This is a guest post from Mary Voogt of Just Take a Bite!
Taco night. Taco Tuesday. The best night of the week. Whatever you prefer to call it, taco night is usually a family favorite. In fact, I donโt think Iโve ever met anyone who doesnโt like tacos (and I work with picky eaters!).
Itโs easy to see why Taco Tuesday is so popular. Tacos taste great! But if you have kids (and if they are anything like mine), you also know that eating tacos is a very messy endeavor. Especially for the younger kids.
How to Make Sheet Pan Tacos
One bite into a taco, and the filling is everywhere. Which is why I created this easy sheet pan taco recipe. It helps eliminate the mess factor. Plus, they are so simple to make.
At Kids Cook Real Food™ we know just how capable kids are in the kitchen. Which is another reason I love this recipe. Itโs easy enough for kids to make!
Simply cook the taco meat, adding the salsa right into the skillet. Fill the shells. Top with cheese. Then bake. Thatโs it. Kids of all ages can help with the process.
Tacos have always been the first full recipe I teach my kids at the stove. It’s a quick win because they feel very capable, and they want to eat what they made! Now, whenever my youngest sees me cooking ground beef, he runs to the kitchen to ask if he can help. My now-teenage son actually created his own taco seasoning blend when he was learning to cook.
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Kids Love These Sheet Pan Tacos
My family typically opts for hard taco shells. Iโve tried filling my younger kidsโ shells with meat a few minutes early. Iโve used taco holders. But without fail, after a bite or two, it no longer resembles a taco.
Sheet pan tacos are great for younger kids. As the shells bake, they soften. So you donโt have to worry about them swallowing anything sharp. The shells also donโt crack! This is also great for kids with oral sensory processing disorder or mouth pain from orthodontics.
Sheet pan tacos donโt have to be piled high with toppings. Keep it simple with the salsa and cheese baked in, or let your child dip the taco in sour cream or guacamole. Thereโs no salsa dripping down their handsโฆor shirtsโฆor on the floor. Thatโs a taco night win!
If your child really loves all the toppings, simply fold the shell open to add toppings and close it back up. Because itโs soft, it doesnโt break.
I do advise letting them cool a bit before serving to small children. After cooling, sheet pan tacos make great finger food.
Sheet Pan Tacos for Busy Nights
Tacos tend to be a go-to meal for busy nights. They can be on the table in about 20 minutes.
Yet, I tend to shy away from tacos when we are in a rush because of the mess. There is a spread of toppings and sides on the table. Everyone is grabbing, trying to assemble their taco. Then clean-up takes a while.
This is why I love sheet pan tacos. The salsa and cheese are baked right in the taco. You can keep it as simple as that. Or you can add a few toppings once they are baked.
Optionally, you can also add beans, peppers, and onions to the meat. You have a loaded taco ready to go with no big mess at the table. Just grab a taco and enjoy.
If you keep pre-cooked ground beef in the freezer, sheet pan tacos are even easier! Simply heat, add salsa, fill the shells, and bake. This also makes a great balanced snack for those always-hungry teens.
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It can be hard to find healthy snacks that you can take with you on the go. When I want the convenience of a jerky stick, but want a healthy, protein-packed snack option, I grab Paleovalley meat sticks. Paleovalley ingredients have these high standards that you can feel good about:
- 100% Grass-Fed Beef & 100% Pasture-Raised Turkey
- Never given antibiotics or hormones
- Gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free
- 0 grams of sugar*
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- Non-GMO
- Naturally fermented and contain gut-friendly probiotics!
Healthy Sheet Pan Dinner Recipe
Sheet pan tacos taste great year-round. In the summer, they make an easy meal to eat outside. Create a taco platter with the baked tacos, some guac for dipping, and fresh fruits and veggies on the side.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. ground beef, chicken, turkey, or lamb
- Favorite taco seasoning or a combination of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and chili powder
- 1 16-oz. jar of salsa or 1 pint of homemade salsa
- 10-12 hard taco shells
- 2 cups shredded cheese or dairy-free alternative
- optional – peppers, onions, black beans
Directions:
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook ground meat with taco seasoning until no longer pink.
- Add peppers and onions if desired and cook until tender. Drain extra grease.
- Add the salsa (and black beans if using), stir, and heat until well-combined and thick.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Fill taco shells with the meat mixture. Add shredded cheese on top of the meat.
- Place filled shells on a baking sheet, overlapping each other.
- Bake 8-12 minutes, until shells are cooked and cheese is melted.
- Serve plain or with your favorite toppings.
Notes:
- Cooked, shredded chicken, pork, or beef can replace the ground meat.
Sheet Pan Taco Recipe Variations
I love the traditional ground beef taco. But there are so many variations when it comes to making sheet pan tacos. You can swap any ground meat for the beef โ chicken, turkey, lamb, venison, bison, or pork.
You can even speed up the cooking process and change up the flavor by using leftover shredded cooked chicken, pork, or roast beef.
The original recipe uses salsa in the meat. But you can really make it your own here. Add diced onion, peppers, black beans, pinto beans, diced zucchini, pureed squash, or even mashed sweet potatoes. Itโs a great way to get kids to eat an assortment of veggies while still enjoying a favorite food.
If you like to prep food ahead like I do, simply use this Crockpot nacho meat as your filling. Start it in the morning. Then dinner is ready in under 15 minutes.
If you prefer soft shells over hard shells, no problem. They work too (though they may be a bit messier).
Sheet pan tacos make great leftovers. Simply reheat for about five minutes. Or, you can even eat them cold. If your kids arenโt picky about warm food, leftover sheet pan tacos are perfect for packing in school lunches. Itโs a simple sandwich swap.
Perfect Toppings for Sheet Pan Tacos
Sheet pan tacos donโt require any toppings. Especially if you load them up with veggies and cheese. But you can dress them up too. Some delicious toppings for sheet pan tacos include:
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Refried beans
- Lettuce
- Olives
- Extra salsa
- Extra cheese
- Roasted peppers and onions
And donโt forget the sides! A taco doesnโt like to stand alone. Right on the same sheet pan you can roast peppers and onions or another favorite vegetable. Refried beans and rice also make great additions to taco night.
Skip the mess and spending hours in the kitchen. Invite your kids to help make these simple sheet pan tacos for a family favorite dinner.
What You Should Do Next:
1. Subscribe to the Healthy Parenting Handbook Newsletter
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Enroll now in the Wall Street Journal’s #1 recommended online cooking class for kids (also rated 5 stars on Facebook). See what fits your family best HERE.About Katie Kimball
Katie Kimball, CSME, creator of Kids Cook Real Food™ and CEO of Kitchen Stewardshipยฎ, LLC, is passionate about connecting families around healthy food. As a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks, sheโs been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine and contributes periodically on the FOX Network.
Since 2009, busy moms have looked to Katie as a trusted authority and advocate for childrenโs health, and she often partners with health experts and medical practitioners to stay on the cutting edge. In 2016 she created the Wall Street Journal recommended best online kids cooking course, Kids Cook Real Food™, helping thousands of families around the world learn to cook. She is actively masterminding the Kids’ Meal Revolution, with a goal of every child learning to cook.
A mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is also a Certified Stress Mastery Educator, member of the American Institute of Stress and trained speaker through Bo Easonโs Personal Story Power.