These camping walking tacos are an easy handheld meal that's perfect for camping. They're made with spiced ground beef and your favorite taco fixings all stuffed into an individual bag of nacho chips. They're fun, customizable, and a completely kid-friendly camping meal.
If you're anything like me, tacos are a staple on the dinner table, and appear weekly in various forms. Fish, chicken, beef, mushroom, potato . . . you name it, we've probably put it in a taco. So it's not a surprise that they make a regular appearance on our camping menu as well.
However, if you love tacos as much as I do, you also know that they tend to involve a lot of dishes to get all the various toppings arranged, as well as plates and spoons, and so on. Which is no fun at all on a camping trip.
This camping walking tacos recipe mostly eliminates that problem. You'll need a skillet to cook (or warm up) the taco meat, but feel free to assemble your favorite toppings on one big plate or a cutting board, and let everyone load up their taco bags. Since there's no fire required to make these walking tacos, they're also a great fire-ban camping meal.
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Why This Walking Taco Recipe is Great for Camping
- You can cook the beef ahead of time so you've got less to do at camp.
- They're handheld and portable so you won't be dirtying a lot of dishes.
- Everyone can customize them to suit their tastes and they're a very fun meal to enjoy.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ground beef--I recommend lean ground beef (85/15). This will give off a little bit of fat which adds plenty of flavor to the meat and helps to distribute the seasoning.
- Cheese--I like using Cheddar cheese, but you can substitue any type of good shredding cheese, such as Monterey or Pepper Jack. Grate the cheese yourself instead of using pre-shredded cheese, as it doesn't melt well.
- Doritos--You will need to use the individual 1-ounce bags of Doritos for this recipe. You can usually buy them in bulk packs at supermarkets, or in wholesale stores, like Costco.
- Toppings (not shown)--Get creative with your favorite taco toppings. At a minimum, I suggest lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and hot sauce, but feel free to try other add-ins, like pickled jalapeños, guacamole, cilantro, or beans.
How to Make Walking Tacos
- Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned.
- Sprinkle in the spices and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Open each bag of Doritos and press gently to lightly break up the chips.
- Add a scoop of the beef to each bag, then top with cheese, and any desired toppings. Mix with a fork and devour.
What are Walking Tacos?
Known also as taco in a bag, walking tacos are a handheld meal consisting of your favorite taco toppings piled on top of crushed tortilla or nacho chips inside the chip bag. They're ideal for camping or picnics as they are easy to assemble, portable, and require only minimal dishes.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- To get ahead, cook your ground beef mixture at home and freeze or refrigerate it in a resealable bag. Rewarm it in a cast iron skillet over your camp stove or campfire before assembling the tacos in a bag.
- If you're cooking your meat in advance, make a double batch and whip up some make-ahead camping burritos, or another ground beef camping recipe for your trip.
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Recipe
Camping Walking Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Four (1-ounce) bags nacho chips (Doritos)
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese for serving
- Diced tomatoes for serving (optional)
- Shredded iceberg lettuce for serving (optional)
- Sour cream for serving (optional)
- Hot sauce for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil.
- Add the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently to break it up, until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Open the top of each chip bag. Holding each bag upright, place your hand around the outside of the bag and gently crush the chips.
- Assemble the walking tacos by adding warm ground beef, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, and hot sauce to each bag.
Notes
- Get ahead--Cook your ground beef mixture at home and freeze or refrigerate it in a resealable bag. Rewarm it in a cast iron skillet over your camp stove or campfire before assembling the tacos in a bag.
- Make a double batch of meat--If you're cooking your meat in advance, make a double batch and whip up some make-ahead camping burritos for your trip. The ground beef mixture is the same!
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