Taco Cheeseburger

by **gina68gt** Fri Jul 15, 2022 7:18 pm

Kids Can Make: Taco Cheeseburger

Here are two things children (and adults!) love in a fun little package. For little kids: Let them help tear the cheese and measure the salsa. For big kids: Let them help shape and season the beef patties and shred the lettuce. Everyone can assemble his or her own taco. The generous amount of taco seasoning on the burgers, plus cooking them in a cast-iron skillet, gives them a crispy, flavorful crunchy

Level: Easy
Total: 30 min

Prep: 10 min
Inactive: 5 min
Cook: 15 min

Yield: 8 tacos

3 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds ground round beef
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 slices American cheese, halved
8 corn tortillas or hard taco shells
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
1 tomato, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup salsa or taco sauce
Sour cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir until well mixed.

Divide the ground beef into 4 equal sections, about 6 ounces each. Gently form the meat into thick disks, then place on a piece of wax paper. Press the patties until they're about 1/2-inch thick and 6 inches in diameter. Sprinkle each patty on both sides with the spice mix, using about 1/2 tablespoon per burger. Cut each patty in half, giving you 8 pieces.

Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. When the skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and 4 of the patties. Cook until the meat is browned half of the way up the side, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side. Place a half-slice of cheese (torn into a few pieces so it fits on the burger) to cover the patty and melt over the top. Cook until the patty is well-browned on the bottom, another 2 1/2 minutes. Remove the burgers to a plate, tent with foil, to allow the juices to redistribute, at least 5 minutes. Scrape out any crusty bits on the bottom of the skillet and pour off the extra grease. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and repeat the process for the remaining 4 patties.

If using hard taco shells, place them on a baking sheet and warm in the oven for about 5 minutes. If using soft tortillas, wrap the stack of 8 in foil and warm for 5 minutes.
Line the center of each taco with some lettuce, insert a patty and 2 tomato slices, then top with 1 teaspoon salsa and some sour cream, and serve.