Sheet Pan Tacos
Crispy baked sheet pan tacos are an easy way to make tacos for a crowd with soft flour tortillas, seasoned ground beef, melty cheese, and homemade pico de gallo.
Servings: 16 servings
Ingredients
For the beef filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons more for the tacos
- 2 cups diced yellow onion
- 3 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup corn optional (but adds nice texture)
For the tacos:
- 16 8-inch flour tortillas
- 3 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack
- 1½ cups pico de gallo*
Homemade pico de gallo:
- 3 cups diced fresh tomatoes
- 1 cup finely diced red onion
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons finely diced jalapeño seeded
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- salt to taste
For serving – optional:
- ¾ cup pickled red onions
- sour cream optional
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Make pico de gallo. Combine the tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, jalapeño, cilantro, and salt to taste in a bowl. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Prepare the beef filling. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, until softened. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it apart as it cooks. Stir in smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, chipotle powder, tomato paste, lime juice, salt, and black pepper to taste. Add corn if you are using it at this point. Cook for 2–3 more minutes, stirring. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
- Get ready to bake. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Brush a 9x13-inch baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Assemble the tacos. Lay 10 flour tortillas on the prepared baking sheet, making sure there are 3 inches of overhanging sides. Also, it is important that the tortillas at the bottom overlap and there are no gaps. Spoon the beef over the tortillas, then top the beef with cheese. Add pico de gallo over the cheese. Place the remaining tortillas over the beef filling, and fold over them the overhanging tortillas. Brush the tortillas on top with the remaining olive oil.
- Press the tacos. Place another baking sheet over the tortillas. The second baking sheet should be large enough that the tacos are pressed evenly. I used a ceramic baking sheet. If you are using a lighter one, then add a cast iron skillet to it to gain some weight.
- Bake. Bake the tacos for 30 minutes. Remove the second baking sheet and bake for another 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Serve. Cool the tacos briefly before serving with sour cream, pickled onions, and/or lime wedges.
Notes
- You can add some black beans for more texture.
- Instead of flour tortillas, you can use corn tortillas.
- Make sure to weigh down the tacos with the second baking sheet.
Nutrition
Serving: 1taco | Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 654mg | Potassium: 537mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 929IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 254mg | Iron: 4mg
