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The simplicity of well-seasoned ground meat, a little cheese, shredded lettuce, and salsa, all inside a crispy tortilla, is what makes these classic American tacos irresistible.
What is an American-Style Style Taco?
The star of the American-style tacos is the crispy taco shell, an adaptation of the classic soft corn tortilla. Their U-shape is then filled with pantry staple ingredients, commonly found in many U.S. homes, such as ground meat, lettuce, cheese, and salsa.
Their iconic crunch and simplicity, plus how quickly they are to cook and assemble, make these a nostalgic and impossible-to-resist family-favorite recipe. Also, why they were featured in my best-selling book, The Taco Tuesday Cookbook.
Classic American Taco Ingredients
A few pantry staples come to the rescue to make this effortless meal. You’ll need ground beef or ground chicken, taco seasoning, crunchy taco shells for the classic American taco, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, and a great blended salsa.
How to Make American Tacos
There are only two main steps to making these tacos: cook the ground meat with the seasoning and assemble the tacos. My biggest tip is to warm up the taco shells while you cook the meat, so assembly is quick and easy!
Do You Heat Up Hard Taco Shells?
Straight out of the box, taco shells can feel bland and cardboard-like, which is why heating them up to revive their crunch is essential. You can do this in the oven at 325F for 6 minutes or in a toaster oven.
The Taco Tuesday Cookbook
These recipes will make every taco night the most exciting meal of your week! Eat great tacos, at home.
Grab your copy today!
American Beef Tacos (15 Min Recipe)
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- 2 ½ tablespoons Taco Seasoning
- 12 crunchy corn taco shells, warmed
- 1 ½ cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 ½ cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
- Salsa, for serving
Instructions
Cook the beef:
- In a large skillet, cook the meat with taco seasoning over medium-high heat while breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon into small pieces as it cooks. Once cooked, drain off the fat and return the meat to the skillet.
Heat up the taco shells:
- Meanwhile, heat your crunchy taco shells according to the package directions or in the oven preheated to 325F for approx. 6 minutes, or in a toaster oven until golden and crispy.
Assemble:
- Assemble the tacos by filling each taco shell with meat, and top it with cheese, lettuce, and salsa. Guac and sour cream are great toppings too!
Tayler says
We had these tacos for dinner last night and they were delish! My new favorite taco recipe!
DK says
This recipe was perfect for our taco night this week! Simply yet delicious – will make again!
Naelle Yoshimura says
Loved these with a little pico de gallo and guac on top!
Charah says
I never have tried making a taco, I will make on in the future because of this recipe. thanks for sharing
Chris Hansley says
Hi Laura, You wrote “Since I always have frozen ground beef for such emergencies, all I have to do is thaw it out and boom, problems solves.” To save a little more time, when I purchase ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork and sometimes ground chicken, instead of freezing it – I cook it without any seasonings, then freeze it in portions that I usually need. One pound, 2 pounds etc. So all I have to do is thaw it in the microwave or skillet, add the appropriate seasons for the recipe and dinner is ready.
Laura Fuentes says
Great tip, Chris!