Hard Shell Taco Night

Name: Hard Shell Taco Night
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 lb Ground Beef (1 pound ground beef (85/15 preferred), pork, turkey, chicken* or version of Impossible beef/Beyond beef); 0 pieces Kosher Salt (Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper); 4 cloves Garlic (4-6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped — up to 6); 2 pieces Yellow Onion (2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped, divided); 1 ½ tsp Smoked Paprika (1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika); 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more if you like); 2 ½ tsp Cumin Seeds (2 ½ teaspoons cumin seed or 1 teaspoon ground cumin); 12 pieces Corn Tortilla (12 hard shell corn tortillas); 8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese (8 ounces sharp yellow cheddar cheese, coarsely grated); ½ piece Iceberg Lettuce (1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded/thinly sliced); 1 piece Tomato (1 tomato, finely chopped, if you must) — optional; ½ bunch Cilantro (½ bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped); 0 pieces Sour Cream (Sour cream, for serving); 0 pieces Hot Sauce (Hot sauce, for serving); 0 pieces Jalapeño (Pickled or fresh jalapeños, sliced)

A classic hard shell taco night with seasoned ground beef, toasted corn shells, and fresh toppings like lettuce, cheese, and sour cream.

Mexican

Servings4

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

Ground Beef1 lb · 1 pound ground beef (85/15 preferred), pork, turkey, chicken* or version of Impossible beef/Beyond beef
Kosher Salt0 pieces · Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
Garlic4 cloves · 4-6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped — up to 6
Yellow Onion2 pieces · 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped, divided
Smoked Paprika1 ½ tsp · 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
Red Pepper Flakes1 tsp · 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more if you like
Cumin Seeds2 ½ tsp · 2 ½ teaspoons cumin seed or 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Corn Tortilla12 pieces · 12 hard shell corn tortillas
Sharp Cheddar Cheese8 oz · 8 ounces sharp yellow cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
Iceberg Lettuce½ piece · 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded/thinly sliced
Tomato1 piece · 1 tomato, finely chopped, if you must · optional
Cilantro½ bunch · ½ bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
Sour Cream0 pieces · Sour cream, for serving
Hot Sauce0 pieces · Hot sauce, for serving
Jalapeño0 pieces · Pickled or fresh jalapeños, sliced

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Steps

1For the filling: Heat a large skillet or dutch oven over medium–high heat. Add meat (if using turkey or chicken, add 2 tablespoons of oil first) and season with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat, cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat starts to cook through but isn’t yet browned, 8–10 minutes (it’ll be a little gray, that’s alright, the browning happens in the next step).
2Add garlic, half the onions and season again with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat has really started to brown and the garlic and onions are totally softened, 6–8 minutes.
3Add paprika, crushed red pepper flakes and cumin. Stir so that everything is evenly coated and the spices get to toast and bloom in the fat, 1-2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and stir, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, creating a sort of gravy-ish, delicious sauce. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer until sauce is nicely thickened (should not be soupy or watery, just thick and luscious), 1–2 minutes (this happens fast- if it cooks a little longer or meat appears dry, don’t panic, just add a bit more water and keep cooking). Season again with salt and pepper, maybe more crushed red pepper flakes if you want it spicier. Remove from heat and set aside.
4For the tacos and assembly: Preheat oven to 425° (unless you’re going Full Roman Family and frying your own shells or doing this in a toaster oven). Remove your taco shells from their little box or plastic or however they came, and release them from one another, laying them individually on a rimmed baking sheet (or your little toaster oven tray). Toast until lightly golden brown on the outside, 5–6 minutes.
5Serve your warm shells next to a skillet of warm hard shell taco filling, small bowls of cold, crisp vegetables (lettuce, onion, tomatoes, cilantro) and lots of dairy products (cheese, sour cream). Hot sauce and jalapeños always encouraged. There is no easy way to fill one of these pre-made taco shells with your beef mixture, but using a spoon helps and remember: go slow, do your best, and don’t overfill.