Sloppy Joe Oven Baked Tacos
Packed with a sloppy Joe beef mixture, melted cheese, and classic toppings, these crispy oven baked tacos are a great recipe for a quick and easy family dinner or a crowd!
Servings: 10 tacos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small sweet onion , diced
- 1/2 small green bell pepper , diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 10 Stand and Stuff Taco Shells
- 2 1/2 cups shredded Mexican Blend Cheese , divided
- sour cream, salsa, jalapeños, lettuce, or any of your taco favorites , for serving
Instructions
- Warm oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion, and bell pepper; breaking up the meat into crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes until beef is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain off grease.
- Stir in tomato paste until thoroughly combined.
- Add in ketchup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine.
- Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes until mixture has thickened.
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Place the taco shells in the baking dish, standing up. (I'm able to fit 10 taco shells in the dish by adding 2 on each side.)
- Bake the taco shells for 5 minutes by themselves to allow them to crisp up. Remove from the oven.
- Sprinkle a little cheese into the bottom of each taco shell (this helps create a barrier between the wet meat and shell, to keep them crispy.) Top with the sloppy Joe mixture.
- Sprinkle each shell generously with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake for about 5 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and the edges of the shells are browned.
- Remove from the oven and top with your favorite items.
- Eat right away and enjoy!
Notes
Oven baked tacos are typically a little bit soft on the bottom because of moisture from the meat, but there are a few ways to keep them crispy:
- Make sure there isn't excess liquid in your cooked meat mixture.
- Place a layer of cheese in the bottom of each shell, which creates a nice barrier and helps prevent any moisture from soaking through.
- Fill and bake right before serving and eat them ASAP.
Nutrition
Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 524mg | Potassium: 322mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 299IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 212mg | Iron: 2mg