Perfect No Fail, No Fall Tacos
How often do you have taco night at your house? Around here, it could be taco night every night and we would be perfectly happy. My daughter likes soft tacos, but I prefer crunchy tacos. Growing up, my mom heated taco shells in the oven after she put the taco meat in them. It’s never bothered her, but has always driven me crazy when those filled shells fall over and you have taco meat all over the pan, not in the shell.
A friend of mine told me about a cooking show she recently watched and it inspired me to use my current bakeware in a whole new way. I suddenly realized how I could heat my taco shells with the meat in them and they wouldn’t fall over. Now, you’ll have to read the recipe to find out how I have created the Perfect No Fail, No Fall Tacos. I even bumped up the nutrition in a way that will probably surprise and fool most of you. It’s an ingredient that doesn’t taste any different and you’re probably looking at the picture without realizing that I slipped something by you.
Taco Meat is also one of those recipes I tend to cook up in batches and then freeze. Why do it once a week when you can do it once a month or every two to three months?
- 1 lb. Ground Beef, Chicken, Turkey, etc.
- Garlic Salt, Seasoned Salt, Mrs. Dash
- ½ package Taco Seasoning
- Taco Shells
- Grated Cheese
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Season ground beef with garlic salt, seasoned salt, and Mrs. Dash to taste. Brown ground beef in pot, skillet, or microwave. Break the ground beef into small pieces as it cooks. Don't worry about getting every clump broken as tiny as possible, just small enough to make sure it is cooked thoroughly.
- Remove meat from the heat and IMMEDIATELY dump into a colander. Typically, mine is allowed to drain in the sink, but catch the grease in a pot then pour into a jar or can before discarding. Allow to cool in the refrigerator if necessary before placing in garbage container.
- If you like the texture of ground beef at restaurants, want to stretch your ground beef a little further, or have big clumps you can't break apart - this step is for you. Put the ground beef, a few ounces of water, and ½ pack of taco seasoning into a food processor. Pulse to chop the ground beef and to mix the seasoning. The water is needed to help blend the seasoning into the meat.
- Return meat too the colander to drain any excess water or grease that wasn't drained earlier.
- Find your Muffin Pans and foil. Use the foil to wrap the cup side of the pan.
- Flip the muffin pan upside down. The foil will prevent anything from spilling through the muffin pan hole and dripping onto the bottom of the stove. Place taco shells between muffin cups, fill with taco meat.
- Heat at 400* until shells and meat are warm, about 8 minutes.
- Remove tacos from the oven and add desired toppings. I put the cheese on top of the meat to let it slightly melt. It also prevents the lettuce from wilting.
- Now comes the secret, nutritious ingredient. Notice how pretty and dark green the lettuce is? It's because it's not all lettuce. The really dark green stuff is spinach! I can't tell a difference between the two and love the extra vitamins I get from the spinach.
- Serve or top with a side of guacamole, rice, or beans and you have a full meal that is satisfying and filling.
- Don't want your tacos to fall over on your plate? Serve them in small serving dishes like mine. Even when it gets down to one, it can be turned sideways and should still remain upright.
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Thanks for the tip! I don’t usually heat my shells with the meat in them in the oven, but I might give it a try next time. We love taco night at our house! Oh, and I love the spinach trick!