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Taco Beef Sliders are the perfect easy game-day food or weeknight meal. Ground beef is cooked with red bell peppers, red onion along with taco spices. The beef is added to slider buns with cheese and melted to perfection. Top with your favorite taco toppings.
TACO BEEF SLIDERS
I have to admit I am not always into watching a football game but I do come for the game-day food.
The Ohio Beef Council and I are celebrating tailgating season with these delicious Taco Beef Sliders which are a crowd favorite.
I love living in Ohio and being able to support beef farmers.
Ohio is home to dedicated beef farmers who take pride in their craft and commitment to raising high-quality cattle.
There are 17,000 beef farming families in Ohio who are committed to providing excellent care for their animals, protecting the environment for future generations, and producing safe, healthy beef.
These sliders are the perfect tailgating food that you can make for a crowd or perfect party food.
I like to double or triple the recipe and use some for meals too.
The ground beef taco mixture is flavorful and perfect for sliders.
The taco seasoning and salsa add a lot of flavor to the meat. If you skip the taco seasoning these remind me of cheeseburger sliders. The meat is placed on toasted buns and topped with shredded cheese.
The sliders are warmed in the oven until the cheese is bubbly and topped with your favorite taco toppings. I like to add shredded lettuce, fresh cilantro and salsa.
When I make a tailgating spread I like to add these beef sliders, Jalapeño Poppers with Bacon, Cowboy Caviar, Buffalo Chicken Dip and Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower.
There is no better way to celebrate football season!
WHY I LOVE TACO BEEF SLIDERS:
GREAT FOR A CROWD: These sliders are great for a crowd on game day. You can double or triple the recipe to feed people at a tailgate or party.
EASY TO MAKE: I like how easy these sliders are to make. You can prepare the taco beef mixture ahead of time and just add them to the buns with cheese before baking making them a good option for busy weeknights alongside french fries.
PACKED WITH PROTEIN: For those looking to add protein to your meals beef is a great option. There’s no stronger protein source than beef! One 3 oz cooked serving of beef provides half your Daily Value of protein (25 grams), for under 200 calories. These ground beef sliders will fill you up!
HEALTHY: When you eat these sliders you are adding a protein filled, healthy meal to your day. Beef is a nutritional powerhouse, delivering essential nutrients like protein, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc. Including Ohio beef in your tailgating menu means you’re serving up a wholesome and satisfying option for your guests.
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THESE TACO BEEF SLIDERS
1 POUND OF GROUND BEEF
GARLIC
SWEET ONION
RED BELL PEPPER
TACO SEASONING
SALSA OR TACO SAUCE
FOR THE SLIDERS:
SLIDER BUNS OR SWEET HAWAIIAN ROLLS
COLBY JACK SHREDDED CHEESE
BUTTER
SPICES: GARLIC POWDER, ONION POWDER, TACO SEASONING
HOW TO MAKE BEEF SLIDERS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
COOK THE TACO BEEF MIXTURE: In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the red onion and bell pepper and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
Once the meat mixture is cooked through drain the fat and return to the skillet
STIR IN THE TACO SEASONING: Stir in the taco seasoning and salsa or taco sauce. Remove the beef from the stove.
Grease and line a 9” x 13” baking dish or spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
PREPARE THE BUNS: Cut the sandwich roll sheet in half through the middle and lay the bottom half of the sandwiches in the casserole dish or lay the bottom of the slider buns down.
LAYER THE BEEF AND CHEESE: Layer on the ground beef mixture.
Spread the shredded cheese.
BRUSH WITH BUTTER: Place the tops of the rolls or buns on top of the cheese. Melt the butter in a small bowl. Use a brush to brush the melted butter over the buns.
In another small bowl mix together the garlic powder, onion powder, taco seasoning, salt and pepper.
ADD SPICES: Sprinkle the spice mixture over the top part of the bun.
