These Tacos in a bag are a fun and easy way to enjoy tacos. We had made these for my daughter's birthday a couple of years ago, at her request. And when I mentioned them to people (assuming everyone already knew about them) I was surprised no one had heard of them! Therefore, I felt a need to share these with the world.
They are a quick meal that's really easy to make and great for birthday parties, game day, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, and Taco Tuesday! (See how to make them WW friendly under variations). They are like eating a taco salad out of a bag!
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I was first introduced to this taco in a bag at a friend's game day party and they were a big hit. Also known as "walking tacos" because you can eat them while you are walking, they are also popular at fairs and carnivals.
The best part is no dishes to wash. You eat them straight out of the bag, so no paper plates either. This also makes them great for camping!
🥘 Ingredient Notes
Taco in a bag ingredients:
- Ground beef. I prefer to use extra lean or lean ground beef - it's way less greasy and fattening
- Taco mix. I generally use low-salt taco mix
- Tomatoes. I use hot house or Roma tomatoes - whatever I have on hand
- Lettuce. You can use Romaine or head lettuce.
- Shredded cheddar cheese. I use a pre-shredded nacho cheese or sharp cheddar.
- Green onions. These are milder than white onions, so that's why I use them.
- Bag of tortilla chips. * I use Doritos- they are the best!
Optional toppings:
- salsa
- sour cream
- cilantro
- lime
- green chiles
If I am serving these tacos in a bag for game day or a birthday party, I like to put all the fillings and toppings on a platter (like a deconstructed taco), with a selection of tortilla chips, or make a walking taco bar. That way, everyone can customize their own!
📖 Variations
- use a mixture of ground beef and pork
- use ground turkey or chicken
- use canned chicken breast
- use chili instead of ground beef
- make the taco meat over the campfire (and pack along the rest of the fillings and toppings) when you go camping
- use any type of chips, such as cool ranch doritos, nacho cheese or regular taco chips.
- make them WW friendly by using a light tortilla chip. Or if you only use ½ the bag of Dorito tortillas (80 g is still a pretty big portion) and use ground turkey or chicken or canned chicken breast instead of ground beef, this will greatly reduce the WW points.
🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Walking Tacos
Prep:
- Cook ground beef on the stovetop, over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain. *Cook ground beef to an internal minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Add taco seasoning mix and water (as per package instructions).
- Step 1: Crush tacos in bag (before cutting open).
- Step 2: Hold the taco bag horizontally and cut open across the length of the bag with a pair of scissors.
- Step 3: Open the bag.
- Step 4: Add cooked taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, and cheese. Toppings: Add your favorite taco toppings as desired. I like to add salsa, sour cream, and hot sauce. Mix together. eat right out of the bag with a fork and enjoy!
These walking tacos are portable so they are great for kids. They have so much fun making their own, customized walking taco, then eating it right out of the bag!
👪 Serving Size
This taco in a bag recipe makes 6 servings. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🌡️Storage
Store the taco meat mix separately from the produce and cheese, in airtight containers in the fridge. The taco chips can be stored at room temperature. Good for 2-3 days
Bag tacos are a favorite meal in our house. This easy walking taco recipe is the perfect party food for summer, camping, football games, taco night and Friday night movies. And I have no doubt they will become a family fave for you too! So, if you're looking for fun ideas for dinner, then give these a try!
And if you are looking for more easy clean-up camping meals, try my Foil dinners for camping!
🌮 More Cinco de Mayo Recipes!
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📋 Tacos in a Bag Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 bags tortilla chips * Doritos are what I usually use, but you could use any tortilla chips (80 g)
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef
- 24 g taco seasoning mix 1 package
- 1 head lettuce leaf lettuce or iceberg lettuce
- 3 whole tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded approximately (I use low-fat)
- 1 cup green onions, chopped
Toppings (optional)
- salsa
- sour cream
- lime
- cilantro
Instructions
- Cook ground beef in a large skillet, on the stovetop, over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain.
- Add taco seasoning mix and water (as per package instructions)
- Crush tacos in bag (before cutting open)
- Hold the taco bag horizontally and cut across the length of the bag.
- Open bag and add taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, green onions and cheese.
Toppings
- Add your favorite toppings as desired.
- Mix together. eat right out of the bag with a fork and enjoy!
Lynda Masyoluk says
Just a note: your instructions are to cut the taco bag across the top, but in actuality, you need to cut the bag across the SIDE.
The top of the bag is when you’re holding bag vertically, and that is not where you want to cut - across the top.
You need to hold the bag horizontally and then cut across the length of the bag.
Terri Gilson says
Hi Lynda,
Thank you for pointing that out. That makes more sense. I've updated it 🙂
Terri
Sharon says
I have never seen these!! How fun. I LOVE it. We are huge taco salad fans and not fans of doing the dishes so it's a win-win. 😉
Terri Gilson says
Yes, I was surprised that a lot of people haven't seen them! Enjoy not doing dishes, Sharon!
nancy says
what a fun idea!! the kid will love this and any chance to eat more chips!
Terri Gilson says
Haha I agree - any excuse to eat more chips!
Colleen says
I forgot about these! We used to make them every time we went camping with the kids. I can't wait to do this again this camping season. They're not only fun but so convenient!
Terri Gilson says
Yes, I agree- they are super convenient, Colleen!
Vanessa says
What a fun party idea! Kids will definitely love this! I have seen these only once - a food truck was making them at an outdoor festival. Had to take a look to see why people were using a fork inside a doritos bag haha.
amyg says
I'm loving this idea of tacos in a bag. I don't know what it is about tacos, they bring out the kid in me. This tacos in a bag idea is a great option for a children's party.
Terri Gilson says
Yes, they're great for kids' parties!
Terri Gilson says
Yes, I've come across them at carnivals before too - they were all the rage at the Calgary Stampede one year!