These crispy tacos with seasoned ground beef are easy to make and delicious any night of the week.

Crispy Shell Tacos

Corn tortillas are great to have on hand for quick and easy meals like these crispy tacos with seasoned ground beef filling.

The shells for these tacos couldn’t be easier to make.

Just 2 ingredients are needed, corn tortillas and canola oil.

About this Recipe

The filling for these crispy tacos includes seasoned ground beef made with a handful of spices.

And the toppings include shredded or thinly sliced green cabbage (or head lettuce is good too), chopped tomatoes and cilantro.

Bite of Crispy Shell Tacos

When buying corn tortillas in the store, an option is to check the “use by” dates on the packages and pick the one with the longest date.

I found that when stored on my kitchen counter, the tortillas would “sweat” in their packaging and get mold on them fairly quickly.

So now I store them in the refrigerator, and they last a lot longer.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Crispy Taco Shells – corn tortillas and canola oil

Seasoned Ground Beef Taco Meat – Ground beef, chopped jalapeno pepper, chili powder, granulated garlic, cumin powder, salt and pepper

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Toppings – Shredded sharp cheddar cheese…

Shredded Green Cabbage

…shredded or thinly sliced green cabbage (or head lettuce)

Tomato and Cabbage on Cutting Board

…chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, sour cream and seasoned ground beef.

Jalapeno Pepper on Cutting Board

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

For the Seasoned Ground Beef Taco Meat:

Ground Beef and Jalapeno in Pan

Heat a medium size skillet on medium heat and add ground beef, chopped jalapeno…

Chili Powder in Ground Beef

…chili powder, granulated garlic, cumin, salt and pepper.

Stir together.

Cooked Ground Beef in Pan

Using a heat resistant spatula, break up the ground beef so that all of the meat is in small pieces about the same size.

Continue to cook the meat while stirring until it starts to brown and is thoroughly cooked.

Cooked Ground Beef on Paper Towel

Transfer the ground beef from the skillet onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain off any excess grease.

Wrap the meat in the paper towel (to keep it warm) and set aside.

For the Crispy Taco Shells:

Canola Oil in Pan

To a small skillet, add canola oil.

Heat the skillet on medium heat.

Corn Tortilla in Skillet

Add a tiny piece of a tortilla to the oil, when it starts to bubble, using cooking tongs, add a tortilla to the oil; hold up one side (half of the tortilla) out of the oil to form a taco shell.

Cook Corn Tortilla in Pan

Cook Corn Tortilla in Pan

After the side of the tortilla in the oil turns golden, using your tongs, turn the tortilla over to cook the other side.

Then, cook it until that side is also golden.

Crispy Taco Shells

Transfer the taco shell from the pan onto a paper towel-lined plate.

Repeat the cooking process for the remaining tortillas.

For the Taco Filling:

Taco Meat In Shell

Set the crispy taco shells in taco holders if you have them so the shells can be filled.

Otherwise, lay the crispy taco shells on a plate so they can be filled.

Fill the taco shells with a layer of seasoned ground beef.

Salsa in Taco Shell

Then spoon salsa over the meat.

Cheese in Taco Shell

Next, top with shredded cheese,

Cabbage in Taco Shell

Cabbage in Taco Shell

shredded cabbage,

Tomato Cilantro Sour Cream on Tacos

…a dollop of sour cream, chopped tomatoes and chopped garnish.

Bite of Crispy Taco

Crispy Tacos on Plate

Serve while the meat is warm.

Crispy Tacos in Basket

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Crispy Shell Tacos

Crispy Shell Tacos with Seasoned Ground Beef Filling

These crispy shell tacos are easy to make and delicious any night of the week.
5 from 2 votes

Ingredients

For the Seasoned Ground Beef Taco Meat:

  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1 jalapeno chili pepper stem and seeds removed, chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/8 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 2 dashes salt

For the Crispy Taco Shells:

  • 4 corn tortillas
  • 5 tablespoons canola oil amount may vary depending on the size of the skillet used

For the Tacos:

  • Crispy Taco Shells
  • Seasoned Ground Beef Taco Meat
  • 1 cup Mexican salsa
  • 1-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 cups shredded or thinly sliced green cabbage
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1 medium size tomato chopped

Instructions

For the Seasoned Ground Beef Taco Meat:

  • Heat a medium size skillet on medium heat and add ground beef, chopped jalapeno, chili powder, granulated garlic, cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir together.
  • Using a heat resistant spatula, break up the ground beef so that all of the meat is in small pieces about the same size.
  • Continue to cook the meat while stirring until it starts to brown and is thoroughly cooked.   
  • Transfer the ground beef from the skillet onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain off any excess grease. 
    Wrap the meat in the paper towel (to keep it warm) and set aside. 

For the Crispy Taco Shells:

  • To a small skillet, add canola oil.  Heat the skillet on medium heat.  
  • Add a tiny piece of a tortilla to the oil, when it starts to bubble, using cooking tongs, add a tortilla to the oil; hold up one side (half of the tortilla) out of the oil to form a taco shell.
  • After the side of the tortilla in the oil turns golden, using your tongs, turn the tortilla over to cook the other side.
  • Then, cook it until that side is also golden.  Transfer the taco shell from the pan onto a paper towel-lined plate.  Repeat the cooking process for the remaining tortillas.

For the Tacos:

  • Set the crispy taco shells in taco holders if you have them so the shells can be filled. Otherwise, lay the crispy taco shells on a plate so they can be filled.  
  • Fill the taco shells with a layer of meat.  Then spoon salsa over the meat.  
  • Next, top with shredded cheese, shredded cabbage, a dollop of sour cream, chopped tomatoes and chopped garnish.
  • Serve while the meat is warm.

Serving Suggestions

Served topped with sour cream, Mexican salsa, and, or guacamole.

Recipes Made with Crispy Corn Tortillas

Here are more recipes with crispy corn tortillasCorned Beef Taquitos with Homemade Avocado Sauce“, “Chipotle Lime Tortilla Chips” and “Brie and Olive Tapenade Nachos“.

Mexican Food Recipes

More Mexican Food Recipes You May Like:

One-Skillet Enchilada Sauce Taco Meat

Chipotle Shrimp Guacamole

Pico de Gallo

Breakfast Chili Chilaquiles