40 Best Taco Night Ideas (Guide to Taco Tuesday)

Taco Recipe Ideas HERE! Taco Tuesday is everyone’s favorite night. A night filled with family, tacos, and all of the best food. Here are some of the best taco night ideas to inspire your feast!

Taco Tuesday: 40 Best Taco Recipe Ideas

Taco Tuesday is my favorite night of the week! I love gathering family and friends for a casual dinner centered on one of my favorite foods. I can never get enough Mexican food in my life, and tacos are one of the best parts.

You can do so much with tacos. They’re a simple food but there’s room for creativity. You can add any ingredients you want to create your dream taco! I especially love creating a buffet style taco night, where you just set out the ingredients and let everyone assemble their tacos just the way they like them.

I’ve gathered all the best taco night ideas from me and from other bloggers. These recipes are all about tacos, dips and quesos, the perfect side dishes for tacos, and a few Mexican inspired recipes that aren’t tacos, just in case you want something different. I won’t hold it against you if you make nachos or enchiladas on Taco Tuesday!

Let these recipes, tips, and ideas inspire you, whether taco night is on Tuesday, Friday, or Sunday…because every night of the week is perfect for tacos!

Helpful Tools

Tacos are pretty straight forward. You just need your basic kitchen tools, pots, and pans to cook everything.

• Skillet
• Baking Sheet
• Mixing Bowls
• Aluminum Foil
• Serving Bowls
• Saucepan

Ingredients List

Get as creative as you want with your taco ingredients! But these are the typical taco toppings that are perfect for any taco night.

• Hard Taco Shells
• Soft Corn/Flour Tortillas
• Taco Meat (Ground Beef/Pork/Chicken/Seafood)
• Beans (black beans, refried beans)
• Shredded Cheese
• Lettuce
• Onion
• Pico de Gallo
• Queso
• Tomatoes
• Green Chiles
• Jalapenos
• Tortilla Chips
• Salsa
• Corn
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole
• Taco Seasoning (It’s SO EASY to make your own! Click to find out how!)

How to Make Taco Meat

If you just want a simple taco meat recipe for classic ground beef tacos, this recipe is for you! This quick taco meat recipe will show you how to get perfectly seasoned ground beef for Taco Tuesday. Just fill up a taco shell with the beef, and add cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, and sour cream (or whatever you want).

Seasoned Ground Beef Taco Meat

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 10

Calories: 246kcal

Author: Becky Hardin - The Cookie Rookie

This simple taco meat recipe will show you how to make the perfectly seasoned ground beef for taco night. Just add the ground beef to a taco shell and top it with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, or whatever toppings you prefer!

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef2 pounds ground beef
• 1 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion diced1/2 yellow onion diced
• 1/2 tsp chili powder1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

• Add olive oil & onions to a skillet over medium-high heat
• When the onions start to become soft & slightly translucent, add the ground beef
• Cook until beef becomes brown, then drain the fat
• Add the rest of the seasonings & spices and mix into the meat
• Add 1/2 cup hot water & stir
• Reduce the heat and let the beef simmer for about 15 minutes
• Serve in taco shells with shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and more.

Video

Step-by-Step Recipe Video

Nutrition

Calories: 246kcal | Protein: 15g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 252mg | Vitamin A: 110IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1.9mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @thecookierookie or tag #thecookierookie!

What do I need for Taco Night?

When prepping for taco night, you need all your favorite ingredients to assemble tacos. This is flexible and totally up to you! You definitely need tortillas, some kind of filling (can be meat, seafood, beans, or vegetables), cheese, and lots of extra toppings to complete the tacos. It doesn’t hurt to have some queso (or another dip), tortilla chips, and a couple of other side dishes either.

What side dishes go with tacos?

The best side dishes for tacos are simple things that complement the flavor of the tacos without taking over the meal. I like making refried beans, cheesy rice, or some kind of Mexican corn on the cob to pair with them. And of course you can’t forget the classic chips and salsa!

How can you keep tortillas warm?

You want fresh, warm tortillas throughout dinner, not just during the first round of tacos. The best way to keep tortillas warm is to wrap small stacks of them in aluminum foil, and set them in the oven (or toaster oven) on a low temperature (175 or so). You can also keep them warm in a slow cooker.

What are some toppings for tacos?

The fun thing about Taco Tuesday is it gives you a chance to get creative. You can really make any kind of taco you want! If you want to keep it classic, the best taco toppings are cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. But you can also add in onions, jalepenos, green chiles, beans, and more!

What is a good dessert to serve with tacos?

After a huge feast, you still want to serve a tasty dessert to complete the meal. Making a giant cookie topped with ice cream is a really fun shareable dessert to serve on taco night with your family. These crispy cinnamon sugar biscuit bites are another great option, or you can make these apple pie taco boats!

What do you put in taco meat?

