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Tired of eating cold tacos? This easy taco night recipe for baked tacos will let you eat nice, warm tacos at the same time as the rest of your family!

Do you love taco night but hate being the last one to sit down with a cold taco on hand? Wait until you learn how I manage to pull together the easiest taco night ever with baked tacos.

Easy Taco Night Baked Tacos

You should know, that I like simple meals. I’ve turned down a few cooking demonstrations (where they hire you to be a professional chef) because the menu includes gourmet food or ingredients. I don’t cook like that. I’m a mom of 3, an entrepreneur, and a home cook. I like simple and delicious meals that can be put together quickly with easy to find real food ingredients.

My family loves tacos, I’ve even quite literally written the book on tacos. But these baked tacos are always a favorite because they’re easy to make for a crowd, which means when my teens show up with a few extra kids to feed, it’s no problem!

closeup of hard shell tacos in a baking dish. Two tacos on a plate in the background.

Ingredients

Here’s what I use to fill my tacos this time, but you can use your favorite ingredients and toppings. Every bite of my taco night tastes a little bit like this:

Ground beef: you can swap it for rotisserie chicken or seasoned and cooked black beans.
Cheese: your favorite shredded cheese!
Fresh salsa: homemade salsa or from the store.
Guacamole: one of my favorite taco toppings!
Sour cream: adds more creaminess and goodness.
Shredded lettuce: greens are always a nutritious idea!
Hard taco shells: the best choice for baked tacos.

glass baking dish filled with baked chicken tacos next to a plate topped with two crunchy tacos.

How to Make Baked Tacos

If you’ve ever popped on your phone to google “Dinner Ideas for Tonight” looking for a little inspiration, this one is for you. Instead of loading up tacos one by one only to have yours be cold by the time you’re finished making everyone else’s, try baking the tacos. There’s nothing simpler. Here’s how I make tacos for taco night:

Preheat the oven
Position your oven rack in the middle; if it’s too high, your tacos could get too toasty.
Cook the filling
Cook your ground beef or beans on a skillet. If using rotisserie chicken, shred the meat and jump to the next step.
Fill the taco shells
Place the taco shells in a baking dish, fill them with the meat or beans, and top with cheese.
Bake
After 10 minutes, the taco shells should be crispy and ready to remove from the oven.
Toppings!
When the baked tacos are finished, everyone can quickly add the rest of their toppings and enjoy perfectly hot tacos at the same time.

Check out this video where I show you how this epic taco night comes together:

Best Taco Sides

Here are some ideas to help you make this the best taco night ever! Here are a couple of my favorite sides and taco toppings to complete your meal.

Homemade Guacamole
Fresh Pico de Gallo
Mild Salsa for Kids
Corn & Black Bean Salsa
Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad with Shrimp
Southwest Quinoa Salad
Easy Baked Nachos
For adults, serve with a refreshing Tequila & Coke!

Since writing this post six years ago, my taco obsession has only grown! In fact, I released the Taco Tuesday Cookbook in 2018.

This book is 52 tasty taco recipes ranging from chicken to beef, shrimp and even vegetarian! There’s lots of recipes for salsa, toppings and drizzles too. Grab your copy here.

But…back to the easiest taco night ever. This is how I make baked tacos.

Baked Tacos | The Easiest Taco Night Ever

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 12

Total Time: 22

Tired of eating cold tacos? This easy taco night recipe for baked tacos will let you eat nice, warm tacos at the same time as the rest of your family!

4.98 from 37 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

12 hard taco shells
1 ½ pounds ground beef, chicken, or black beans, seasoned and cooked
1 ½ cups cheese

Toppings:

1 cup fresh salsa
1 cup guacamole
½ cup sour cream
Shredded lettuce

Instructions

Prep the oven:

Preheat your oven to 375F and position your oven rack in the middle of the oven. If it's too high your tacos could get too toasty.

Cook the filling:

Cook your meat or beans with homemade taco seasoning on a skillet over medium heat. Once cooked, turn off heat and set aside.

Assemble:

On an oven safe baking dish, line up 12-14 hard taco shells. Stand the taco shells up so they are easier to fill. I can usually fit 14 tacos in one 9×13 inch pan. Fill with cooked meat and top with cheese.

Bake:

Place your taco platter in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
After 10 minutes, the taco shells should be crispy and ready to be removed from the oven.

Serve:

Begin stuffing your tacos with the remaining ingredients assembly line style: add shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, more cheese, and sour cream. Once you stuff the remaining tacos with the toppings your family likes, take the entire platter to the table (use pot holders). Distribute tacos and enjoy your hot tacos together!