Sheet Pan Taco Bake makes Taco Night a breeze. You'll love the puff pastry crust and variety of toppings. It's an easy one pan taco bake that will please your family or a large crowd on game day or any occasion!
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Why You'll Love It
Few recipes could be easier and quicker than making a taco bake on a sheet pan. The puff pastry crust is absolutely delicious 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!
Preparing the Meat
STEP 1 - 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.
STEP 2 - Add a packet of taco seasoning and 1 cup of water, then stir until mixed completely.
STEP 3 - Simmer until the water cooks down, then add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and stir until creamy. This method 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.
Adding Toppings
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.
Chop the toppings and place them in separate bowls so folks can choose what they like. Or, create a taco bar and put out the base ingredients, then encourage everyone to add the extras they like most.
Assembly
STEP 1 - Spread puff pastry with ground turkey or beef. Bake at 425 20 minutes.
STEP 2 - Add lettuce and black olives or jalapeños.
STEP 3 - Add sliced cocktail tomatoes
STEP 4 - Add 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 yummy Taco Bake directly from your half sheet pan and watch it disappear! It's so easy to throw together, you'll love making it at least once a week.
Recipe FAQS
Puff pastry is thicker and flakier than phyllo dough or crescent rolls. It puffs up to make a hearty slice. Purchase it in a roll instead of squares for best results. I use Wewalka brand for best results.
You'll be happier with the outcome if you use a puff pastry roll instead of crescent rolls or phyllo dough. Make sure you purchase an actual puff pastry roll or the recipe will not work as intended.
Yes, a cookie sheet works fine as long as it is big enough to hold a roll of puff pastry. Most half sheet pans are 18" x 13" to help you plan accordingly.
Substitutions
There are many substitutions you can use for toppings.
Try jalapeños, avocado, onions, black beans, cojito cheese, corn, cilantro, salsa, spicy ranch dressing, sour cream, or any other topping you can dream up.
Serving Ideas
This one 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 group.
Making a giant taco bake on a sheet pan couldn't be easier and more fun...no matter what the occasion!
Related Recipes
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
- Blackberry Cheese Danish (how-to video)
Recipe Card
Sheet Pan Taco Bake
- 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 beef (can substitute chicken or ground turkey)
- 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 beef and onion in a skillet. Add taco seasoning and water. Simmer until water has reduced.
- Add cheese to ground beef 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 beef 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.
Be sure to use an actual puff pastry roll instead of phyllo dough or crescent rolls. Only a puff pastry roll will work with this recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- 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
Sharing is Caring! If you love my recipes, please share with friends!
melanie haney
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.
★★★★★
Debi
I'm so glad you liked it! 🙂
Anecia
What a clever idea!!!! Can’t wait to try this!!!!
★★★★★
Debi
Thanks, Anecia! I bet your daughter would love this!
Lorna
Yum! Can’t wait to try this one out.
★★★★★
Debi
Thanks Lorna! I think you'll love it! 🙂
Creatively Beth
Delicious and easy! I'd love for you to share over on our Wednesday weekly Creative Linky Party.
Have a great weekend!
Creatively, Beth
Debi
Thanks Beth! I'll give it a look!
Sarah @ The DIY Mommy
This is a great fast and easy recipe for those crazy busy work nights! Can't wait to try it out!
Debi
Thanks, Sarah! Let me know how it turns out!
Frenchiee
Oh yum , I’m going to make this for sure , we love taco night ,👏👏👏😜🤪
Debi
Thank you Frenchiee! Taco Night rules! 🙂
Carol
Delicious! Spice level is perfect, and love the puff pastry!
★★★★★
Debi
Thanks, Carol! The puff pastry definitely gives it a nice touch. 🙂
Karry
These are great ideas for serving, and it tastes delicious! Tasty, fun and sassy; thanks for this!
★★★★★
Debi
Thanks a bunch, Karry! I love it too. 🙂
Debi
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. 🙂
Carol
Love sheet pan recipes! Glad you can customize toppings; I love mine without the jalapeños. Sour cream, onions, avocado, tomatoes for me!
★★★★★
Debi
That sounds amazing!
Pat M.
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.
★★★
Debi
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.
Anecia
I made this last night and it came out perfect!!! Thank you for being so creative!
★★★★★
Debi
Yay Anecia! I'm so glad! 🙂
Terri Kasik
I am excited to try this. I saw in the refrigerated section at my store puff pastry in a roll. Will I be using the whole package on my cookie sheet? Not familar with using puff pastry. Thanks!
Debi
Hi Terri. The puff pastry I use is one sheet in a package. It comes in a roll and it's made by Wewalka. I'm not sure what your store carries, but you'll need as much as it takes to fill your sheet pan. If it comes in two sheets, you'll probably need both of those. Just press the seams together if that's the case. I hope you love this recipe as much as we do at our house! 🙂