Crispy baked tacos filled with a flavorful beef and chickpea filling, melty cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro. Served with a creamy avocado cilantro crema and fresh pico de gallo.
How can I make this recipe vegan?
I have a vegan version of this recipe and it’s absolutely delicious!
Can I substitute the beef with another meat?
Yes! This recipe would be great with ground turkey or ground chicken.
How do I store and reheat these?
I recommend storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-6 days. Reheat in a preheat 400F oven for 6-8 minutes or in an air fryer at 350F for 3-5 minutes.
if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram don’t forget to tag me @healthienut + #healthienut! I love seeing your mouthwatering recreations!
Crispy Beef and Chickpea Baked Tacos
Ingredients
Pico De Gallo
- 5 roma tomatoes, chopped
- ½ medium white onion, chopped
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Beef and Chickpea Filling
- 2 roma tomatoes
- ½ white onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 lb ground beef (I used lean)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chile powder
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1-15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1-4.5 oz can green chiles
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese
- 25-26 mini wheat tortillas
Avocado Cilantro Crema
- 2 medium avocados
- ⅓ cup plain greek yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Pico De Gallo
- Start by making the pico, so it has time to “marinate” in the fridge. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Adjust seasoning to taste (additional salt and pepper, as desired). Cover and refrigerate.
Tacos
- Add roma tomatoes and onion to a baking sheet. Broil on high for 8-10 minutes until blistered. Add to a high powdered blender along with garlic cloves. Blend until combined, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly oil two large baking sheet, set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, breaking apart with a spoon, and cook until browned. Add blended tomato mixture and spices. Cook for 5-6 minutes until reduced and flavorful. Add chickpeas and canned green chiles and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, salt, and pepper.
- Working one at a time, spread beef-chickpea mixture on half of a tortilla. Top with ~1 tablespoon cotija cheese and fold over to seal. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Place tacos in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining 1 tbsp oil. Place into oven and bake until toasted and crispy, about 12-15 minutes.
Avocado Cilantro Crema
- While tacos are baking, prepare avocado crema. Add all ingredients to a food processor. Blend until creamy. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
- Serve tacos with pico de gallo and avocado crema. Enjoy!