BAKE THE SLIDERS: Cover the casserole dish or baking sheet with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, until butter is fully absorbed. Uncover and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until the top of the buns are golden brown {watch to make sure they don’t burn}.
GARNISH: Remove from oven and garnish with your favorite toppings like shredded lettuce, cilantro and salsa.
Store in an airtight container. Reheat on low in the oven or in an air fryer.
WAYS TO MODIFY BEEF SLIDERS
BEANS: Try adding beans to the beef mixture. I like black beans, red beans, pinto beans or white beans.
SPICES: There are other spices that would be nice in the taco mixture. Try cumin, chili powder, paprika or Italian seasoning.
HERBS: Fresh herbs are always nice in taco meat. My favorite is adding fresh cilantro and oregano.
CHEESE: I used sharp cheddar to top the meat but you could use colby jack, pepper jack, provolone cheese, cotija cheese or mozzarella cheese. Sometimes I will do a mixture of cheese for a variety of flavor. You also could use slices of cheese instead of shredded cheese.
VEGETABLES: I used red onion and bell peppers in the beef mixture. Other vegetables that are nice would be sweet corn, banana peppers, carrots, poblanos or zucchini.
ONIONS: Another addition I really like adding to these is caramelized onions. They really pair well with the beef and the cheese. I would suggest using mozzarella cheese with the onions.
HEAT: To add heat to the taco mixture is to add cayenne red pepper, crushed red pepper, hot sauce or chopped jalapeños.
SALSA: You can stir in a variety of salsa to the beef mixture. Try my Salsa Verde, Homemade Salsa, Avocado Tomatillo Salsa or this Pico de Gallo.
OTHER BEEF RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
BEEF ENCHILADAS
EASY BEEF GYRO
MEXICAN ZUCCHINI
SPAGHETTI PIE
CHILI CON CARNE
BEEF TACO DIP
GRILLED CARNE ASADA
Taco Beef Sliders
Taco Beef Sliders are the perfect easy game-day food or weeknight meal. Ground beef is cooked with red bell peppers, red onion along with taco spices. The beef is added to slider buns with cheese and melted to perfection. Top with your favorite taco toppings.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsps. olive oil
- 1 lb. ground beef {I like to use 80/20}
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 of a small sweet onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds remove, diced
- 2 tbsps. taco seasoning
- 3 tbsps. salsa or taco sauce
FOR THE SLIDERS:
- 1 package of 12 slider buns or 1 package of King's Hawaiian rolls
- 1 1/2 cups colby jack shredded cheese
- 3 tbsps. butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tsp. taco seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- Fresh salsa for garnish
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Shredded lettuce for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the red onion and bell pepper and saute for another 3-4 minutes. .
- Once the beef is cooked through drain the fat and return to the skillet
- Stir in the taco seasoning and salsa or taco sauce.
- Remove the beef from the stove.
- Grease and line a 9” x 13” casserole dish or spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
- Cut the sandwich roll sheet in half through the middle and lay the bottom half of the sandwiches in the casserole dish or lay the bottom of the slider buns down.
- Toast the bottom of the buns in the oven for 3-4 minutes before adding the beef. This helps to prevent the bottom of the buns from getting soggy.
- Layer on the ground beef mixture followed by the shredded cheese.
- Place the top half of the rolls or buns on top of the cheese.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl. Use a brush to brush the butter mixture over the buns.
- In another small bowl mix together the garlic powder, onion powder, taco seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle the spice mixture over the buns.
- Cover the casserole dish or baking sheet with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, until butter is fully absorbed. Uncover and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until the top of the buns are lightly browned {watch to make sure they don’t burn}.
- Remove from oven and garnish with your favorite toppings like shredded lettuce, cilantro and salsa.
- Store in an airtight container. Reheat on low in the oven or in an air fryer.
Notes
You can use a variety of cheese options like mozzarella cheese, pepper jack, cotija cheese or sharp cheddar cheese.
Feel free to spice these up with hot sauce, jalapeños or crushed red pepper.
