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Navajo taco topped with meat and beans with fry bread in the background

Navajo Tacos


  • Author: Deborah Harroun
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Indian

Description

A version of a traditional Navajo Taco – fry bread topped with meat, beans, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Save any leftover fry bread to eat with honey for dessert!


Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/22 cups warm milk
  • Vegetable oil, shortening or lard, for frying
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 4 oz. chopped green chiles
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 an (16 oz.) pinto beans, warmed
  • Shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, etc. for topping

Instructions

  1. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
  2. Add in 1 1/2 cups of the milk and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Add more milk, as needed, just until it mostly comes together.
  3. Pour the dough out onto a floured surface and bring it all together into a ball. Knead 6-8 times until it comes together and is somewhat smooth. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
  4. While the dough is resting, start to heat the oil (or shortening or lard) in a large, heavy duty skillet. (I like to use a cast iron pan.) Heat to 350ºF.
  5. Divide the dough into 12 equal sized pieces. Working on a floured surface, roll each into a ball, and flatten out to a disc about 5-6 inches in diameter. I find that it is easiest to flatten the ball with my hand and then pick it up and stretch it to the right size. You can also use a rolling pin to roll the dough.
  6. Working with just a couple pieces at a time, drop the dough into the hot oil and fry until it is golden brown on one side, then flip and fry the second side. It should take about 2-3 minutes on each side.
  7. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
  8. To make the topping, add the ground beef to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When it starts to brown, add the onion, and continue to cook until the ground beef is cooked through and the onion is soft. Stir in the green chiles and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  9. To serve, top a piece of the fry bread with some of the ground beef mixture, the warmed beans, and toppings of your choice.

Recipe Notes:

This recipe makes enough for 2 pieces of fry bread for each serving. We like to have one topped with the ground beef mixture, and one topped with honey or powdered sugar for dessert.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide. Nutrition information does not include toppings.

The nutritional value for frying oil is based on a retention of 1/4 cup of vegetable oil. Cooking time and temperature can cause this number to change.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
  • Calories: 625
  • Sugar: 5 g
  • Sodium: 1502 mg
  • Fat: 21 g
  • Saturated Fat: 5 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 77 g
  • Fiber: 7 g
  • Protein: 30 g
  • Cholesterol: 53 mg

Keywords: Navajo taco, navajo taco recipe, fry bread, Indian tacos