My boyfriend has raved about Taco Bell's Cheesy Gordita Crunch tacos being his absolute favorite fast food item for years. I am not much of a fast food person, eating Taco Bell quesadillas twice in my life years ago. I've been purposefully / stubbornly putting off trying a Cheesy Gordita Crunch. When Half Baked Harvest posted an at-home Cheesy Gordita Crunch it was time to rip off the band aid and try it. All while making these tacos I kept saying to myself well it smells good and it looks fine. I sit down and take a bite and could not believe how good these were. Little did I know I'd been depriving myself of a great taco for this long. Admitting these were fantastic wasn't easy, but they were so good I ate more for lunch the next day!
Ingredients:
Taco Meat:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
Dorito Seasoning:
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Spicy Ranch:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, diced
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper
Assembly:
8 small (but not mini) soft shell tacos
8 hard shell tacos - Siete is my go-to brand!
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Make spicy ranch by mixing together all ingredients. Set aside for flavors to meld while making other components.
3. Make Dorito seasoning and set aside by mixing together the spice blend. in a small bowl
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Cook onion and ground beef until onion softens and meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Add in taco meat spices and 1/2 cup water. Simmer until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.
5. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats. Lay 4 soft tortillas on each baking sheet, making sure they are not overlapping. Sprinkle each tortilla with a heaping 1/4 cup of shredded Mexican cheese. Sprinkle the Doritos seasoning evenly over the shredded cheese.
6. Bake the soft tortillas for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melting. Remove from oven and place hard shells in the center of each tortilla, pressing down one side into the cheese. Bake for an additional 2-3 minutes to toast the hard shells. Remove from the oven and press the other cheesy side onto the hard shell.
7. To assemble taco, place taco meat at the bottom, top with spicy ranch, shredded romaine, and shredded cheddar. Serve immediately so that hard shell stays crunchy!
Ingredients:
Taco Meat:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
Dorito Seasoning:
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Spicy Ranch:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, diced
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper
Assembly:
8 small (but not mini) soft shell tacos
8 hard shell tacos - Siete is my go-to brand!
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Make spicy ranch by mixing together all ingredients. Set aside for flavors to meld while making other components.
3. Make Dorito seasoning and set aside by mixing together the spice blend. in a small bowl
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Cook onion and ground beef until onion softens and meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Add in taco meat spices and 1/2 cup water. Simmer until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.
5. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats. Lay 4 soft tortillas on each baking sheet, making sure they are not overlapping. Sprinkle each tortilla with a heaping 1/4 cup of shredded Mexican cheese. Sprinkle the Doritos seasoning evenly over the shredded cheese.
6. Bake the soft tortillas for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melting. Remove from oven and place hard shells in the center of each tortilla, pressing down one side into the cheese. Bake for an additional 2-3 minutes to toast the hard shells. Remove from the oven and press the other cheesy side onto the hard shell.
7. To assemble taco, place taco meat at the bottom, top with spicy ranch, shredded romaine, and shredded cheddar. Serve immediately so that hard shell stays crunchy!