Ready to take classic tacos up a notch? Try homemade tortilla bowls. Here are a couple reasons why you should: a) they are baked not fried, b) they are so easy, you’ll cry, c) your kids will tell you that you are the coolest mom ever, d) your husband will tell you that you are the coolest wife ever, e) if you don’t have kids or a husband, you will be so impressed with yourself, you’ll feel cool anyway (and if not, call me and I’ll tell you how cool you are).
This meal was the hit of the century in my house. I used my go-to recipe for tacos (using ground turkey instead of ground beef this time, and I loved it!), which happens to be flavorful, delicious, easy and sans pre-packaged taco seasoning (that stuff makes my husband queasy). My kids couldn’t believe they were getting their own little tortilla bowl filled with taco meat and their choice of toppings. I personally loved the crunchy bites of tortilla I got with every dive into my taco bowl. I had seen my friend, Lesli (cook extraordinaire), make these before and had wanted to try them for a long time but just recently got around to it. I’m going to have to make up for lost time. Taco night just may happen every night for a year in this house – just so we can get our fill of these little wonders!
One Year Ago: Garlic Knots
Two Years Ago: Dragon Birthday Cake
Homemade Taco Tortilla Bowls
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
*Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
6 burrito-size flour tortillas
Olive oil or Canola oil
6 oven-safe cups or canning jars
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, place the cups or jars upside down, evenly spacing them to make room for the tortillas that will be draped over them.
Microwave the tortillas for about 30 seconds, until they are soft and pliable. Rub a teaspoon or so of oil on the front and back of the tortilla. I used my fingers so that I could make sure to coat the entire surface of the tortilla. It doesn’t need to be a heavy coating of oil, just enough to help the tortilla crisp up and not stick to the jar or cup. Drape each tortilla over a cup or jar (I found that the tall jelly/jam jars I had sitting in my cupboard worked great, but my friend Lesli uses oven-safe tea cups and gets great results, too). I softly pressed the sides down a bit to help them form more of a bowl shape.
Bake the tortilla bowls for about 8-10 minutes, checking often so they don’t burn, until the tortillas are nicely browned and crisp. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the tortillas cool for a few minutes before gently removing them from the cups or jars.
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
I have always wanted to make these, but I didn’t want to buy yet another piece of kitchen equiptment (in order to shape the tortillas). What a fabulous idea to drape them over jelly jars (or other oven safe cups/bowls)! Once again, you have made me say “why didn’t I think of that”!
I am going to make this for dinner tonight (my children love tacos, too)! Oh- and I TOTALLY agree with you about the packaged taco seasoning. It is full of MSG, and doesn’t taste good. I have making my own taco seasoning for years, and my children are so spoiled now they won’t eat the packaged stuff!
Thanks for sharing, Melanie!
Hi, I have wanted to comment on your blog, now website, for a while. I have absolutely loved your sight and all of your ideas. I actually live in Uganda. I moved here right after college to teach for a few years. I live sort of in the middle of now where Uganda, near Congo and have limited food choices. However, I love to cook and find it to be a real stress release. Many of your recipes, since they are basic, fresh ingredients, and delicious have been great. I typically have to substitute and change recipes, but I do really appreciate your sight and all your great recipes and find that I can make most with little changes. Maybe I will send a few of my own creations and you can try them out.
I also chose to post on this one because tacos is a regular. I make my own tortillas regularly and this seems like a great way to mix up the regular meal. Thanks!
Yay for another great idea from Melanie! I also couldn’t agree with you more about the taco meat. I make 5 pounds at a time and freeze it in 1 pound packages. Also, thanks for the recipe for Chantilly Potatoes for Easter – I got lots of great reviews from my family. Thanks for posting the recipes you do – I get lots of use from your website
Great idea, I can’t wait to try these delicious looking gem’s combined with the from-scratch taco seasoning. I am old school and still use the packet.
Hey, what a cute idea! By the way, I made your Sweet and Sour meatball this weekend and they were delish.
I saw this idea somewhere else recently and have been craving it! This looks wonderful- thanks for the reminder!
how cool!!! i have LOOKED for a ‘recipe’ to make these bowls before and never found ones that weren’t deep fried…sooooo THANK YOU! I’ll definitely be trying these and I will let you know when I do!!!
