Keto Tacos!

Anyone who listens to my podcast, 2 Keto Dudes, which I do every week with Richard Morris, knows that my weakness used to be a certain tex-mex fast food chain which shall remain nameless. I’ll give you a hint. It might rhyme with Choco-Smell. okay? Yeah. I’ve blown my ketogenic diet on this food at 3AM and it took me a week to recover.

Well, turns out you can make tacos at home that BLOW AWAY the fast food stuff. The key is to make taco shells out of cheese. That’s right! Cheese.

In this recipe blog post I’ll also show you how to make taco meat without any of those crappy flavor packets. I use real spices and fats. The upside is a better shell than a taco shell because a) it doesn’t crumble in your hands, and b) it actually has flavor.

Remember to buy more cheese at the store than you are used to when you make tacos, because it takes a good 3/4 cup (a handful) to make one shell. The upside is you will only want to eat 2 because they are so filling.

You should also shred your own cheese, because the pre-shredded Mexican cheese comes in a bag with potato starch, which isn’t helping your metabolism at ALL! Get a hand grater and go to it! Grating cheese is a great job for kids, who (let’s face it) need experience in the kitchen.

You’ll also need parchment paper and a cookie sheet for this recipe.

I introduced this recipe on my ketogenic lifestyle podcast with Richard Morris, 2 Keto Dudes.

Print Recipe

Keto Tacos!

These tacos are the best you've ever had. It's a bonus that they're low-carb. Perfect for a ketogenic lifestyle. Your kids will love them, too!

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

tacos

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 pounds Monterrey Jack cheese hand-shredded
• 1 tbsp chili powder adjust to taste
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder adjust to taste
• 1 tbsp onion powder adjust to taste
• 1 tbsp ground cumin adjust to taste
• 1 tsp cayenne (optional)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce I use Rao's. Low-carb
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream (optional)
• 1 cup oaxaca cheese shredded (optional)
• 1/2 cup guacamole (optional)

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Servings tacos Ingredients 2 tbsp butter 2 pounds ground beef 2 pounds Monterrey Jack cheese hand-shredded 1 tbsp chili powder adjust to taste 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional) 1 tbsp garlic powder adjust to taste 1 tbsp onion powder adjust to taste 1 tbsp ground cumin adjust to taste 1 tsp cayenne (optional) 1 tsp cinnamon (optional) 1/2 cup tomato sauce I use Rao's. Low-carb 1/2 head iceberg lettuce 2 tomatoes chopped 1/2 cup Sour Cream (optional) 1 cup oaxaca cheese shredded (optional) 1/2 cup guacamole (optional)

Instructions

1. Move your oven rack to the middle, and preheat the oven to 300 F
2. Grate the 2 pounds of Monterrey Jack cheese. C'mon, kids!
3. Prepare condiments: chop lettuce and tomato and place into separate serving bowls
4. Shred Oaxaca cheese and place in a serving bowl. Place guacamole in serving bowl
5. Place a fitted sheet of parchment onto a cookie sheet. You can use other non-stick methods of baking, but this works well for me
6. Grab a good handful (3/4 of a cup to a cup) of grated cheese and make a pile on the parchment, leaving room for 2 more piles. Spread the cheese out so it's evenly distributed. Make sure to clean up any stray shreds

   
7. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat
8. Add ground beef and chop into small chunks with a spatula while it's cooking. Brown
9. Add spices. This is where you can spice to taste. You definitely want up to perhaps a teaspoon of salt. Start with 1/2 tsp and work your way up. Taste it (after it has browned a bit) to test for saltiness before moving on

   
10. Once the oven is up to temp, place the cheese on the middle rack and set a timer for 10 minutes
11. You know the shells are done when they are brown around the edges and still have a little cheese color in the middle. They will be crispy and flexible. In my case, I used a blend that was pretty oily, and I had to tip the tray so the oil would run off to the edge. It pooled in the middle of each shell.

    
12. Remove the shells and bend over using a straw, dowel, or spatula handle. If you have nothing else, just bend them in half

    
13. Assemble your tacos! I like to start with a little sour cream in the bottom

    
14. Next, I add a little taco meat

    
15. Then the Oaxaca cheese. This picture shows off-the-shelf pre-packaged Mexican cheese

    
16. Add tomatoes

    
17. Finally, lettuce. But... that's just me. Enjoy!