Baked Creamy Tacos are what easy taco dinners are all about! Crispy taco shells are stuffed with seasoned ground beef made creamy with a bit of cream cheese and topped with tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, shredded cheddar and baked until hot and delicious!
You might be hard pressed to find a food more loved at our house than tacos. Soft tacos, hard tacos, street tacos, now baked tacos… Blame it on our college years in Texas. We take our Taco Tuesdays seriously.
Why You’ll Love Baked Tacos
- Baked Creamy Tacos are the easiest way to make a lot of tacos for your family or a crowd at once.
- These tacos are ready in less than 30 minutes and are just begging to be served with sour cream and all your favorite dips or Tex Mex sides.
- Less mess! These tacos don’t fall apart when you eat them.
- Everybody loves tacos, and baked tacos look out of this world when all lined up with their melted cheese and colorful toppings.
- The creamy taco meat is versatile. Use it to make nachos or taco rice bowls.
- This recipe is also perfect for ground turkey.
Making Baked Tacos For A Party
Forget the whole mess of a taco bar, baked creamy tacos are the perfect party food, especially for Cinco de Mayo!
No more waiting for everyone to build a perfect taco. Just set up these grab and go beauties (either in their casserole dish or on a serving board) in the center of your buffet table and surround them with all your favorite dips and Tex Mex side dishes (see below for suggestions).
This recipe makes 20 full-size tacos that will feed 6-7 people as a meal or 10-12 people if served as snacks alongside other goodies like taquitos, nachos, even Cheesy Beef Enchilada Dip. As a rule of thumb, it’s safe to estimate 2-3 tacos per person.
Ingredients for These Oven Baked Creamy Tacos
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in this section along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- lean ground beef
- taco seasoning
- cream cheese
- your favorite salsa (fresh salsa recipe)
- shredded cheddar cheese– grate your own cheese for the best melt
- stand and stuff hard taco shells
- grape tomatoes
- red onion
- jalapeno pepper (optional)
- cilantro and/or shredded lettuce
How to Make the Best Baked Creamy Tacos
Make the Creamy Taco Meat. In a large skillet, brown ground beef, stirring in taco seasoning, salsa and cream cheese cubes until seasoned and creamy.
Fill the Shells. Line taco shells standing up in (2) 9×13 casserole dishes. Sprinkle a little shredded cheese into the bottom of each shell, then fill each shell ½-1/3 of the way full with creamy taco meat.
Top & Bake! Finish your tacos off with diced tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno and the remaining cheddar cheese. Bake until the cheese is completely melted.
These tacos are best when served immediately while hot from the oven. Sprinkle a little cilantro and or shredded lettuce on top, and let your guests or family add a dollop of sour cream, guacamole or salsa before digging in!
Tips for Keeping Your Taco Shells Crispy
- Line your 9×13 pan with a baking rack. This keeps your taco shells from sitting on the bottom of the pan where liquid may from the taco may run off and gather. It also allows the hot air underneath the shells to crisp them.
- Don’t skip adding a little cheese to the taco shells first. The cheese creates a barrier between the shell and taco meat.
- Serve your tacos hot from the oven! Your tacos will soften the longer they sit.
What To Serve with Baked Tacos
Whether you’re have a party or feeding your family, you can never go wrong with serving these dips and side dishes with your tacos.
- Fresh Salsa with Cilantro & Lime
- Green Chile Corn Salsa Dip
- Our Favorite Fresh Guacamole
- Easy Charro Beans (Mexican Pinto Beans)
- Green Chile Rice
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Pineapple Cilantro Lime Spritzers
More Tex Mex Recipes To Love
- Tex Mex Skillet Chicken Fajitas
- No Mess Chicken Nacho Foil Packets
- Layered Beef Enchilada Casserole
- Tex Mex Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
- Cheesy Beef Mexican Rice Casserole
- Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole
If You Make This Recipe, I Can’t Wait To Hear About It!
Leave A Comment & Rating Below Or Snap A Photo To Share.
Baked Creamy Tacos (Ground Beef)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 (1 ounce) packets taco seasoning
- 1 ½ cups salsa
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 20 stand and stuff crispy taco shells
- 2 cups diced grape tomatoes
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 1 large diced jalapeno, deveined & deseeded (optional)
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- chopped cilantro or shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a large skillet, brown ground beef until no pink is left. Turn down heat to low and stir in taco seasoning until all of the meat is coated. Mix in salsa. Add cream cheese cubes. Fold until melted and thoroughly combined. Remove from heat.
- Line taco shells standing up in (2) 9×13 casserole dishes. Sprinkle a little shredded cheese into the bottom of each shell (this helps the shells stay crispy while the meat bakes in them). Fill each shell ½-1/3 of the way full with creamy taco meat.
- Top equally with diced tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno and remaining cheddar cheese. Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with cilantro and or shredded lettuce. Serve immediately with sour cream.
Video
Notes
- Grate your own cheese.
- Line your 9×13 pan with a baking rack. This keeps your taco shells from sitting on the bottom of the pan where liquid may from the taco may run off and gather. It also allows the hot air underneath the shells to crisp them.
- Don’t skip adding a little cheese to the taco shells first. The cheese creates a barrier between the shell and taco meat.
- Serve your tacos hot from the oven! Your tacos will soften the longer they sit.
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