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Ground Beef Baked Tacos

Ground beef baked tacos with crispy upright taco shells and cheesy, seasoned filling—ready for a simple weeknight dinner. Oven-baked for melty cheddar, then topped with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, and jalapeño for classic flavor.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ground beef
  • 2 lb ground beef
Taco seasoning
  • 2 tbsp taco seasoning
Water
  • 0.25 cup water
Hard taco shells
  • 16 hard taco shells
Cheddar cheese
  • 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
Shredded lettuce
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce
Sour cream
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
Diced jalapeño
  • 0.25 cup diced jalapeño
Salsa for serving
  • 1 salsa for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook the seasoned beef
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a baking dish so the taco shells can be filled right after the beef is ready.
  2. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Cook until no pink remains, then drain excess fat.
  3. Add taco seasoning and water to the beef, stirring to combine. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly, with a visible coating on the crumbles.
Bake the tacos
  1. Arrange the hard taco shells in a baking dish, standing them upright. Divide the seasoned beef among the shells so each one has a mound of filling.
  2. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over each taco. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the shells look crisp and the cheese is fully melted and lightly bubbly.
Finish and serve
  1. Top each taco with diced tomatoes, spreading them so you can see fresh red pieces on top. Add shredded lettuce over the tomatoes for a cool, crunchy layer.
  2. Add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle diced jalapeño on top. Serve immediately with salsa on the side.

Notes

For maximum crunch, bake the shells as soon as they’re filled and keep cold toppings (lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream) off the hot shells until serving. Store leftover baked tacos (without fresh toppings) in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat at 325°F until warmed through and re-crisping the shells. Freezing is not recommended because hard shells can lose texture. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat shredded cheddar and light sour cream while keeping the filling method the same.