I love Taco in a Bag! I had this recipe at the Covered Bridge Festival in Indiana. My family loves them too! The chip bag serves as a shell for the tacos.
In Texas, these are called "Frito Pie"...so popular that they serve it on the school menu for lunch. To make it even quicker, use canned chili (with or without beans, your choice) in place of the taco meat, and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Heat and eat! Can't get much easier than that!
Read MoreI love the concept of these but I find them to be a bit too small for my family-and the cost of the individual bags to be a bit much-I buy a large bag and divide into individual servings in a resuable container-top with the remaining ingredients omitting the sour cream etc till just before serving. WE take these on the road as a tailgate meal when driving to camp-platic utensils and napkins make it a great portable meal. When in camp we do much the same but use plates or bowls to serve. Try subbing ground chicken or turkey for a healthier option.
Read MoreIn Texas, these are called "Frito Pie"...so popular that they serve it on the school menu for lunch. To make it even quicker, use canned chili (with or without beans, your choice) in place of the taco meat, and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Heat and eat! Can't get much easier than that!
So I modified this to serve as a quick adult dinner. Made everything according to directions except instead of serving in the bag, I served in two platic containers with lids, shook well, and we ate right out of the container. Dinner then clean up done lickety-split. Also, I added some zesty ranch dressing. Thanks!!!!
I loved this idea. We are painting the house and I wanted something quick with little clean up. I did like another reviewer and put these in gladware and just did a shake instead of a chip bag. I also used Doritos insted of the corn chips for more of a kick. I added some guacamole and lots more cheese (we like it that way). It was delicious and so easy. Thanks for the post.
Quite simply, the BEST RECIPE on this Website. Gordon Ramsey can go kick rocks...this is in a realm of its own and the first recipe listed to unofficially receive a 6th Star Rating...though you can't see it. Darn! I added Spicy Chipotle Ranch to it and it nearly floored me with flavor.
We call these walking taco's at my house. They are a family favorite, with doritos. We open the bag from the side instead of the top to make them easier to eat.
These are so good! This recipe is great the way it is, but using doritos instead of regular corn chips kicks it up even more!:)
I LOVE THIS RECIPE!! I'm a Senior in high school in West Virginia, the state really doesn't matter only I don't know if they have done our variation anywhere else, they're so popular that our school uses them for fundraisers; but we use Nacho Cheese Doritos instead of corn chips and it's REALLY good too, and easy if you buy the smaller bag and just throw your lettuce and such in the bag. If you haven't tried this recipe, you really should!!
I'm a Frito addict. These are great as written, or with canned chili instead of taco meat for the traditional "Frito Pie". If you want gourmet or if you want healthy, run far, far away! But if you want something fun, easy and different, this is your recipe.
5 stars based solely on nostalgia, great memories & convenience.... this "recipe" has been around forever (I think the cro-magnon originally used pterodactyl lol) but seriously ive been making so many variations of walking tacos since I was allowed to use the stove lol. I made a variation last night & dint mind extra clean up since I had the cast iron skillet already dirtied so I crushed up an entire family sized bag of the original Doritos dumped them in the skillet after removing the meat (used ground pork AND ground beef, extra yummy) dumped the mixture on top & added all imaginable toppings to that (I love adding black beans, kidney beans, avocado & dirty rice) before slathering the entire thing with an entire jar of salsa con queso lol then I baked it in the oven @ 400 degrees till the exposed chips get browned & crispy. Then I just plop the entire skillet on a folded dish towel in the center of the table & devour it upon paper plates.... makes meeeeeee mouth water everytime lol.... my nephew loved it & called it the magical taco mountain... I mean it hovered a good 3"- 4" above the skillet rim.... no left overs :-( makes me sad I have to wait a cpl weeks for this delicious concoction to hit my table again.... happy eatings everyone :-)
I love the concept of these but I find them to be a bit too small for my family-and the cost of the individual bags to be a bit much-I buy a large bag and divide into individual servings in a resuable container-top with the remaining ingredients omitting the sour cream etc till just before serving. WE take these on the road as a tailgate meal when driving to camp-platic utensils and napkins make it a great portable meal. When in camp we do much the same but use plates or bowls to serve. Try subbing ground chicken or turkey for a healthier option.
Our Girl Scout troop makes these when we camp. We call them "Walking Tacos" - they are portable and great for camping. My 8 yr old and 10 yr old love them because they can add their own condiments. We also use chopped onion and guacamole. At home I pile this on top of a bowl of spinach or romaine for a taco salad.
We made these when we went camping and it was soooo easy and not much clean up. The kids could pick and choose the toppings and just loved the idea. Thanks
Love these! First time I had one was at The Craven Country Jamboree In Craven Sask.! Awesome when your hungover! ;-P
My whole family loves these taco's, and they are so easy to fix....
