Not Your Average Hard Shell Tacos

The other day my husband mentioned that he always thought hard shell tacos were not real tacos. Compare the taco-seasoned ground beef with slow-braised carnitas on corn tortillas and you have to admit, he has a point. That also made me think, "could I make a hard shell taco that was delicious?" Challenge accepted! A little of this, a little of that, and here we are. These are not your average hard-shell tacos my friend. These beauties are packed with flavorful ground turkey, creamy, tangy cabbage slaw, homemade charred tomato salsa, avocado, and cotija. You have something that's reminiscent of the classic hard shell tacos...but better. And yes, even the hubs approved.

Print Recipe

Not Your Average Hard Shell Tacos

Total Time45 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: turkey

Servings: 4

Author: Cherry on My Sundae

Ingredients

Charred tomato salsa

• 5 plum tomatoes
• 1 jalapeno
• ½ medium onion cut into wedges
• 2 garlic cloves skin on
• ½ cup cilantro
• juice of ½ lime
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• salt and pepper

Taco filling

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 lb ground turkey
• ½ medium onion chopped
• ½ red bell pepper chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon oregano
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ cup water

Toppings

• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• juice of ½ lime
• pinch of sugar
• salt and pepper
• 8 hard taco shells
• 2 avocadoes diced
• ¼ cup crumbled cotija

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place tomatoes, jalapeno, onion wedges, and garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Roast vegetables for 25 minutes or until lightly charred, rotating them halfway through. Remove from oven.
• Remove jalapeno stem and seeds, if desired. Peel off garlic skin. Place all roasted vegetables in a food processor along with cilantro, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper. Pulse until ingredients are coarsely chopped but not pureed. Transfer salsa to a bowl and set aside.
• Prepare taco filling. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add turkey and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon into crumbles. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic and saute until vegetables are softened, about 4-5 minutes.
• Season taco filling with chili powder, cumin, coriander, paprika, oregano, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Add tomato paste, stirring to combine. Pour water into pan and simmer until all of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the toppings. Combine shredded cabbage with sour cream, cilantro, juice of ½ lime, and a pinch of sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
• Fill taco shells with taco meat and serve with charred tomato salsa, cabbage slaw, diced avocado, and crumbled cotija.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

No matter what kind of taco you prepare, you have to have a salsa that goes with it. Whenever I had hard shell tacos as a kid, we just bought the jarred salsa, but as an adult, I know I can do better. This charred tomato salsa is a fairly basic recipe but it's still quite delicious.

Place the tomatoes, quartered onion, jalapeno, and garlic on a baking sheet and roast them until lightly charred. Make sure to remove the skin on the onion but keep it on for the garlic. Keeping the peel on the garlic will help prevent it from burning.

Place all of the vegetables in a food processor along with cilantro, cumin, lime juice, salt, and pepper. If you want mild salsa, go ahead and remove the jalapeno seeds. Then, pulse the ingredients until coarsely ground. You can puree the salsa if you want but I personally like it chunkier for more texture. When it's pureed smooth, it can be too watery.

Set aside the salsa while you prepare the taco filling. The old-school hard shell tacos usually just use the taco seasoning packets from the store. But why spend money buying those packets when you can make a better one at home?

I used my favorite fajita combination to flavor the ground turkey: chili powder, paprika, cayenne, cumin, coriander, and oregano.

Brown the ground turkey, then add the vegetables and saute until softened. You can also substitute ground turkey for ground chicken, beef, pork, or a combination of meats. You can even switch it up entirely and use seafood or tofu instead.

Finish cooking the taco filling with tomato paste and water, simmering until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.

While the filling is simmering, go ahead and prepare the toppings. I decided to swap shredded iceberg lettuce for a tangy slaw instead. Toss shredded cabbage with sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of sugar until well combined. I wouldn't make the slaw too far in advance because it can get soggy.

Assemble the tacos filling them with the turkey filling and pile on the cabbage slaw, salsa, and avocado. Sprinkle a bit of cotija, squeeze some lime and the tacos are ready!

I call these not your average hard shell tacos and with one bite, I think you'll see why. I can confidently say, I won't ever go back to the original dish!

For more taco inspiration check out these tamarind chile braised chicken tacos!