Crispy Baked Taco Shells & Seasoning

Normally my family eats our tacos burrito-style – rolled up in a soft flour tortilla. But, lately I’ve been craving crispy taco shells. It’s just something about that crunch. But, I don’t really like the ones you get from the store, they’re not the epitome of health and aren’t all that flavourful either. So, I started brainstorming about an easy way to make crispy shells at home without having to deep fry. As I was thinking about how I make my tortilla salad bowls it hit me. If I took tortillas and propped them up in an upside down muffin tin (see picture below) then they should hold their shape as they bake. I’m happy to say it worked! And, we’ll now be enjoying our tacos this way often. The shells are not only tasty and have the desired crunch, but they don’t fall apart as easily as the ones from the store do, which is a big bonus in my book.

I’ve been making homemade taco seasoning for forever. I’m not really sure why I haven’t shared it with you yet. I guess it seemed like too simple of a recipe for an entire blog post. But now that I’ve armed you with a way to make crispy tacos shells I better hand over the goods for a tasty filling too. The first time I tried this recipe I knew I would never have to buy a store-bought packet again – it’s bang on. I suppose you could make it in bulk and store it  in the cupboard, but I find it just as easy to measure out the ingredients as I need them.

Taco night will never be the same again! Yumm.

Crispy Baked Taco Shells

Invert a regular-sized muffin tin. Warm as many 6-inch corn tortillas (or flour, if you wish) as you need, in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, until soft and pliable. Fold gently and prop up between the bottom of 4 muffin cups. Bake at 450ºF for 3-5 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned.

A few of the taco shells may curl over on the top while baking, which makes it a little harder to fill. You could solve this by either propping them open with something oven-proof (such as tinfoil) or by filling them with your meat and cheese before baking, that would also make the cheese nice and melty, which is never a bad thing! I haven’t worried about it because it only happens to one or two, but if you find this happening too much, then you may want to do something about it. 🙂

1 muffin tin makes 6 tacos shells

Taco Seasoning

Makes: enough for 1 pound of ground meat.

Ingredients

• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1.5 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder

Instructions

1. Cook 1 pound of ground beef (or desired meat) in a non-stick skillet until cooked through. Sprinkle with seasonings. Add a splash of water to help the seasonings stick to the meat, cook and stir until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Taco Seasoning adapted from allrecipes.