When I was preparing this meal, my fiance laughed and said he felt like he was about to eat ramon noodles for dinner... (like it was a cheap, icky meal), but he really enjoyed it and so did I. :) Yummy!
Hi there! Thursday night was "taco" night at our house. My fiance ALWAYS craves tacos (it was his favorite childhood meal) and asks for me to make them quite often. To change things up a bit, I decided to give JHERCIK's idea (i.e. an "idea"... not a recipe, IMHO) a try. While I liked this, I think it is the idea that intrigues me, definitely not the end product. This would be fine to order at a festival or sports event (and the idea seems to have originated there to begin with...), but tacos are my preferred choice for dining in. Yes, these are "convenient" (i.e. no plates to clean), but if you think about it, you DO have to clean the skillet you cooked your meat in and any dishes used to cook your sides (although they are not necessary). My fiance likened this to taco salad and thought that it would be much easier to eat out of a bowl as opposed to in a bag. He also made another good point.... You could just purchase a large bag of generic chips (I used small bags of nacho cheese Doritos since Frito's were not available at my local grocer) and then divide equal portions into Zip-lock storage bags, add the fixin's, seal and shake. Not as authentic, but cheaper and much easier to mix (but there's still the bowl vs. bag issue...). All in all, this was neat to try, but it's not something I'd make again (although I'd order it at a game or at the Covered Bridge Festival!). Thanks for sharing your idea, JHERCIK :) I'm sure kids would go nuts for this!
Our church made these last night for a children's activity in the park. We all loved them, especially the little clean-up involved!! We did provide plates and some kids dumped theirs out and ate it that way.
These are good. AKA-Walking Taco. Use nacho cheese Doritos, instead of corn chips. Makes a huge difference!
Super fun idea and it was definitely enjoyed by those who took the option at our taco bar!
I fixed this the other night and it was a hit!!! Wouldn't change a thing! My kids loved it!
We had these for a lock-in at church and the girls loved it. A friend gave us the idea and said they were called Walking Tacos. I have since done it for dinner and we love it, too!
This is a great recipe but I changed it to my families liking. Instead of corn chips we use Dorito's or Aribia's. We also do this at different tournaments we are in. The Canteen makes up a big batch and we use personal size Dorito bags and we crush the Doritos and then add the rest of the ingredients. It is great also for when you go camping no dishes.
In Iowa we put them in small Dorito bags and call them Walking Tacos. :) Excellent for concession stands at ball games!
This recipe is in the betty crocker cookbook and it is something fun the kids can make. I grew up calling it a haystack. Mom would just put all the recipe ingredients on a plate to look like a miniature haystack mountain. Always loved it, even now 30 years later!
I had been living out of state and shortly after I returned I found out that my niece was having emergency surgery. Naturally I offered to keep my 7 year old great-niece for the week or so needed for moms recovery. My concern was that other than meeting once or twice for holidays, the child and I were pretty much strangers. Luckily I remembered this recipe and WE decided to put it together for our first lunch. By the time we were eating out of the bags we were great friends. This recipe will be remembered by both of as not only as very tasty in and of itself, but as a building block to a loving relationship.
In North Dakota we use nacho cheese chips such as doritos to give them a little extra kick.
We used Doritos (in place of the corn chips) and Catalina Dressing (in place of the salsa)...delicious!
We call these Walking Tacos. We have made this with the Boy/Cub Scouts and its a hit everytime. I like to make fresh salsa with it to give it that extra special flavor.
I like to cut my bags lengthwise, easier to get into it with your fork. And they are so much better with homemade guacamole and ground turkey! Skip the beef and sour cream, the chips have enough calories.
With the high caloric factor, these are great for a treat every once in a while. Made 20 of these individually for a family/friends picnic, and they were devoured by kids and adults alike. A definite success, and I will be making this again. Thanks for sharing Jennifer!
My family loves tacos, so I thought we would try this. We really enjoyed it. It was so easy, and mess free! Such a simple idea, thanks for sharing it with us who have never heard of them!
Dont need the bag! Just buy the frito scoops and decorate them around the edges of your plate. Delicious!
we called these 'walking tacos' and everyone was curious of what a walking taco was so we sold tons of them at our townwide festival
An excellent and perfect meal to use while camping. We substituted ground turkey for the ground beef as we often do to lighten a meal. We also substituted a bottle of a famous chain restaurant's taco sauce for the salsa for easy portability and storage. The kids as well as adults loved it! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I haven't seen these since I was a kid...what a treat! I can't wait to share them with my kids!