My favorite seasonings and spices to add into taco meat are chili powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, and other things that add a bit of spice. You can also cook meat along with onions, garlic, peppers, tomato sauce, etc. to get those flavors mixed into the taco meat.

How do you make hard taco shells?

Making hard taco shells is easy. Just use your soft tortillas (flour or corn) and you can bake them in the oven to make them crispy, using the oven rungs to shape them.

1. Preheat oven to 300
2. Lightly coat the soft tortillas with oil
3. Drape each tortilla directly over 2 rungs of the oven rack
4. Let the tortillas bake for about 15-20 minutes (when the edges start to brown, they’re ready to take out)
5. This will give them the shape of a hard taco shell and make them nice and crispy

Another option is to fry the tortillas in a skillet in oil. This will make them extra crispy but it won’t give them that boat shape easy for filling.

What is in taco seasoning mix?

In most taco seasoning mixes, you’ll typically find things like salt, chili powder, onion powder, red pepper, and other possible spices.

Here’s what I recommend adding into a homemade taco seasoning mix:

• Red pepper flakes
• Chili Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Cumin
• Onion Powder
• Salt
• Paprika
• Oregano

40 Taco Recipes: Best Taco Night Ideas

Best Taco Recipes

• Baked Chicken Tacos – The Cookie Rookie
• Buffalo Shrimp Tacos – The Cookie Rookie
• Slow Cooker Beef Tacos – The Cookie Rookie
• Cod Fish Tacos (Margarita Fish Taco) – The Cookie Rookie
• Slow Cooker Honey BBQ Chicken Tacos – The Cookie Rookie
• Steak & Eggs Breakfast Tacos – The Cookie Rookie
• Spicy Sriracha Shrimp Tacos – Peas and Crayons
• Spicy Shredded Beef Tacos – Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Fish Tacos with Avocado Sweet Corn Slaw – Iowa Girl Eats
• BBQ Pork Tacos with Broccoli Slaw – Like Mother, Like Daughter
• Sriracha Grilled Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos – Saving Room for Dessert
• Cauliflower Tacos with Chickpeas – Rachel Cooks
• Roasted Cauliflower & Black Bean Tacos – Gimme Some Oven

Dips, Salsas, and Quesos to pair with Taco Recipes!

• Best Guacamole Ever – The Cookie Rookie
• Homemade Pico de Gallo – The Cookie Rookie
• Blender Salsa – The Cookie Rookie
• Mexican Street Corn Dip – The Cookie Rookie
• Healthy/Skinny Queso – The Cookie Rookie
• White Queso – The Cookie Rookie
• Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Dip – The Cookie Rookie
• Cowboy Dip Queso – The Cookie Rookie
• Mexican Street Corn Salsa – The Cookie Rookie
• Layered Bean Dip Recipe – The Cookie Rookie
• Food Processor Guacamole – The Cookie Rookie

Other Main Dishes for Taco Night

• Taco Salad Bowl – The Cookie Rookie
• Enchilada Stuffed Peppers – The Cookie Rookie
• Chicken Quesadilla for a Crowd – The Cookie Rookie
• Taquitos recipe – The Cookie Rookie
• Sangria Pork Carnitas – The Cookie Rookie
• Foil Packet Nachos – The Cookie Rookie
• Steak Fajita Nachos – The Cookie Rookie
• Baked Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas – The Cookie Rookie
• Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos – The Cookie Rookie
• BBQ Chicken Tostadas – The Cookie Rookie

Taco Tuesday Side Dishes

• Mexican Cheesy Rice – The Cookie Rookie
• Mexican Grilled Corn – The Cookie Rookie
• Tequila Lime Baked Tortilla Chips – The Cookie Rookie
• Homemade Tortilla Chips – The Cookie Rookie
• Instant Pot Black Beans – Well Plated
• Baked Mexican Spring Rolls – Recipe Tin Eats
• Mexican Pasta Salad – Chelsea’s Messy Apron

Tacos and Tequila: Best Margaritas for Taco Tuesday

If you’re planning a big Taco Tuesday night for you and some friends, you can’t skip the margaritas! A refreshing margarita really completes taco night, and I’ve got some great recipes for you to try.

Best Margaritas for Taco Tuesday:

• Best Pitcher Margaritas – These are perfect if you’re making them for a bunch of people
• Skinny Margarita – This is a healthier version of a classic margarita
• Peach Frozen Margarita – Try this if you prefer frozen margaritas
• Spicy Blackberry Margaritas – This mix of spicy and tart is perfect for Taco Tuesday
• Strawberry Margarita Punch – This is a fun one to share on taco night

Check out the full Margarita Guide for even more recipe ideas!

I hope this guide inspires you to make the BEST Taco Recipes for the ultimate Taco Tuesday feast ever (or for Cinco de Mayo)! All of these taco night ideas are perfect for dinner, no matter what day you decide to eat tacos. Enjoy!