6 Easy Ways to Make a Mexican Food Bar

Hosting a Taco Bar is the ideal party meal, goes far, and is extremely affordable. Feed a crowd of 24 for under $150 and I promise every guest will leave happy! Shop for your taco bar party now.

I hosted a taco bar at our children's first birthday party and I know it's the start of an amazing tradition. You can serve it up alongside some sangria and beer to make it a festive adult party. My favorite part about this taco bar party meal is that it is SO EASY to prep and have ready for the party day, with little effort.

Here's how you can do it, too!

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Wondering what drinks to serve with your taco bar?

This easy-to-make sangria serves 10 and can be prepared ahead of time.

Learn more

Shop for your taco bar party ingredients

The best part of a taco bar is getting to choose your very own toppings, so have some fun and make them easy! To see exactly what we used, shop my Walmart Grocery List, add everything to your cart, and get it delivered in just a few hours. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Taco Bases: In foil pans, warmed up in the oven before the party

• Ground Beef
• Black beans with taco seasoning
• Spanish rice

How much taco meat per person at a party?

Are you wondering how much taco meat you need per person? Plan on getting a .5 pound of beef per person. One pound of ground beef serves approximately 6 tacos. Add black beans and rice accordingly, to offer vegetarian options. One can of black beans typically serves 4 tacos. Plan on getting one can of black beans for every 4 people coming to the party.

Taco shells options

• Hard taco shells
• Soft tortillas

What to Serve Alongside Tacos for a Party

Possible Taco Sides:

• Chips and salsa
• Refried beans

Possible Toppings for Tacos:

• Chopped lettuce
• Diced tomatoes
• Diced onions
• Shredded cheese
• Sliced limes
• Cilantro
• Guacamole
• Mild taco sauce
• Sour cream
• Sliced black olives
• Crushed pineapple
• Crema Mexicana
• Hot sauce

How to Prep Your Taco Bar for a Party Ahead of Time

A day or two before the party, brown your ground beef and add the taco seasoning. Place the cooked beef in a foil pan. Pour your black beans into a separate foil pan, add the taco seasoning and stir thoroughly. Pour your cooked rice into a pan (or if you use microwave rice as I did, pour it directly into the pan). Wash and dice your tomatoes, limes, lettuce, cilantro, and onions and store them in the refrigerator in glass containers.

Party Inspiration

Our twin son and daughter turned one-year-old this past week and we celebrated with a simple wild-animal-themed birthday party at home. We invited a few friends, created a simple (but delicious) taco bar, and whipped up a pitcher of sangria. I'm a big believer in celebrating milestones but also don't want to spend a ton…

Our little man turns one this week and we celebrated yesterday with a Winter ONEderland birthday party. I LOVE hosting parties but also know that this time of year is insane and I wasn't going to be able to do as much as I typically do. But that's okay! I just invited people who would…

On the day of the party, preheat the oven to 250 degrees. An hour before you want to serve the food, place the beans, rice, and ground beef in the oven, covered. Heat up the refried beans. Pull out all of your taco bar ingredients and set them out in serving dishes. You can keep it easy with Tupperware containers or glass bowls with a spoon. My favorite part of hosting a taco bar is It can be extremely simple! And who doesn't like tacos?

The recipe below feeds a party of 24. We had 14 adults and 10 children. This was the perfect amount of food for our guests, and everyone came hungry. We had just enough for a few leftovers the next day, but not much.

Don't forget these for your taco bar party!

• Drinks for the kids (We had Berry Lemonade and Tropical Tango Honest Juice Pouches and Whole Milk and Chocolate Milk Boxes)
• Drinks for the adults (LOVE this sangria recipe shared in the image below and a simple keg of beer in a kegerator)
• Disposable plates and utensils for easy cleanup!

Order your taco bar ingredients!

Ready to host your own taco bar party?

Use this recipe to help guide you and keep things simple. Want a meal that offers a little more comfort? We love this Easy Vegan Chili Recipe that we made at our son's Winter ONEderland Birthday Party!

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 1 hour

Set up time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 lbs. ground beef
• 6 cans Black Beans
• 8 Packets Taco Seasoning
• 40 Medium Sized Tortillas
• 36 Crunchy Taco Shells
• Romaine Lettuce, Shredded
• 16 oz. Bag of Cheddar Shredded Cheese
• 20 oz. Pineapple Tidbits
• Sliced Black Olives
• 1 Bag of Limes
• 1 Red Onion, Diced
• 1 Jar of Hot Sauce
• Taco Sauce
• Spanish Rice
• 1 Can Diced Pineapple
• 16 oz. WHOLLY Avocado Diced
• 32 oz. Salsa
• 16 oz. Crema
• 1 lb. Guacamole
• 3 Bags of Tortilla Chips
• 10 oz. Diced Cherry Tomatoes
• 32 oz. Refried Beans
• 1 Bunch Cilantro, Chopped

Instructions

1. A day or two before the party, brown your ground beef and add 1 packet of taco seasoning for each pound of ground beef. Place the cooked and seasoned beef in a foil pan once cooked thoroughly.
2. Pour your black beans into a separate foil pan. Once the beans are heated thoroughly, add 1 packet of taco seasoning for each can of black beans and stir thoroughly.
3. Cook your rice and then add it to another foil pan. I used microwave rice and didn't need to heat it before pouring it directly in the pan. Pour your cooked rice into a pan (or if you use microwave rice as I did, pour it directly in the pan).
4. Wash and dice your tomatoes, limes, lettuce, cilantro, and onions and store them in individual containers in the refrigerator. I recommend placing them in glass bowls and covering them with saran wrap.
5. An hour before you want to serve the food, preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Place the beans, rice, and ground beef in the oven, covered for 30 minutes. Stir at the halfway mark through.
6. When there are 10 minutes remaining on the taco bases, pull out all of the taco bar ingredients and set them out with small serving spoons for each ingredient.
7. Don't forget to place the sauces out as well!
8. Enjoy tacos, nachos, and burritos!

Notes

Want to easily shop for your party? I have everything on THIS SHOPPING LIST. Just add them all to your cart and your ingredients can be picked up or delivered to your doorstep in hours.

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Source: https://www.appleslicesllc.com/taco-bar-for-a-party-affordable-easy-fun-party-recipe/