Navajo Tacos
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Navajo Tacos are made of tender homemade fry bread that are layered with a seasoned ground beef and bean filling, crisp lettuce, rich cheese, juicy tomatoes, and creamy sour cream. They are truly one of the ultimate comfort foods!
Our Favorite Navajo Tacos!
Think piled high taco salad but even better! These are a Southwestern classic.
Just imagine a pillowy soft yet chewy center encased by a lightly crisp, perfectly fried golden brown exterior. Then it’s generously topped with a deeply flavorful browned beef taco filling and all those vibrantly colorful toppings that have a pleasant complementary blend of textures.
People of all ages love them! They are such a simply satisfying taco to say the least.
Try them soon and you’ll see why our family has craved them as long as we can remember!
Navajo Tacos Recipe Ingredients
For the Navajo taco filling, you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Ground Beef
- Spices (chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper)
- Kidney beans
- Diced tomatoes
- Diced green chilis
- Fry bread ingredients, recipe here
How to Make Navajo Tacos
- Saute onion and garlic in skillet.
- Add beef, season with salt and pepper and cook and break up, until browned.
- Drain fat. Stir in spices, kidney beans, canned diced tomatoes and green chilis.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve over Navajo fry bread with toppings.
Possible Variations
- My mom used to use a shortcut route for fry bread. She opted to use frozen dinner roll dough (such as Rhode’s Rolls) to make the fry bread. I would say this homemade fry bread recipe included is unbelievably easy and you don’t have to wait hours for dough to thaw and rise, but there’s also no shame in using store-bought dough to skip a step.
- Another way you can make Navajo tacos, besides using the beef filling listed is just with leftover chili. You just want to use a slotted spoon to strain away excess broth when serving so they fry bread doesn’t get soggy.
- Rather than using the spices listed you could sub a store-bought or homemade taco seasoning blend. Just add to taste.
Can I Make These Ahead of Time?
For best taste and texture I recommend making the fry bread within a few hours of serving.
The taco filling can be made a day or two ahead of time, stored in the fridge, then be reheated when ready to serve.
How Do You Eat Navajo Tacos?
These tacos are quite messy so it’s best to eat them with a knife and fork, kind of like an open-faced taco or a taco salad. If you find a way to eat these mess-free with your hands let us know. :)
Tips for the Best Navajo Tacos
- When making the fry bread, it’s very important that you cover the dough with plastic wrap when you let it rest. It’s a small detail, but it keeps the fry bread dough from drying out.
- Be careful not to overwork the fry bread dough for a tender and fluffy end result.
- If you want fluffier fry bread shape the dough with your hands rather than rolling out with a rolling pin.
- Don’t skip simmer time for the filling. This allows time for the flavors to develop and meld together.
- You don’t have to use all the toppings listed but I’d recommend the filling and the cheese at a bare minimum.
More Taco Recipes You’ll Love:
- Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Lime Crema
- Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
- Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
- Oven Roasted Chicken Tacos
- Carne Asada Tacos
- Grilled Chicken and Avocado Street Tacos
- Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Tacos
Follow Cooking Classy
Navajo Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes*
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis (mild if preferred)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Navajo Fry Bread, recipe here
For serving
- Romaine or Iceberg lettuce, chopped
- Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- Roma tomatoes, diced
- Sour cream
- Sliced black olives and chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
Navajo Taco Filling
- Heat olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute 2 minutes, add garlic and saute 20 seconds. Scoot mixture to the side then crumble beef into skillet.
- Season with salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally and breaking up beef when stirring, until beef has browned and cooked through. Drain fat from beef and return to skillet.
- Stir in chili powder, cumin, paprika, kidney beans, canned diced tomatoes and green chilis then season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes (if you used the tomato sauce you can add in a few tbsp of water to thin a little if needed).
- Using a slotted spoon, spoon mixture over prepared fry bread, then top with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream (and any of the other optional toppings listed). Serve immediately.
Notes
- *If you want a less juicy filling you can drain the canned tomatoes.
- *An 8 oz. can of tomato sauce can be used in place of canned tomatoes in a pinch.