Gotta love this! It's offered at every concession stand around here, and we STILL like to have it at home. I used cheaper, non-"fritos/doritos" chips and it bled through the bag, though. Will stick with the real thing next time!
In Iowa we call these Walking Tacos and they can be found at festivals and outdoor events. Fun, easy and good!
My guilty pleasure, to be eaten on "sweat pants" days :) I prefer them with frito's scoops and my nephew likes using nacho doritos. It's all good!
This recipe is a must if you love tacos! I first had this recipe in High School. We called them Traveling Tacos. They were perfect to grab a fork and eat in minimal time. I am engaged to my high school sweetheart and this was a favorite of his too! We buy larger bags of Fritos to save money *and extra baggies*. Thanks for posting!
We serve these Walking Tacos at the concession stand at our soccer games. When adding the taco seasoning, we stir in a few minced onion flakes, a can of refried beans, and a bit more water. Slitting the side rather than the top of the bag is a helpful hint. Thanks!
This recipe is awesome!! There is a fair in Ohio that I have gone to forever that has almost the same recipe. We use Fritos, kidney beans, and diced onions too.
I made these for my Girl Scouts camping trip and it was a very big hit. The girls absolutely loved it and the adults enjoyed the flavor as well as the ease of clean up. I know I will be using this when my family goes camping and it has already been requested for my next GS camping trip!
Funny looks turned into big smiles when I served these at a party recently. They were quick, easy, different and definitely a big hit with adults and kids.
This is an excellent recipe for an old standby. Lots of variations. As a school kid in TX went across the street to the Harlequin drive-in & for a quarter got a "Frito Pie". Those had chilli over the Fritos & to this day when I serve chilli I put a Layer of Fritos in the bottom. At the fairs & celebrations up north here there's always a stand selling tacos in a bag. Kids love them.
I have one suggestion. Cut the chip bag down the long side of the chip bag for to allow more convenient access.
Great idea! The taste though is pretty dependent on the taco seasoning, I used Taco Seasoning I by Bill Echols. This would be great for camping out.
I dont understand how this constitutes a recipe when really it's a bag of ground beef and chips. I understand how convenient this must be but I'm sure you end up with a mess on your clothing. I can only imagine how nasty it feels when the grease coagulates on the bottom of the bag when it's sitting there for a while.
What a fun way for the kids (and adults) to eat tacos! I didn't bother crushing the tacos or slitting the package, just cut open the top and put in the usual taco ingredients that I like and ate with a fork. No mess whatsoever. I used a single serving size bag of Fritos but any type of corn chip would work.
Excellent and fun! My kids (and my husband) loved it! We used nacho cheese Doritos. I also added a can of corn (drained) and dark red kidney beans (rinsed and drained) to the meat while it was simmering in the taco spices to help stretch the meal a bit. Later, we had extra meat mix left over and my husband heated it up for a snack - he said it wasn't nearly the same without the chips. He may not go back to home tacos the old way again! It was certainly easier on my kids than regular tacos - their shells would break on the first bite every time.
This is a good recipe, however I don't think it is worth the amount of calories involved per serving!!!!!!
Fun! Fun! Fun! I use low sodium taco seasoning because the chips etc. add up to a lot saltiness. Serve with icy cold beverages to quench thirst! So easy to adapt the idea many ways for cost effectivness for church youth group etc. by using cheaper corn chips and paper plates for example but the fun is in using corn chips in a bag and dumping whatever you like in the bag! :)
What a great idea. You are only limited by your imagination as to the ingredients. I served this for a party I did for a friend's daughters 10th birthday. It was a hit...Thanks...
I LOVE TACO IN A BAG !!! Ever since the first time I had it at our local fair :) I've been using ground pork instead of beef lately bc my Gf made tacos for me with ground pork and OMG what a difference. I was getting sick of tacos bc of the ground beef and this changed my mind :D I also use liquid con queso or Mexican fiesta cheese instead of cheddar and that makes it a 10 stars !!!
I first ate a Frito Pie (which is what this was called then) as a little girl in Texas in the early 60s. My mother allowed us to buy this at the town's Youth Center once in a while as a treat. I've served it to my own family on occasion, and because it was so seldom served, it was a treat to them as well. My grandchildren like it now.
I have to agree with Leigh Ann's review of 2/4/05. I attended the World's Fair in Knoxville in 1982 and have been enjoying Taco in a Bag ever since. Indeed, these are called "Petro's" around here and they are a small chain. We have Petro day at work and serve these up. Delicious! These are a real east Tennessee tradition.
Don't forget the sliced black olives. Great when on the go. Just remind everyone to dispose of properly. Don't be a litterbug!
