Oven Baked Beef Tacos

I am not a particular fan of ground beef. However it is CHEAP! lol That means this momma WILL find a way to make some yummy dishes on a budget.

Oven baked tacos is my answer to the question, "what can I make tonight that is easy and quick?" Who doesn't love tacos, right? I used low sodium black beans in my tacos tonight but have also used refried beans as well as pinto beans with equal success. I also added some cayenne (to taste) and a can of diced green chilies. I don't always do so but was in the mood for a little heat. So pick you favorite and have fun!

This recipe takes about 30-45 minutes from start to your plate and makes about 25 tacos. The oldest in my family eat 3-5 tacos each and the youngest eat 1-2 each. So at most you can feed 25 toddlers or at least 5 teenagers/grown men. Plan accordingly :)

Ingredients

FOR THE tacos:




• 2 lbs Ground beef 
• 2 oz Taco seasoning
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 cup Mexican cheese blend
• 2 Boxes of taco shells
• Cayenne Pepper to taste **optional**
• 1 can diced green chilies **optional**




• 




utenSils you will need:




• 9x13 baking dish
• smaller baking dish (mine was @6x4)
• frying pan
• slotted spoon 




Directions

FOR THE TACOS:

1. Preheat oven to 400                                                
2. Cook ground beef in frying pan. I used 90/10 ground beef. Due to the low fat content, I did use about a table spoon of vegetable oil to keep the meat from sticking to the pan. If you are using the more standard 80/20 then you can skip the oil.  
3. Once meat is browned, add the tomato sauce, beans, and taco seasoning. If you like a little heat then add some cayenne and or green chilies at this time too. Remember to add about a teaspoon of cayenne at a time, stir, and taste before adding more.  
4. Open box of tacos and sit as many as you can in your 9x13 baking dish
5. Using slotted spoon, spoon up one spoonful (not over full) of beef mixture and shake a little to remove excess liquid.                                        
6. Spoon mixture into taco shell being careful not to overfill. It will simply all fall out when you go to eat it. 
7. Keep filling taco shells and carefully stuffing more filled shells in the casserole dishes.








1. Top with cheese                                                        
2. Place in the middle of the center rack of the oven and bake for 13 - 15 minutes
3. Tacos are PIPING hot! Give them about 5 minutes to rest before removing from dish. 

•