Navajo Taco Recipes

NAVAJO TACOS

Steps:

• Prepare Homemade Fry Bread. See recipe notes for more options.
• Prepare or heat chili. For an easy chili recipe, try our Cheater Chili.
• Layer 3/4 cup chili, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/2 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon sour cream, olives, and salsa on each piece of Homemade Fry Bread.
• Serve on a sturdy plate!

EASY NAVAJO TACOS

Steps:

• Flatten each biscuit. Fry each biscuit in 1/4-in. hot oil over medium heat until golden brown, turning once. Drain biscuits on paper towels, keep warm.
• In a medium skillet, brown ground beef until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning mix, black beans. diced tomatoes, and pinto beans. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and allow to simmer.
• Once ready to assemble, lay fried biscuit on a plate and put 1/2 cup of meat mixture on top. Top with your favorite toppings.

MOM'S NAVAJO TACOS AND INDIAN FRY BREAD

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute 2 minutes, add garlic and saute 20 seconds. Scoot mixture to the side then crumble beef into skillet.
• Season with salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally and breaking up beef when stirring, until beef has browned and cooked through. Drain fat from beef and return to skillet.
• Stir in chili powder, cumin, paprika, kidney beans, canned diced tomatoes and green chilis then season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes (if you used the tomato sauce you can add in a few tbsp of water to thin a little if needed).
• Using a slotted spoon, spoon mixture over fry bread, then top with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream (and any of the other optional toppings listed). Serve immediately.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, yeast and salt. Whisk melted butter into warm milk and pour milk mixture into dry ingredients.
• Stir until mixture comes together and slightly forms a ball, dough should be fairly sticky (if needed you can add in a little more flour or a little more water to reach a good consistency but try not to overwork the dough).
• Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest 5 - 10 minutes.
• Heat 1 inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet to 350 - 360 degrees over stove top.
• Divide rested dough into 8 equal pieces.
• Working with floured hands and one piece of dough at a time (keep other pieces covered with plastic wrap), pat dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 6-inch circle and gently drop into hot oil, and cook until golden brown, then flip and cook opposite side until golden brown.
• Remove from oil and drain onto a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels.
• Serve warm with Navajo taco filling.*

NAVAJO TACOS

Steps:

• In a medium Dutch oven or stock pot, add the beef and onion, and cook together over medium to medium-high heat until the beef is cooked through and no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
• If there's extra grease, drain it from the pan.
• Add the garlic, and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the beans, tomatoes, and green chilis, and stir to combine.
• Add the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, and stir to combine.
• Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture is heated through.
• I like to get the meat topping going and then make the fry bread. The topping is okay to rest over low temperature, keeping warm until the fry bread is ready.

AUTHENTIC NAVAJO INDIAN FRY BREAD (TACO BREAD)

Steps:

• In a heavy large frying pan heat the oil to 365 degrees; Oil is hot enough if a small test piece of dough dropped in the oil begins cooking almost immediately and rises to the top.
• Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl; *see note about salt.
• Gradually add warm milk and mix to make a soft dough.
• When the dough has pulled together, cover and let sit in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Break off a golf ball sized piece of dough and pat it out flat in your hand, no thicker than 1/4 inch.
• Place 2 or 3 flats at a time into the hot oil and when they begin to bubble flip them over and fry until they're a nice light golden brown.
• Remove and drain on paper towels then serve hot (keep them covered in a bowl until you're done frying).
• You can make larger flats; just make sure they're no thicker than 1/4" and fry one at a time.

NAVAJO TACOS

Steps:

• To make fry bread: Mix dry ingredients.
• Stir in water.
• Knead dough lightly; cover and let rest 15 minutes.
• Heat 1" vegetable oil in a 10" skillet.
• Pinch off dough in small amounts and pat dough into thin 8" circles.
• In the hot oil, quickly brown on both sides.
• Drain on paper towels.
• To make filling: Brown ground beef and onion, drain.
• Add beans and garlic salt.
• Simmer 10- 15 minutes.
• To Serve: Spoon filling onto frybread.
• Top with grated cheeses, salsa, lettuce, onion, or whatever sounds good.

BREAKFAST NAVAJO TACO

Steps:

• Prepare the Breakfast Potatoes according to the recipe below. While potatoes are cooking, prepare the Fry Bread according to the recipe below. In a medium pan, scramble the eggs and set them aside. Season the beef on each side with blackening spice. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the beef until it is cooked until a medium doneness. Add the Breakfast Potatoes, black beans, and roasted peppers to the pan with the beef and stir until combined and heated through.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the fry bread on a baking sheet, and top each piece with some of the beef mixture. Top each taco with the scrambled eggs, onion, salsa, and cheese. Put the tacos in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the potatoes into quarters and put them in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes and mix until lightly covered. In a medium bowl, combine the salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika, and chives and mix well. Pour the spice mix over the potatoes and mix well. Put the potatoes on a large baking sheet and bake until soft and browned, about 40 minutes.
• In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Add the shortening little by little until small balls form. Add 1 cup of water and mix it well with your hands; then add the rest of the water and knead the dough well. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 6 balls and then shape each ball into a flat circle, about 6 inches across. Fill a large heavy saucepan with 2 to 3 inches of cooking oil and heat over medium-high heat; the oil should be at 350 degrees F before you begin frying. Fry the rounds in the oil, in batches, until golden brown. Place the fry bread on paper towels to soak up excess grease.

NAVAJO TACOS

Steps:

• Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Pour in water; stir dough until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest, about 15 minutes.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef; cook and stir until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain off grease. Stir in pinto beans, diced tomatoes with their juices, and chili seasoning until well-blended. Simmer until chili flavors combine, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Grease your hands lightly with oil and pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a baseball. Press it with your palms into a round about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Heat oil to a depth of 2 to 3 inches in a deep fryer or large saucepan. Fry dough rounds in batches until well-browned, puffy, and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
• Divide fry bread among serving plates while still hot. Spoon chili mixture on top.