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Crispy Flour Tortilla Tacos

April 17, 2018

Crispy flour tortilla tacos take me back to my childhood, when I ALWAYS ordered Taco Light on family trips to Taco Bell. Winning!

a photo of two ground beef tacos in fried flour tortilla shells with a bowl of cheese dip in the back

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Back to Childhood!

When I was a kid, Taco Bell was sort of like an exotic version of fast food. That was back before there was a McDonald’s on every corner and Taco Bells were pretty scarce. I mean, I’m sure that there were more Taco Bells in the greater Chattanooga area than I realized, but as far as I knew there were only two.

On Saturdays, I always went to the bowling alley with my grandparents to watch my uncle Bobby with his Special Olympics bowling team. Afterward, we’d stop at the Taco Bell for lunch. Every time we went, I ordered the same thing: Taco Light.

I don’t actually know when Taco Light was discontinued. I remember, though, going in and not seeing it on the menu. I was terribly disappointed and had to move on to something else. I never forget about the Taco Light, though. It was larger than a regular taco, double the meat plus cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and tomatoes. Those were not the things that were important to me, though.

a close up photo of a ground beef taco in a fried flour tortilla shell
What I cared about was the shell. Taco lights = crispy flour tortilla tacos. The shell was basically a taco-shaped version of the taco salad bowl. Per.Fec.Tion. Adult me had to figure out how to make them myself.
Frying a flour tortilla taco shell is not quite as easy as you might think. I had a few go-rounds when I was first testing this dish. All you need is some shallow oil, a pair of tongs, and a steady hand. To keep them from closing up too tightly for me to get the toppings in, I stuff paper towels in the shells while I finished frying.

I’ll be honest. These crispy flour tortilla tacos are not exactly Taco Light. The texture is a little different. I am sure that was some sort of magical food engineering sorcery. They’re close enough to perfect for me.

a close up picture of ground beef tacos in a flour tortilla shell with a bowl of cheese dip in the backClick here to save this recipe for later on Pinterest!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate and The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Mary

Yield: 8 tacos

Tacos in Crispy Flour Tortilla Shells

10 minPrep Time:

30 minCook Time:

40 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ?-¼ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
  • pinch ground cumin
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 8 soft-taco/fajita size flour tortillas
  • 4 ounces shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
  • sour cream
  • shredded lettuce
  • diced tomatoes

Instructions

  1. Brown the ground beef in a medium skillet over medium heat. Drain any fat. Add the cornstarch, chili powder, paprika, onion and garlic powder, salt, cayenne, cumin, and water. Stir and cook until thickened. Turn heat to low and hold over the heat.
  2. Heat the oil in another medium skillet over medium heat. Line a plate with paper towels. Fold up 8 paper towels. When the oil shimmers, use tongs to hold the tortillas, one at a time, folded in half. Place into the oil, with the folded bottom first flat against the bottom of the skillet until brown. Turn and brown both sides. Place a folded paper towel into the fold of each taco shell and leave to drain on the paper towel lined plate until all the tortillas are cooked.
  3. Fill the taco shells with the taco meat and top with desired toppings. Serve immediately.
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https://chattavore.com/crispy-flour-tortilla-tacos/

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Filed Under: Beef, By Course, By Main Ingredients, Easy Recipes, Grains and Breads, Main Dishes, Recipes, Sheet Pan Recipes Tagged With: beef, main dishes By Mary // Chattavore 14 Comments

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Comments

  1. Thalia @ butter and brioche says

    October 1, 2014 at 8:53 pm

    I am definitely craving tacos right now.. your images have got me so hungry! Great recipe too!
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      October 2, 2014 at 6:31 am

      :)
      Reply
  2. Dianna says

    February 16, 2016 at 9:27 pm

    Instead of putting paper towels, use wadded up tin foil in the middle of your flour shell when you fry it. That should work much better.
    Reply
    • Mary // Chattavore says

      February 17, 2016 at 9:46 pm

      Great idea, Dianna! Thanks!
      Reply
  3. Elizabeth says

    March 23, 2018 at 3:03 pm

    I loved Taco Bell's Taco Light too! Miss them greatly so thanks for the recipe using the flour tortilla's!
    Reply
    • Mary // Chattavore says

      March 23, 2018 at 6:29 pm

      I hope you enjoy the recipe!
      Reply
  4. Cw says

    January 2, 2019 at 9:22 am

    Suggestion: Stuff with meat and use 3 flat toothpicks to close. (Each side and one in center). Fry. Remove toothpicks and top with your choice of fillings. We’ve been making them this way for years. Easy!
    Reply
    • Mary // Chattavore says

      January 2, 2019 at 9:50 am

      Thanks!
      Reply
  5. Judy says

    December 30, 2019 at 8:03 pm

    I really miss the "Light" Taco Bell tacos but...here's a tip. You can ask for a tostado made with the "Mexican Pizza" tortilla. So, fried flour but flat.
    Reply
    • Mary // Chattavore says

      December 30, 2019 at 10:38 pm

      Oh, good tip! Thank you!
      Reply
  6. Willie Simpson says

    July 21, 2020 at 7:13 pm

    Absolutely wonderful- It works !! Thank you 🙄I had tried on my own, with shabby results. Your instructions are great!
    Reply
    • Mary // Chattavore says

      July 22, 2020 at 6:07 pm

      I'm so glad you found the recipe helpful! Now I want to make these again soon.
      Reply
  7. Kevin D Rowe says

    July 29, 2020 at 7:13 am

    I really wish Taco Bell would bring back the Taco Lite. The reason for it being removed from the menu was new food regulations required foods named "light" or lite" to actually be a healthier alternative. Taco Bell dropped the Lite rather than change the name (grrr!). I never understood that, because I still remember the taste, and it was a one of a kind taco. They could hsve called it the Taco Crisp or something. But not just the shell was bettet, their taco sauce was also better back then. It was a thinner, darker brown color, and was amazing. I have had lots of gourmet tacos in my day, and the Taco Liye is still my fav. My attempt to get closer to the real thing would be fresh homemade shells cooked in peanut oil. I am pretty sure you can buy stainless steel taco forms for deep frying. Thanks for the recipe! I plan to try this.
    Reply
    • Mary // Chattavore says

      July 30, 2020 at 9:46 am

      I hope you enjoy it! I haven’t made these in a while and I need to again soon!
      Reply

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About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

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Want recipes from scratch & restaurant reviews in your inbox weekly?
Subscribe below to get Chattavore's weekly newletter AND a free set of recipe cards to help you learn to cook from scratch!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.