Upside Down Puff Pastry Tacos Beef Or Chicken

I hope it goes without saying that I’m using the term ‘taco’ fairly loosely here 😅. They are undoubtedly delicious either way. Plus, they couldn’t be easier to make! Follow me…

Beef Taco Mince (filling option 1)

I make these tacos with two different fillings, both of which are really simple to whip up. Here’s what you’ll need for the beef filling:

Beef – I recommend using lean mince, just so they don’t end up too oily. Because they’re cooked upside down, the cheese leaks a lot of oil, so we don’t want too much more added. If you only have very fatty mince, I recommend draining some of the oil away after you’ve fried it. For reference, I use 5% fat beef. Seasoning – I use a simple homemade seasoning mix, but you can use a packet of store-bought if you’d prefer. Tomato Puree – This adds some flavour and thickens everything up. Water – Helps prevent the beef from drying out.

Ideally you want to let the beef cool, at least until it stops steaming. But this is a quick recipe so it’s not a huge deal if you dive right into the next step! Process shots: fry beef (photos 1&2), stir in seasoning (photo 3), stir in tomato puree and water (photo 4).

Chicken Taco (filling option 2)

The chicken filling is quicker, so if you’re short on time go for this option. It’s also a great excuse to use up any leftover cooked chicken you’ve got lurking about! Here’s what you’ll need:

Chicken – Diced into tiny cubes. Seasoning – Same as the beef, I recommend homemade but you can use store-bought if you’d prefer. Salsa – This adds a little flavour and helps prevent the filling from drying out. Don’t go overboard as it’ll make the tacos soggy and the cheese won’t crisp up. I use Doritos Hot Salsa.

Process shots: add chicken and seasoning to bowl (photo 1), stir to combine (photo 2), add salsa (photo 3), stir to combine (photo 4).

Upside Down Puff Pastry Tacos

I try not to do trends just for the sake of it. In fact, I rarely hop on any trends at all (I’ve been at this too long – a grandad blogger if you will). I’m pretty late to the game in spotting the viral upside down pastry trend, but it looked too fun not to try. I actually spotted it first on Lilygbake’s page, where she made a sweet version. As you know, I am a savoury tooth through and through, so I thought I’d give them a taco twist!

What is the upside down pastry trend?

Instead of putting the filling on top of the pastry, you essentially put it underneath the pastry and bake. To serve, you then flip them over. For this recipe, that translates to placing cheese and beef on baking paper, then placing the pastry on top and baking.

Why bake them upside down?

I’ll be honest, the first time I thought about trying this, my main thought was ‘that looks fun’. But I figured out there’s a couple of extra benefits:

Crispy – because the pastry has no filling weighing it down, it puffs up beautifully and goes gorgeously crisp. Filling – because the beef is tucked away under the pastry it stays juicy and doesn’t dry out.

Process shots: sprinkle cheese on baking paper (photo 1), add beef (photo 2), add pastry (photo 3), brush with egg wash (photo 4), bake (photos 5&6).

What kind of cheese should I use?

I use a spicy 4 cheese mix from Morrisons, but Cheddar and Monterey Jack are also great options.

Won’t they stick to the paper?

Nope! The cheese releases a fair bit of fat to prevent them from sticking. Plus baking paper is already non-stick too.

How do you turn them over?

The pastry should lift straight off the baking paper when you slide a spatula underneath. If for whatever reason it doesn’t, you can cut around each pastry then individually flip them over and remove the paper.

Serving Puff Pastry Tacos

You can really follow your tastebuds with the toppings. Here’s what I use to film the beef ones:

Iceberg Lettuce Tomatoes Red Onion Avocado Jalapeños Coriander/Cilantro Lime Juice

I also made a simple taco sauce by combining sour cream and Sriracha! These are pretty hearty so I don’t tend to add anything on the side, but you could grab a couple of bags of tortilla chips if you fancied (or make your own tortilla chips). Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these upside down puff pastry tacos shall we?!