Baked Sloppy Joe Tacos

Who said tacos had to be anything serious? Forget the days of boring plain ground beef (of which I not-so-secretly love and will never truly abandon). Tacos around here are about anything you can shove inside that crunchy corn wrapper. Pretty much the most perfect meal delivery system on the planet, the taco is ranked very high in my culinary cravings list and there isn’t a night that passes where a creative twist in in a tortilla wouldn’t sedate even my wildest hunger.  Best thing is you can get wild with the flavor combos and mix up a kicking east meets west spicy concoction that friends wouldn’t see coming or keep them down home and let the slow cooker do the work.

For this jamming weeknight meal, I wanted to pair one hands on messy dining experience with another childhood favorite the Sloppy Joe (fun fact: I don’t think I’d ever even had ‘Sloppy Joe’s’ until I was in my late teens). This isn’t the 10-minute weeknight fix that browning some ground beef and sprinkling a seasoning packet on top can be, but it makes for killer leftovers and seems to please even the most picky of eaters. Push comes to shove, the leftovers would be pretty delicious between two slices of classic Wonder Bread too. Talk about meal planning for the week. Heck double or triple this one for your next big football party and see what the fans think.

Grab a shell and see what you can shove inside.

Baked Sloppy Joe Tacos

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Ingredients

• 2 tbs olive oil divided
• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 onion diced
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 1 14 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 12 oz bottle tomato-based chili sauce
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbs ancho chile powder or chili powder
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 tbs onion powder
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs ground cumin
• Crisp taco shells warmed
• Taco fixings: Sour cream lime, avocado, pice de galo, shredded cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large skillet over medium-heat, swirl 1 tbs oil to coat pan. When hot, add the ground beef and cook through, breaking up as it browns. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil. Add the onion and garlic, cooking until brown and softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, and cook until the juices have thickened, 8- 10 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire, chile, garlic, onion, sugar and cumin. Allow to simmer over low for another 10 minutes.
• Spread the filling evenly into a 13x9 baking dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, getting a nice crust on the top.
• Let cool 5 minutes before serving up taco bar style.

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