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Smashed Cheeseburger Tacos

Smashed cheeseburger tacos with crispy-edged beef patties, folded into warm flour tortillas and filled with melted American cheese plus classic burger toppings. High-heat griddle cooking creates a crunchy crust, then the cheese melts as the patty flips and rests in the shell.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 8 tacos
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American Fusion
Calories: 820
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Smashed beef and tortillas
  • 1.5 lb ground beef (80/20)
  • 8 small flour tortillas
  • 8 American cheese slices
  • 0.25 cup butter, melted
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.5 tsp pepper to taste
Burger taco toppings and sauce
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
  • 0.5 cup diced onions
  • 0.25 cup pickles, chopped
  • 0.33 cup special sauce (mayo, ketchup, mustard mixed)

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Season beef
  1. Form the ground beef into 8 small balls and season with salt and pepper.
Smash and cook
  1. Heat a griddle or large skillet over high heat and brush the flour tortillas with melted butter.
  2. Place the tortillas on the griddle, add a beef ball to each, and smash flat with a heavy spatula.
  3. Cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat until the beef develops a crispy crust, then flip tortilla and beef together.
Melt cheese and fold
  1. Immediately top each taco with American cheese and let it melt for 1-2 minutes, using the residual heat as the cheese softens.
  2. Remove from heat, fold into a taco shape, and fill with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced onions, pickles, and special sauce until the layers stand in place.

Notes

For maximum crisp edges, keep the griddle hot and smash firmly right after placing the beef ball down. Store leftover beef-taco shells and toppings separately in the fridge up to 3 days; rewarm beef in a skillet over medium-high until hot, then reassemble. Freezing isn’t recommended for the taco shells, but you can freeze the cooked beef patties up to 2 months. For a lower-fat option, use 90/10 ground beef and reduce the butter used to brush the tortillas.