It's so much fun to set up this "choose your own ingredients" meal for company and watch the choices and how they build their own tacos. As for the taco shells, you can make it easier on yourself by simply serving soft shells by heating the corn tortillas in a microwave tortilla warmer instead of frying them ahead in oil.
Here's a list of my favorite taco ingredients to prepare and set out. The bonus is that any leftovers can be used to make your own personal "build your own taco salads" the next day including crumbling any leftover chips into it.
Set everything out and let the fun begin!
Besides the taco ingredients I make corn tortilla chips by deep frying them instead of serving store bought and make a simple guacamole and con queso for an alternative dipping sauce other than just salsa. Oh, and black olives on the side to help cut the heat for the jalapeno lovers ;-)
By Deeli from Richland, WA
We love tacos, the kids can add their own toppings so it satisfies everyone.
I warm the corn tortillas with a small amount of butter on each side. Fill them with the meat, bean mixture add the cheese and now I add black olives and chopped tomatoes, lettuce, onion, or whatever you like...
I just love 'tacos' filled to the brim with everything I love the most!
Easy to put together. Great fundraiser for outdoor event. Fry ground meat in a large skillet. When meat is browned, add taco seasoning mix and water or broth.
Use a waffle maker to create this taco like omelette. If you add cheese to the maker first you can even enjoy a nice crunch without the tortilla. Add your favorite fillings, fold, and enjoy.
Try these taco shells made from just cheddar cheese instead of carb loaded tortillas. They are crispy and chewy. This page contains recipes for cheddar cheese taco shells.
Cold tacos are simple, quick and nice in hot weather or a quick snack, brunch or lunch.
Combine first 3 ingredients with 1/2 teaspoon salt in bowl, mixing well. Knead on floured board until smooth. Divide into portions and roll out individual fry breads.
Traditional chorizo originated in Spain and Portugal and is a pork sausage seasoned with paprika. Some current versions are significantly more spicy than the original sausages. Use a spicy chorizo blend when making tacos instead of ground beef.
A simple, quick meal can be rolled up in a soft taco with precooked chicken and many ingredients you probably have at home. This page contains an easy soft tacos recipe.
Weave some bacon together to make a crispy breakfast taco shell. This is a page about making a woven bacon shell breakfast taco.
Tacos are a dinner option that is easy to make inexpensively. This is a page about $10 soft tacos dinner recipe.
After browning off your meat and making the sauce, use your food processor to almost puree the sauce. Taco Bell copycat?