I like this way of making them better than using a bowl and aluminum foil!
Fun! I’ve been craving taco salads like crazy lately. (No pregnancy to blame for it either). This’ll be a fun fun addition to the taco salads I was planning for tonight. Thanks Melanie!
This is just genius. I always (shamefully) by the expensive package of 4 shells with the little paper bowls – same idea, just more expensive. Now I can make way more shells for the same price – what a money saver!!
this is a great idea, melanie. i’m fortunate enough to have been given a mold into which you can nestle the tortilla and it comes out in that perfect shape every time.
These were great! Had them tonight with your taco meat recipe and some homemade refried beans. So tasty! Was filling but didn’t have that greasy, super salty feel that we normally feel after a meal like that. Thanks for your great recipes!
Oh, I like that these bowls are not fried. The next time I make flour tortillas, I will make bowls out of them as well.
Hey, Mel–you’re cool! But I guess you’ve already been told that a bunch since you made these.
Great idea–I’ll have to do this!
I made this with your taco meat for supper last night with great success. I especially LOVED the taco meat recipe. Armed with your recipe, I have no need for those powdered taco seasoning packets anymore. Thanks for sharing your great recipes.
Super idea! Think of all the things you could serve in that little homemade bowl! I’ve done this with parmesan cheese and loved it. Can’t wait to try this, Mel!
Awesome idea! I will definitely be trying this! Thanks!
Twisted Chicken – thanks for your comment! I’m so glad the tacos and tortilla bowls hit the spot. (By the way, I checked out your balloon website and am so impressed with your balloon twisting skills! I wish I lived in your neck of the woods…you would be my kids’ hero.)
Angela – thanks for letting me know these tacos and bowls worked out well for you. I agree that the feeling after eating greasy/salty food is disgusting – I’m always looking for ways to bake up normally fatty foods (although I can’t lie…I do love me some fried food now and then).
I love this idea. Its so much more appealing than those deep fried bowls you get at restaurants!
Hi Melanie- I’ve been following your site for the last 9 months (since I became a SAHM) and you are so inspirational. I’ve been cooking/baking since I was 2 and have always loved it but somewhere between college and working I lost the fun of making dinner every night. Your blog really got me excited about the kitchen again and made cooking more of a hobby. I’ve made about 40 of your recipes and try at least 2 or 3 a week. Thanks to your recipes I KNOW the food I make tastes better than going out to eat. My husband always asks if the recipe came from you. It’s almost like we know you:). Anyway I’ve wanted to say thank you for a long time…so thank you. Your website has been a great bridge for me into this new phase of life and I think I’m a better mother because I’m excited I get to cook every night for my family. I have a few recipes I’d like to share with you that seem in line with the kind of food your family enjoys! Thanks again.
okay mel, i gotta say…i made these last night and i was in my absolute glory! i order taco salad almost every time we eat out cuz i want the tortilla bowl cuz i love them. simple as that. it is love. i wasn’t sure if i was super keen on the idea of it being ‘baked vs fried’ since the fried ones are so heavenly and defeat the entire purpose of eating the salad in the first place. (oh wait, that is a bad thing isn’t it..shoot!) so i made this last night and was in heaven, i said ‘mmm’ so many times while i ate that i’m pretty sure had i only been heard and not seen, it would have sounded ‘censored.’ honest, that good. i absolutely adored every single bite. the best part? my son’s favourite meal is tacos, so i just mixed up my salad and put it in the bowl and he ate his tacos. (off to review the taco meat next)
Thanks again for sharing such awesomeness!!
mia – you are so funny! Your comments always crack me up. I’m so glad these taco bowls were “mmmm” worthy!
We made these last night and were so impressed. I think I’ll have to experiment with different “molds” but will definitely be making these again!
we have now eaten these twice. in a week. i never do that. so yummy. mmmmmmmmmmm
We loved ‘em! My son asked, “can you make these every night now forever?!” and the husbands said he’d take these over regular tacos anytime.
oh, i only have one husband. that was a typeo!
Lisa – the double husbands typo made me laugh out loud. I’m glad that you and your son and husband(s) loved these!
