Recipes

Smash Burger Tacos (Serves 4 — makes 8 tacos)

Base serves 2 with leftovers — slide to scale the ingredients.

A burger and a taco at the same time: a thin patty smashed straight onto a flour tortilla, griddled until crispy-edged, topped with melty Monterey Jack, special sauce, shredded lettuce, and pickles. The vegetarian half is a seasoned black-bean smash that crisps up refried-style.

Ingredients

Base

  • 8 small (street-taco size, ~5") flour tortillas
  • 2 cups Monterey Jack, shredded (~¼ cup per taco)
  • Salt & black pepper
  • Neutral oil for the skillet

Protein Options

  • Meat: 1 lb ground beef (80/20), divided into 4–5 loose 2-oz balls
  • Vegetarian: 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained (uses about ⅔) + ½ tsp cumin + ½ tsp garlic powder + ¼ tsp smoked paprika + 1 tbsp neutral oil

Special Sauce

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard
  • 2 tbsp dill pickles, finely chopped (or relish)
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika

Toppings

  • 2 cups iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
  • Dill pickle slices
  • ¼ cup white onion, finely minced
  • Ketchup/mustard for the toddler

Instructions

  1. Make the sauce: Stir all special sauce ingredients together. Refrigerate until serving.
  2. Prep toppings: Shred lettuce, mince onion, chop pickles. Set up an assembly station.
  3. Smash: Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high until very hot. Press a ball of beef onto one side of a tortilla in a thin, even layer reaching the edges. Place the tortilla meat-side down in the skillet and smash flat with a spatula.
  4. Sear: Cook 2–3 minutes until the patty is deeply browned and crusty. Flip the whole thing tortilla-side down, top with a handful of Monterey Jack, and cook 1–2 minutes more until the tortilla is crisp and the cheese melts.
  5. Vegetarian rounds: Mash the black beans with the cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt until mostly smooth. Spread a thin layer over each tortilla, then place bean-side down in a well-oiled skillet (before any beef hits the pan, or use a separate one). Crisp 2–3 minutes until the beans brown refried-style, flip, top with cheese, and finish like the beef version.
  6. Assemble: Spread special sauce over the cheese, pile on lettuce, pickles, and minced onion. Fold like a taco (they stay mostly flat — that's the style) and eat immediately.

Tips

  • Toddler version: one taco with just cheese, folded into a "cheese crisp," with ketchup for dipping. Cut into wedges.
  • Don't overload the tortilla with meat — thin is the point; the crust is where the flavor lives.
  • Cook in batches and hold finished tacos on a sheet pan in a 200°F oven; they hold better than regular burgers.
  • Leftover special sauce keeps a week — great on sandwiches, fries, or future burgers.
  • Leftover black beans can go into the quesabirria's veg filling later in the week.