Taco Stuffed Bread

Course Appetizer, Beef, Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican Inspired

Keyword stuffed-french-bread-recipes, taco-recipes, taco-stuffed-bread

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Stand time 5

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 870kcal

1 20-22 inch french loaf baguette
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion diced
1 medium jalapeno pepper or poblano pepper seeded and diced
olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
2/3 cup chunky salsa mild, medium or hit, your choice
4 ounces chive and onion cream cheese softened
1 (1.0 oz) packet taco seasoning use your favorite
1/2 tsp salt adjust to your taste
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
2 cups shredded colby-jack or 1 cup each cheddar cheese and monterey jack cheese divided use
Assorted toppings for serving: shredded lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, sour cream, onion, olives

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place french bread on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to remove the center of the bread, leaving the bottom and sides intact. Set aside.
In a large 12 inch skillet cook together ground beef, onion and jalapeno in a couple of drizzles of olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until no pink remains.
Add garlic to the pan, cook for 1 minute longer. Drain excess fat from pan.
To the skillet add salsa, cream cheese, taco seasoning, salt and lemon pepper. Adjust salt to your taste, the taco seasoning may have ample.
Simmer for 2 minutes, just until heated through and the cream cheese has melted. Remove from heat.
Assemble: Sprinkle 1/2 shredded cheese evenly into bottom of bread. Fill evenly with taco beef. Top with remaining cheese.
Place into oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until heated through and cheese has melted.
Let stand for 5 minutes, slice and served with your favorite taco toppings.

Bread - For this Mexican bread recipe, I use a long French baguette found in any grocery store bakery. You can use a shorter fluffy loaf of Italian bread, if preferred. Please note that the baguette holds up best to the taco filling.
Cheese - You can use cheddar cheese, colby jack cheese, monterey jack cheese or spicy pepper jack cheese. I like to grate my own cheese but for a timesaver you can use a Mexican blend of pre-shredded cheese.
Beef - You could make the filling using ground chicken or ground turkey. You could also replace some of the ground beef with chorizo.
Salsa - You can use mild, medium or hot salsa or picante sauce. It's best to use one with a thick texture to avoid adding too much liquid to the filling.
Bake the Centers - The top and middle of the bread that you'll removed from the baguette can be drizzled with butter and baked along with the taco bread, if desired. You can also pop it into the to make a breadcrumb topping for casseroles or as an ingredient for meatloaf.
Customize - Set-up a toppings bar for taco bread including cilantro, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onion, olives, olives, salsa, guacamole, sour cream or any of your favorite taco toppings.
Side Dishes - You could add a side of Mexican rice or refried beans for a complete meal.