Upside Down Puff Pastry Tacos

overhead shot of puff pastry tacos on large tray with small pot of taco sauce

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Here I'll show you a fun and delicious way to make puff pastry tacos!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican, Tex Mex, Western

Servings: tacos

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £2 / $2.50

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon (for beef filling)
Large Bowl (for chicken filling)
2 Baking Trays
Baking Paper
Small Bowl & Brush (for egg wash)
Flat Spatula (for lifting tacos off paper)

Ingredients

Beef (filling option 1)

drizzle of Olive Oil
500g / 1lb Lean Minced/Ground Beef
1 heaped tbsp Tomato Puree (tomato paste in US)
3 tbsp Taco Seasoning
2-3 tbsp Water

Chicken (filling option 2)

350g / 12.3oz Cooked Chicken, diced into small cubes
1 1/2 tbsp Taco Seasoning
100g / 3.5oz Salsa (I use Hot Doritos Salsa)

Tacos

2x sheets of pre-rolled Puff Pastry (see notes)
200g / 7oz Cheese, grated (see notes)
1 Egg, beaten
1x 150g/5oz pot of Sour Cream
2-3 tbsp Sriracha
Your Favourite Taco Toppings (see notes)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
FOR THE BEEF: Add a drizzle of oil to a large pan over medium-high heat then add the beef. Break it up with your wooden spoon and when it begins to brown, stir in the taco seasoning and continue frying until the beef is cooked through. Add the tomato puree and water and continue frying for another minute or so until the water soaks up and the beef is nice and thick/juicy. If you have time, leave to cool, at least until it stops steaming.
FOR THE CHICKEN: In a large bowl combine the chicken and seasoning, then stir in the salsa until fully coated.
Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Slice one of the pastry sheets into 8 even-sized rectangles, then slice 2 more out of the second sheet (store the rest for a rainy day). Sprinkle the cheese in 10 mounds in the same shape as the pastry then top with the beef or chicken. Place the pastry over the top and press around the outside to secure the filling (doesn't have to be perfect) then brush with egg wash.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until deep golden and crispy. During this time you can prep the toppings and make the sauce by combining the sour cream and sriracha. The pastry should lift straight off the baking paper when you slide a spatula underneath. If for whatever reason it doesn't, first consider baking a little longer to help the cheese form a crust (if the pastry can take a little longer). Failing that you can cut around each pastry then individually flip them over and remove the paper.
Add the toppings and sauce then tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Taco Seasoning - You can replace the homemade seasoning with a packet of store-bought if you'd prefer. I usually add in more water/stock alongside some cornstarch/cornflour, but you want the meat a touch drier so it doesn't turn the pastry soggy.

b) Pastry/Servings - If you don't want to buy an extra sheet of pastry for 2 extra tacos you can just make 8 and have a little meat leftover. In all cases I recommend keeping the pastry in the fridge until needed so it's easier to work with. For reference, 1 sheet of pastry is 320g/11oz and 14"x9" (35.5cmx22cm).

c) Cheese - I use a spicy 4 cheese mix from Morrisons, but Cheddar and Monterey Jack are also great options. For ease, I usually place a bowl of the cheese on scales and pinch 20g portions at a time, just so it's all evenly distributed.

d) Toppings - I used everything but the kitchen sink when shooting this recipe, but follow your tastebuds on what you fancy. For reference I used:

Iceberg Lettuce
Tomatoes
Red Onion
Avocado
Jalapeños
Coriander/Cilantro
Lime Juice

e) Calories - Per taco with no toppings.

Nutrition