
  • Serve with your favorite toppings – enjoy!
step by step photos of how to make beef tacos
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baked ground beef baked tacos in dish

Toppings

We all have our favorites! Here’s some of the most popular toppings:

Do I have to use ground beef?

This is one of my favorite ground beef recipes! But if you want a slightly leaner option, you could also go for ground turkey or ground chicken. Just make sure you don’t use really lean turkey, as it’s likely to come out grainy. Ground turkey won’t sear as brown as beef.

We have also made Baked Chicken Tacos! Our most popular recipe of all time. So delicious!

baked ground beef baked tacos in dish
beef tacos on platter

What sides are good for a Beef Taco recipe?

Beef tacos are great with a whole host of sides, you can go light or a bit heavier, depending on your appetite! Here’s some ideas:

And don’t forget the dip! I love this spicy poblano queso, or this classic white queso dip.

ground beef tacos with cheese
ground beef tacos with toppings

Recipe notes and tips

  • With this amount of tomato puree the sauce is a tad more (not much) on the juicy side, so don´t let the filled up tacos sit too long before eating, otherwise the tacos might break. If you want it less juicy just cut the amount of tomato puree in half.
  • 90% lean ground beef is great for tacos. The meat is packed with flavor and still tender, but not overly greasy. You could us 80% lean ground beef, but you’ll have much more fat to drain off at the end of the cooking process.
  • Use whatever cheese you like best and melts well. You can also mix different cheeses. Use more if you like – cheese is an individual choice.
  • Add some diced jalapenos to the sauce, for a spicy kick.
  • Have fun with your toppings!
  • Top with some fresh cilantro
garnished beef tacos

Other Taco Recipes we Love

Recipe Card

Baked Ground Beef Tacos Recipe

4.60 from 50 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Becky Hardin
baked ground beef baked tacos in dish
Ground Beef Tacos are made with deliciously seasoned ground beef, wrapped in golden corn tortillas and topped with melty cheese.
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Ingredients 

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 cup tomato puree note 1
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika powder
  • 1.5 cups grated cheese cheddar, gouda or similar (note 2)
  • 12 taco shells

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 400F.
  • Heat a pan over medium to high heat add the ground beef and cook until the beef is not pink anymore, keep on breaking it up while cooking.
  • Once the ground beef is cooked add all the spices and stir.
  • Add the tomato paste, mix it in and keep cooking for 1 to 2 minutes (this will remove bitterness from the tomato paste)
  • Pour the tomato sauce into the pan, stir again and cook for 1 – 2 minutes.
  • Put all the taco shells in your casserole from and fill them with the ground beef mixture – 1 to 2 tablespoons each.
  • Top with the grated cheese and bake for around 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
  • Serve immediately with toppings of your choice (sour cream, salsa, avocados, cilantro, tomatoes, lettuce, beans, corn…)

Video

Becky’s Tips

  • With this amount of tomato puree the sauce is a tad more (not much) on the juicy side, so don´t let the filled up tacos sit too long before eating, otherwise the tacos might break. If you want it less juicy just cut the amount of tomato puree in half.
  • 90% lean ground beef is great for tacos. The meat is packed with flavor and still tender, but not overly greasy. You could us 80% lean ground beef, but you’ll have much more fat to drain off at the end of the cooking process.
  • Use whatever cheese you like best and melts well. You can also mix different cheeses. Use more if you like – cheese is an individual choice.
  • Add some diced jalapenos to the sauce, for a spicy kick.
  • Have fun with your toppings!
  • Top with some fresh cilantro
Calories: 665kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 38gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 822mgPotassium: 866mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1264IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 511mgIron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

Meet Becky Hardin

Becky Hardin is a wife and mother living in Saint Louis Missouri. She founded The Cookie Rookie in 2012 as a creative way to share recipes. Now, she is a trusted resource for easy cooking around the world, being featured in Taste of Home, The Kitchn, ABC’s Home and Family, and more. Here at The Cookie Rookie she is the editor in chief of all recipes and continues to enjoy sharing her passion for cooking for busy families. She has since founded two additional food blogs, Easy Chicken Recipes and Easy Dessert Recipes.

4.60 from 50 votes (49 ratings without comment)
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6 Comments
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Karyn
Karyn
October 31, 2023 10:19 am

I am going to try these soon. Do you think that using taco seasoning on the ground beef would work instead of the tomato sauce puree?

Samantha Marceau
October 31, 2023 10:47 am
Reply to  Karyn

You could swap out the spices for taco seasoning, but you’d miss out on a lot of moisture and flavor by leaving out the tomato puree.

Maryann
Maryann
August 1, 2021 7:05 pm

This recipe is just what I was looking for. Definitely going to make this soon. Thanks for sharing

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
August 4, 2021 3:09 pm
Reply to  Maryann

I hope you enjoy it, Maryann!

Leslie DuPertuis
Leslie DuPertuis
November 16, 2020 6:00 pm

One of our favorites!5 stars

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
November 19, 2020 9:37 am

I agree!