Published 3/4/2024 • Updated 4/29/2024 This recipe is very nostalgic to me. Did your grandma always order the taco salad at Perkins where the taco shell was a delicious fried tortilla bowl? Mine did. This shell is an ode to my grandma, but instead of a fried tortilla bowl, they are baked in a very secret way! We used a muffin tin as the mold to create little taco shell cups. You can see in the photos below for a quick snapshot of how they’re made.
What’s in these Baked Taco Cups?
We use these taco-sized flour tortillas and place them on the bottom of the muffin tin to form little taco cups. Easily customizable: choose whatever taco fixings your heart desires. Fun appetizer idea: not only do these make a great easy dinner idea, they’re also super cute served as an appetizer! For our taco meat protein option, we went with ground chicken as it’s lean and has a more neutral flavor than beef. Finally, we topped our little cups with our favorite taco toppings like lettuce, pico de Gallo, shredded cheddar cheese, black olives, and non-fat Greek yogurt. But you can use whatever toppings you like.
Other Meat Options
These mini taco cups are delish with ground chicken, but feel free to sub it for any taco meat of your choice! Any of the following would be delish:
Shredded Chicken: use up your leftover chicken breast or thighs by shredding It! Ground Beef: use the meat in our ground beef tacos for these taco cups. Ground Turkey: if you’re not a fan of chicken, turkey is the next best thing! Carnitas: Our Instant Pot carnitas recipe is to die for and would be so delicious in this recipe. Lentils: Hoping to keep things vegan? Try our easy lentil taco meat! Sweet Potato: roasted sweet potatoes make for another great vegetarian “meat” idea. It’s easy, too!
Other Lettuce Options
We opted for classic chopped romaine hearts for these taco cups, but feel free to sub in any green of your choice that you have on hand, like:
Red leaf lettuce Bib lettuce Butter lettuce Arugula Iceberg lettuce
Storage
Store any leftovers from these mini taco cups in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. We recommend making the taco boats fresh before serving them with any leftover fixings.
Other Serving Ideas for Baked Taco Cups
Keep things traditional or feel free to jazz up your mini taco cups by adding any of these topping options:
Slaw: slaw is a fun way to jazz up a taco cup! Our pineapple coleslaw would be delicious. Corn Salad: try our black bean and corn salad. Mexican Street Corn Salad Fajita Veggies: there is nothing better than peppers and onions. Try our grilled version. Guacamole: so many guac options! You can stay classic or go mango!
Taco Recipes
Taco Zucchini Boats Easy Ground Beef Tacos Taco Soup Crockpot Chicken Taco Bowls Healthy Taco Pasta Salad
