Crispy smashed pork, honey-chipotle shrimp, easy chicken al pastor, and more taco recipes for more than just Tuesday. When in doubt, make tacos. The crowd-pleasing dinner can satisfy just about any craving. From carne asada and crispy pork carnitas to easy chicken tacos, flaky fish, and plenty of vegetarian options, these taco recipes cover quick weeknight dinners, easy breakfast options, and more ambitious weekend projects, too.
Some come together fast—like broiled shrimp tacos and skillet-cooked fish—while birria, carnitas, and al pastor reward a little more time. Most call for store-bought corn or flour tortillas, though you can always make your own corn tortillas. Add pico de gallo, guacamole, or refried beans if you’re feeling ambitious. However you fill them, the taco recipes below give you plenty of reasons to declare any night taco night.
Spread seasoned ground pork directly onto tortillas before they hit the broiler for these quick-dinner tacos. Packed with the sweet-savory flavors of al pastor, they’re ready in under 30 minutes. Great carnitas should be juicy inside and crisp around the edges. Here pork shoulder is braised until fork-tender, then cooked again in its rendered fat until deeply browned—the ideal filling for a pile of warm tortillas.
Think of these volcanes as somewhere between
Think of these volcanes as somewhere between a taco and a tostada, with plenty of crunch. You’ll bake corn tortillas until crisp and curled, then load them with juicy pork al pastor and melty quesillo. A citrusy marinade of orange and lime juices, apple cider vinegar, cilantro, and garlic gives the carne asada its punchy flavor. Slice it thin and pile it into warm tortillas with salsa verde.
These northern Mexican–style tacos pair steak, tomato, and plenty of melted cheese with homemade flour tortillas. Enriched with bacon fat, the tender, savory tortillas take some effort but are very worth it. These San Antonio–style ground beef tacos start with packaged corn tortillas fried until they puff into crisp, airy shells. Fill them with savory beef picadillo, then add shredded lettuce, tomato, cheddar, cilantro, and salsa.
When you want tacos but also a desk lunch, may we suggest a scoop of seasoned ground beef, simple salsa, shredded romaine, and avocado over rice, with tortilla chips for crunch. These birria tacos start with goat—or lamb—braised until fall-apart tender in a deeply spiced chile sauce. Save those rich pan juices for dipping, and balance everything with a crisp cucumber pico de gallo.
These lamb tacos borrow their filling from keema,
These lamb tacos borrow their filling from keema, the warmly spiced South Asian ground-meat dish. Make the keema ahead for an easier weeknight dinner, then pile it into tortillas with mint, cilantro, onion, and crema. Slow-roasted duck legs replace pork in these extra-luxe carnitas tacos. The meat is shredded and crisped in its own fat, while fried duck skin and tangy radish escabèche add to the crunch.
Saucy shredded chicken tinga, creamy refried beans, and queso fresco are layered over crisp tortillas in this tostada recipe. It scratches much the same itch as a chicken taco, only with substantially more crunch. Inspired by mixiotes, these adobo-marinated chicken thighs steam with orange and onion inside parchment packets until juicy and deeply seasoned. Shred the chicken and serve it with warm tortillas for an easy DIY taco dinner.
Beer and vodka keep the masa harina and rice flour batter on these fried fish tacos exceptionally light and crisp. The sturdy swordfish stays juicy underneath that delicate, crackly shell. A gingery garlic-spice paste caramelizes around cubes of salmon while keeping the fish moist inside. Bright pineapple-chile salsa supplies the acidity and crunch these rich salmon tacos need. Achiote, citrus, and spices give these grilled fish tacos the sweet-savory character of al pastor.
High heat caramelizes the marinade, while a fresh
High heat caramelizes the marinade, while a fresh pineapple salsa keeps every bite bright. The cilantro-rubbed fish for this family-style taco dinner slow-roasts in the oven while you shred cabbage, slice avocado, and get the rest of the toppings ready. Tuck flash-marinated and seared shrimp into warm tortillas with lime-massaged onions, cabbage, and a garlicky mayo-based sauce for this 15-minute dinner.
A sheet pan and hot broiler do nearly all the work for these quick tacos. Sriracha-spiced shrimp and pineapple caramelize together before getting tossed with lime for a sweet, spicy, weeknight-friendly filling. Soy curls soak up vegetable broth before frying into crisp-chewy strips for the satisfying centerpiece of these vegan tacos. Avocado, radishes, and a punchy salsa pile on freshness and texture.
Give the cauliflower time to char and crisp up around the edges, then pile it into tortillas with cabbage and creamy cashew sauce. Don’t worry if the cauliflower shrinks—the flavor will be that much more concentrated. For one of the easiest vegan taco dinners in the collection, sauté store-bought soy chorizo with jalapeño and onion, add warmed vegetarian refried beans, and finish with cilantro.
Fast, filling, and particularly good for a weeknight
Fast, filling, and particularly good for a weeknight. Vampiro-style tortillas get crisp underneath and cheese-coated on top before being filled with spiced roasted squash. Cool cucumber pico de gallo provides the fresh contrast to all that caramelized squash and melted cheese. Roasted poblanos, jalapeños, and onion are folded into a creamy pepper Jack filling, baked until bubbly, and spooned into warm tortillas.
It’s all the appeal of a jalapeño popper without individually stuffing and frying anything. Roasted poblano chiles and potatoes make a hearty filling for these vegetarian tacos, with Mexican crema adding a rich, tangy finish. Can’t find crema? A mixture of cream and sour cream works too. Cauliflower florets roast in smoky chipotle-adobo sauce until tender in the center and browned at the edges.
Sour cream, sliced onion, and fresh herbs provide a cool, crisp counterpoint. Runny fried eggs, cool labneh, and a spicy sambal chile sauce make these quick breakfast tacos feel far more elaborate than they are. They’re just as welcome for breakfast-for-dinner.
Source: www.bonappetit.com