If you don’t have oven safe stuff like that, (or don’t know if it is safe), it’s really easy to make big tin foil balls and drape the tortillas over those.
soooooo i made these again last night…. (for the hundredth time…haha!) but this time my hubby was actually home (he works 30 hours away) and oh yummmo, he loved them too!!!!!! i make these at least once a week now, love this recipe, thanks mel!!
mia – glad your husband enjoyed these as much as you!
Thank you for the great idea! We LOVE turkey tacos and now I can’t wait to serve these to DH and DD. They are going to LOVE them. How fun.
Mel, I love this recipe, my family loved it also. My husband decided to just pick it up and eat it like it was a hard taco we laughed so hard, my son said to me later that he is going to have manners like dad.
You have been a inspiration and a big help to me. My family and I live in Togo, West Africa and I get many of my meals from your website, I have told many of my friends about you and they all love it, Barbecued Chicken Braid has been a big hit in Togo with many of my friends. Thanks again.
Tiffany – that is hilarious about your son’s comment about your husband. The sad thing is that my kids have manners like that and don’t think twice. Er, that’s probably my fault. Kudos to you for living in West Africa and making meals work for you! I’m impressed and so happy that you have enjoyed the braid and other recipes.
Mel, my husband and I live in Africa because we are missionaries, we have been in Togo since Feb of 2009, and we love it. I homeschool our son he is 7 and stay busy with neighbors and other things with children and ladies in our area. My husband is learning a new language, we work with the Kabye people hear in Kara, Togo. Again thank you so much for your site, I look for your new recipes every week. I hope you have a wonderful day Mel.
Thanks I always wanted to know how to make these without using oil. Next time I have some extra burrito tortillas I will make some Chicken Taco Bowls. Thank you and I will be coming back for more good tips.
What a great idea! Can’t wait to try this. As a total side note—Did you know that The Lion House employs the same technique for their filled pie shells? I thought it was so cool! They drape the pastry over the outside of the pie tin (upside down, obviously), trim any over hanging pastry (no fluting!), set the inverted pie tin on a jar or glass as you have your tortillas, then bake according to the directions. Once it’s done, you slip it back into the pie tin and fill it. No pie weights or pricking of the shell to worry about. Anyway, sorry for the hijack, but it reminded me. Can’t wait to try this! Tacos and taco salad are the hubs favorite.
Okay, so about that pie shell tip–I was slightly off (went back and looked and thought I should tell you). They do prick the pie shell, but when it’s rolled out on the counter. Then they place it on the outside of the inverted pie tin, top it with another pie tin of the same size to mold it to the right shape, trim off the excess pastry at the edge, then remove the extra pie tin and bake as directed. Sorry for tellin’ ya wrong! Didn’t want you to try it and have it flop. So easy! Love how they do their double crusts too. Here’s a link to watch for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ivDzrIzJks
Homemade Taco Tortilla Bowls
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
*Serves 6
6 burrito-size flour tortillas
Olive oil or Canola oil
6 oven-safe cups or canning jars
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, place the cups or jars upside down, evenly spacing them to make room for the tortillas that will be draped over them.
Microwave the tortillas for about 30 seconds, until they are soft and pliable. Rub a teaspoon or so of oil on the front and back of the tortilla. I used my fingers so that I could make sure to coat the entire surface of the tortilla. It doesn’t need to be a heavy coating of oil, just enough to help the tortilla crisp up and not stick to the jar or cup. Drape each tortilla over a cup or jar (I found that the tall jelly/jam jars I had sitting in my cupboard worked great, but my friend Lesli uses oven-safe tea cups and gets great results, too). I softly pressed the sides down a bit to help them form more of a bowl shape.
Bake the tortilla bowls for about 8-10 minutes, checking often so they don’t burn, until the tortillas are nicely browned and crisp. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the tortillas cool for a few minutes before gently removing them from the cups or jars.
Thanks for this non- fried version. I was looking for it expecting to have to fry it after watching it done at the mall and now I don’t. Bless you!
Fantastic… Easy….Healthy….The Best……Who can ask for more than this. Best tortilla bowl makes the best taco salad. YUM !
taco bowls are soawesome they came out great but there really good with a vanilla sundae with carmel and pecans and koolwhip,,,,,,yyyuuuummmmm
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