Sheet Pan Taco Bake makes Taco Night even more fun! You'll love how easy this recipe is to create, and your family will get excited about adding their own special toppings.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Few recipes could be easier and faster than making a taco bake on a sheet pan.
The puff pastry crust is absolutely yummy and a perfect base for lots of toppings. It's solid enough to hold in one hand like a pizza slice, which makes dinner casual and fun.
This recipe can also be served as an appetizer by cutting it into 16 rectangles instead of 8, which is bound to get the party started. Try serving Sheet Pan Taco Bake with Blueberry Sriracha Margaritas at your next get-together, and you'll be the hostess with the mostest!
How to Make It
Start by preparing your protein, which can be ground turkey, ground beef, or diced chicken. Sauté in a cast iron skillet (ad) for 10 minutes with a few chopped onions until browned throughout.
Add a packet of taco seasoning and 1 cup of water, then stir well. Simmer until the water cooks down, then add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and stir until creamy. This creates your base.
Preparing the Crust
Roll out the puff pastry onto a half size sheet pan (18" x 13") lined with parchment paper. Pierce the crust with a fork in several places, then slightly roll the edges around the entire pastry to hold the protein.
Spoon the protein onto the puff pastry and spread it up to the rolled edges. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, then remove from oven to cool for 10 minutes before adding the toppings.
What Toppings Should I Use?
Basic taco toppings work great in this recipe, but you can go all out and offer other options your family enjoys. The sky's the limit!
The main ingredients you'll need are lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Everything else is up to you! Try black olives, avocado, onions, cilantro, salsa, spicy ranch dressing, sour cream, or any other topping you can dream up.
Chop the toppings and place them in separate bowls so folks can choose what they like, or put the base ingredients on and encourage everyone to add the extras they like most.
How to Put It All Together
To assemble, start with the base, then add lettuce, olives, tomatoes, and cheese.
Use a pizza cutter to cut into 8 rectangles, then add a drizzle of ranch dressing or sour cream to a few of the slices. Or, let your guests do the honors.
Serve this delicious Taco Bake directly from your sheet pan and watch it disappear! The concept of make, bake and take on the same pan is a wonderful thing.
Can I Substitute Crescent Rolls for Puff Pastry?
You'll be much happier with the outcome if you use puff pastry instead of crescent rolls. Most grocery stores carry puff pastry in the same section as the refrigerated pie crusts. Make sure you purchase true puff pastry and not phyllo dough or other substitutions.
Puff pastry is thicker and flakier which gives this recipe its unique flavor. It also puffs up to make a heartier slice. Other types of pastries will not produce the same results.
Serving Ideas
Sheet Pan Taco Bake is perfect for taco night, Taco Tuesday, the big game, birthdays, baby showers, or tailgate parties. It's easy, fast, and economical to make more than one if you're serving a big crowd.
Making a giant taco bake on a sheet pan couldn't be easier and more fun...no matter when you do it!
More Puff Pastry Recipes to Love
If you love cooking with puff pastry like I do, be sure to try my other yummy recipes...
- Sausage Cheese Bake
- Chicken Pot Hand Pies
- Ham & Egg Brunch Bake
- Chocolate Strawberry Tart
- Raspberry Mocha Twists
- Blackberry Cheese Danish (how-to video)
Sheet Pan Taco Bake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Sheet Pan Taco Bake makes Taco Night even more fun! You'll love how easy this recipe is to create, and your family will get excited about adding their own special toppings.
Ingredients
BASE
- 1 lb. ground turkey (can substitute chicken or ground beef)
- ¼ cup onion, chopped
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
CRUST
- 1 refrigerated puff pastry sheet
TOPPINGS
- 1 ½ cups green lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup black olives, sliced
- 1 cup cocktail tomatoes, sliced
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
DRIZZLE
- ¼ cup ranch dressing or sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Brown ground turkey and onion in a skillet. Add taco seasoning and water. Simmer until water has reduced.
- Add cheese to ground turkey and stir well.
- Roll puff pastry out onto a half size sheet pan (18" x 13") (ad) that has been lined with parchment paper. Pierce pastry with a fork in several places.
- Roll edges slightly around entire pastry.
- Spoon turkey mixture onto puff pastry and spread to rolled edges.
- Bake pastry at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Take out of oven and cool for 10 minutes.
- Arrange lettuce, olives, tomatoes, and cheese on top of pastry.
- Add additional toppings if you wish.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut into 8 slices. Drizzle sour cream or ranch dressing on top of each slice if desired.
Notes
Be as creative as you like with the toppings! Try avocado, onions, salsa, cilantro, or anything else you can dream up.
- Category: Main Dishes, Appetizers
- Method: Sheet Pan
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sheet pan, taco bake, tacos, puff pastry, cheddar cheese, black olives, cilantro, onions, tomatoes, toppings, taco night
Keep in Touch
Check out my best dishes each week on Meal Plan Monday and The Weekend Potluck.
Tried this last night and it was great! Really liked the puff pastry idea.
It was light and held together well as you said. Thanks Deb, this will be good for dinner or for a get together snack.
★★★★★
I'm so glad you liked it! 🙂
What a clever idea!!!! Can’t wait to try this!!!!
★★★★★
Thanks, Anecia! I bet your daughter would love this!
Yum! Can’t wait to try this one out.
★★★★★
Thanks Lorna! I think you'll love it! 🙂
Delicious and easy! I'd love for you to share over on our Wednesday weekly Creative Linky Party.
Have a great weekend!
Creatively, Beth
Thanks Beth! I'll give it a look!
This is a great fast and easy recipe for those crazy busy work nights! Can't wait to try it out!
Thanks, Sarah! Let me know how it turns out!
Oh yum , I’m going to make this for sure , we love taco night ,👏👏👏😜🤪
Thank you Frenchiee! Taco Night rules! 🙂
Delicious! Spice level is perfect, and love the puff pastry!
★★★★★
Thanks, Carol! The puff pastry definitely gives it a nice touch. 🙂
This recipe is a good base, but if you prefer a more spicy version, add some sliced jalapenos or hot sauce to the protein. Also, for a truly authentic taste, substitute sour cream for Mexican Crema, available in most markets, right by the sour cream. Makes a huge difference.
★★
I appreciate your suggestions Silvia. I always try to suggest variations and encourage others to make it their own. I actually listed several options for toppings in the recipe copy, so I'm always happy for readers to add their personal touch. 🙂
These are great ideas for serving, and it tastes delicious! Tasty, fun and sassy; thanks for this!
★★★★★
Thanks a bunch, Karry! I love it too. 🙂
Love sheet pan recipes! Glad you can customize toppings; I love mine without the jalapeños. Sour cream, onions, avocado, tomatoes for me!
★★★★★
That sounds amazing!
My puff pastry was dry and it burned on the bottom. I thought 20 minutes at 425 was too long. My puff pastry came in a roll of 10 sheets and didn’t really understand the recipe calling for only one paper thin sheet. No mention of how to treat the pastry to keep it moist. The taco toppings were great but the pastry was a big failure.
★★★
Hi Pat. I'm sorry that happened to you! I've never found puff pastry in larger quantities. I've only purchased it in a single or double roll. Could you have purchased phyllo dough instead? It comes in sheets of 10, and would definitely burn if you used it instead of puff pastry. Would you mind checking again and letting me know which type of pastry you bought? That would help me understand what happened so I can help you further.
I made this last night and it came out perfect!!! Thank you for being so creative!
★★★★★
Yay Anecia! I'm so glad! 🙂