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
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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.
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.
After browning off your meat and making the sauce, use your food processor to almost puree the sauce. Taco Bell copycat?
In a hurry to make taco meat for supper? I bought Old El Paso Taco Seasoning in a shaker (instead of a bag) and used what I thought would be good. I added Old El Paso mild salsa and a little bit of garlic salt. It was wonderful!
Thinly slice the steaks (as for stir-fry). Sprinkle steaks with salt; set aside. For sauce, in small bowl whisk together coffee, ketchup, and chili powder.
Cover the bottom of 6-inch non-stick frying pan with 1/2 cup of the Mexican-blend cheese. Fry until it is lightly browned on one side.
Cook your ground beef, add onion, salt, pepper, garlic and anything else you like. Set it aside in a bowl near the pan. Clean the pan or use a clean frying pan. Put about a Tbsp. of oil in the pan and let it get hot enough to sizzle if you flick a drop of water at it (stand back, lol).
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.