I put mine in containers and just shook it...it tasted good...my bf loved it but its just not my thing
This is my favorite thing to get at baseball games and such, but I never thought about making them at home until I saw this recipe. This was so good and so fun to eat.... I let my daughter crush up the little bags of chips we used spicy nacho dorritos and frito lay corn chips. Then I put refried beans and meat in and let her put the cheese lettuce tomato onion jalapeno sour cream and salsa on top for me. My mom and boyfriend looked at me like I was a little weird but I had fun eating them anyways. I served with mexican rice very good dinner!
Made this last weekend while camping with the grandkids-it was a super hit. Very easy and quick clean-up.
This idea originated at and was first served at the 1982 Worlds Fair in Knoxville, TN. It's called a "Petro" and is still served at Petro restaurants all over the area. I am proud to have eaten one of the first ever served the week the fair opened. You can make them yourself, but as they say, "Ain't nothin' like the real thing baby"! Thanks for the memories....
This recipe was so much fun! My 4 and 7 year old daughters thought it was so neat! I will definitely plan to use this recipe on a camping trip or maybe just to make supper fun on a summer day! Thanks for the super idea!
This is one of our favorite 'quick' picnic recipes, too!! I live about 45 mins from the Bridge Festival in IN and that is where we got the idea from, too!!
This was a fast food served at the World's Fair in Knoxville, TN in 1982. We have served a variation of this for 23 years and love it! Thank you for reminding me of this simple meal that is scrumptious!!!! Picnic to the Smokie Mountains or on the boat for sunset watching, it is perfect with little prep..... Stir fry meat and chop veggies. Buy Fritos and take off! Take a small cooler for cheese sour cream etc..
In Pa. we call them "walking tacos". We sold them at the concession stand at sporting events. Everybody LOVED them!!! You can. Add what YOU want!
Made it at last minute the other night. The store did not have any snack size Fritos so just improvised and used zip lock bags. My EXTREMELY picky daughter gave it a 'thumbs up!'
We call these walkin tacos. Instead of Fritos we use whatever type of Doritos you like best, tastes like Locos Tacos from T Bell. Easy way to have a taco party!
We make these fo the kids at holiday cookouts. They love them, and so do the adults after they coax a "taste" out of their childs bag!!! For that reason I always have plenty of ingredients on hand. I suggest you do the same. They are always a big hit with both the kids and the adults!!! Really do try them at your next cookout!!
I loved this smart idea! I tried modifying it with Doritos rather than Fritos, and it was awesome!
This is amazing can be done camping prep all veggies before you go pre cook the meat then heat up over the fire and voila taco in a bag
Huge hit with my kids and husband! I usually set out shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese, cheese dip, sour cream, pico, regular chips and nacho cheese Doritos and let my young kids make their own. They have so much fun and love the results. I have to admit the nacho cheese Doritos are amazing! This is such an easy and quick meal that the whole family is sure to enjoy! Go ahead and just add it to your favorites!
My teenage son made this for dinner tonight. It is a neat idea and fairly tasty. He used a big bag of chips and ate it in bowls but I think we will try the bags for camping. My daughter used the Vegan Bean Taco Filling from this site for her meal.
I feel like it's missing something. I just don't know what. Onions? Instead of Fritos, I used nacho cheese Doritos. Very good.
This was really good! I will definitely use this one one of those lazy weekend days. :) Easy to make and easy to clean up!
I think the Taco in the bag was Very good and a Interesting Recipe to make. I would recommend it to anyone to make the dish and try it.
The idea is good but we prefer tortilla chips to Fritos. It's good with seasoned chips, like Doritos but we think it's best with plain tortilla chips. I also used small disposable plastic bowls and plastic forks. I'll make this again.
This is also a terrific fund raiser. We call them Walking Tacos because you can walk around and eat them. When folks are done they just throw away the plastic fork and bag. Easy peasy. They sell like hotcakes. Pun intended.
Made this using cheddar cheese sauce rather than the shredded cheese. Instead of bags, used plates. It was easy, turned out great and was quite filling.
I've been making this for about 10 years now! I call it "WALKING TACOS" (because you can walk about the party and eat it right out of the bag.) Easy simple and cost friendly. Great for ANY party. Easy for the College student too- next best thing to Ramen but better!
So smart!! We always make our taco salad like this, but never thought of just using individual bags!! Clean up was so easy!
I made these for my grandkids and they were very surprised, and thrilled there were no dishes. Big hit and very good. We dressed ours up anyway we wanted with all of the favorite toppings. We have also added retried beans, and a couple of times added alittle chili. Very easy and good. Great fun for the children.
Love this recipe! You can also use different kinds of chips, like Doritos and it tastes amazing. It's also somewhat portable, because it's in a bag!!! This recipe is so much fun and kids love it.
