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American

Walking Tacos

Seasoned ground beef is spooned straight into individual bags of corn chips with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Each bag tastes crunchy, savory, and lightly spiced from the taco seasoning.

Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
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An open bag of corn chips topped with seasoned beef, lettuce, tomato, and cheddar

Why you’ll love it

  • The beef is fully cooked before it goes into the chip bags.
  • Individual bags keep the chips crisp until you eat.
  • Taco seasoning and tomato sauce make a thick, clingy beef.
  • Cold lettuce and tomato go on at the end so they stay crisp.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. If the oil smokes, turn the heat off and let the pan cool slightly before continuing. Cook the onion for 3 minutes, then add the garlic for 30 seconds.

  2. 2

    Add the ground beef and salt. Cook, breaking it up, until no pink remains and the beef reaches 160°F, about 7 minutes.

  3. 3

    Stir in the taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Simmer 3 minutes, until the beef is coated and not watery.

  4. 4

    Gently crush the corn chips inside each bag, then cut the bags open along the side.

  5. 5

    Spoon the hot beef into the bags.

  6. 6

    Top with the lettuce, tomato, and cheddar cheese.

Pro tips

  • Simmer off extra liquid so the chips do not get soggy instantly.
  • Open the bags on the side, not the top, so they sit like a bowl.
  • Add the cold toppings just before eating.

Easy substitutions

cheddar cheese
Monterey Jack cheese
taco seasoning
1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika
corn chips
tortilla chips from a larger bag, portioned into cups

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate the beef separately for up to 3 days and assemble the bags when you serve.

Reheating

Reheat the beef in a skillet until hot and bubbling, then spoon it over fresh chips.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
474
Protein
28 g
Carbs
32 g
Fat
26 g
Fiber
4 g

Budget friendly · Stovetop

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients