When your feeding a crowd, one of the easiest things to put together that everyone is sure to love, is a taco bar. Tacos are a crowd pleaser for any occasion, and easy to make for a large group. It’s one of my favorite things to serve when I have guests with different dietary needs since guests can put whatever toppings that suit them and is super easy to put together.
Taco Bar: Tacos, Rice Bowls or Salads
If you have guests who are more health conscious, vegetarian or maybe have a gluten allergy, it’s a great idea to offer other base options then just putting out tacos or tortillas. By putting out greens and dressing (green goddess avocado dressing?) guests can opt in for making their own taco salad. Another option is having large lettuce leaves like bib lettuce so people can use that as a taco shell or tortilla replacement. If you have others that maybe prefer a less messy or maybe are avoiding gluten, putting out rice lets guests make taco rice bowls. If you offer something like Spanish rice, it would make a good base or a great side dish.
Taco Meat
There are tons of great meat options for putting out a taco bar. Whatever meat you choose I highly recommend cooking it in your crockpot or an instant pot or at transferring it afterwards to one to keep warm. This makes it so you can cook your meat in advance and have it ready for guests as they pick or go up for seconds without fear of getting cold. You can stick to the traditional with ground beef. You could slow cook beef chuck until tender and shred. Shredded chicken is a great leaner option, again great for the crockpot. I really like this instant pot Shredded Mexican Chicken recipe. I also love things like broiled lime shrimp or fish. One of my favorites is shredded pork shoulder. You can get a large pork shoulder that will feed a crowd really inexpensively.
Easy Carne Asade Shredded Pork
I like to make perfectly tender pork shoulder using my instant pot and the Taste of Inspirations Carne Asada marinde. I purchased this marinade at my local Stop and Shop Grocery. You could cook this in your crockpot as well by following all the prep directions and cooking on low for 8 hours instead of using the instant pot.
I cut up a pork shoulder (about 8lbs) into about 2” chunks. If your pork butt is bone in you will have to cut around the bone. If your making a lot, most butchers even at your regular grocery store will cut it up for you. Then place the pork in your instant pot and coat generously but not completely submerged in the marinade (about a 3/4 cup). Add about 1/2 cup of chicken stock or water, seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes and let naturally release for another 20 minutes. Quick release (changing the knob to vent) any additional pressure and remove lid when pressure gauge is down and shred the pork with two forks in the sauce. Serve on warm setting with fixings.
Taco Bar Fixings
There are endless possibilities on toppings for tacos. Only a few are really needed depending on the style of tacos you are going for but you can go crazy and offer a ton as well. Here are a few of my favorite toppings and fixings. My favorites are avocado, pickled onion, lime wedges, fresh salsa, sour cream, cabbage slaw (Dole has a great kit you can buy in most grocery produce sections), and cilantro. You can also do things like guacamole instead of avocado, shredded cheese, crumbled cotija or feta cheese, plain shredded cabbage, and re fried beans. Other ideas are diced tomatoes, green chiles, jalapeños, or roasted veggies.
Keep Hot Things Hot and Cold things Cold
I mentioned earlier about keeping meat warm in crockpots or pressure cookers. If you are serving warm refried beans you can use a smaller crockpot meant for dips to keep them warm. If you are leaving things out awhile, it’s a good idea to keep cold things cold as well. Especially in an outdoor setting where it may be warmer. For cold things they have condiment containers just for this purpose with ice underneath or you can do like I have here placing condiment bowls in a tray of ice.
Taco Bar Sides
Putting out extra additions like Spanish rice and a salad are perfect for creating different taco options as I mentioned earlier like taco salads and rice bowls. They are also great side options for people making traditional style tacos. You could make a corn salad ahead of time and put out as another great side to a taco bar. Refried beans are also a good side as well as a taco filling. I think a jalapeno cornbread would also make a delicious side to a taco bar.
I hope this gave you a ton of inspiration for making your own taco bar at your next party as an easy and delicious way to feed a crowd. Check out the menu page for other make ahead bar style menus for every gathering.
-Ashley Dwyer