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Classic Ground Beef Hardshell Tacos mexicanplease.com
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3.84 from 36 votes

Classic Ground Beef Hardshell Tacos

These classic hardshell Ground Beef Tacos are a great way to do away with mystery taco seasoning packets.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 731kcal
Author: Patrick Calhoun | Mexican Please

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb . ground beef
  • 6-8 corn tortillas
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 chipotle in adobo
  • 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce
  • 1-2 teaspoons chili powder (I used crushed New Mexican)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
  • dash cumin (optional)
  • dash oregano (optional)
  • dash black pepper
  • 2 tomatoes
  • fresh lettuce
  • Monterey Jack cheese (or Mozzarella)
  • guacamole (optional)

Instructions

  • Roughly chop 1/2 onion.  Saute the onion in a dollop of oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes.  
  • Add the ground beef and cook until browned.  Drain any fat if you want.  Add 1 clove minced garlic and saute briefly.  Add 1 minced chipotle, 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce, and 1-2 teaspoons chili powder.  You can optionally add dashes of cumin, oregano and black pepper.
  • Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a couple Tablespoons of water.  Let simmer over medium heat. By the time you gather all the taco fixings the meat will be ready.  Take a final taste for seasoning (I added another generous pinch of salt to this batch).
  • If you want to bake the taco shells, start by warming up the corn tortillas in the oven or microwave. Lightly brush them with a neutral oil (or cooking spray) and drape over two oven rungs for 10-12 minutes at 375F.
  • Serve the tacos with diced tomatoes, chopped lettuce, shredded cheese and guacamole (optional).  You can also serve them with a freshly made Salsa.

Notes

Most taco seasoning packets are heavy on the cumin and oregano. I tend to shy away from using too much of these to avoid Tex-Mex overload. As photographed I added a dash of cumin and black pepper, but no oregano.
I usually pull the taco shells out of the oven before they are fully browned. This will leave them still slightly pliable.

Nutrition

Calories: 731kcal