Transform Basic Breakfast Tacos With This Sausage Smash Trick You'll Never Stop Using

With something like a breakfast taco, it may seem like there should be just one basic form: A warm tortilla wrapped around morning standards like eggs, bacon, sausage, and cheese. Breakfast tacos made standard are fine, to be sure, but there's a simple way they can be much better. Following the viral internet trend of smashburger tacos, the same technique can be applied to the first meal of the day by replacing the ground beef with breakfast sausage.

For those not chronically online, the smashburger taco social media trend involved smushing a thin layer of meat against the entirety of one side of a tortilla and then cooking it meat-side-down in a pan. As it cooks, the meat adheres to the tortilla, creating a taco with perfect meat coverage. Whatever else gets stuffed in the middle, you can be certain that there will be an even layer of meat in every bite. Just as with ground beef tacos, so too does this technique work with breakfast sausage or chorizo in the morning — and it might be even more useful with these.

While many varieties of dinner tacos are meat-forward, when it comes to breakfast, the addition of ingredients like scrambled eggs and potatoes can make the meat distribution more precarious. Taking a bite of a chorizo breakfast taco and getting all eggs isn't the worst, but it is something of a disappointment. If the meat is cooked right into the tortilla, though, you know that every bit of egg or potato will come accompanied by the rich flavor of the sausage as well.

There is, of course, more to a perfect breakfast taco than just nailing the distribution of sausage. Every component matters, including the tortilla itself. This technique works with tortillas made from either flour or corn, but, in general, corn tortillas hold up better with hearty breakfast tacos. Corn tortillas operate best when cooked briefly, so after the meat is cooked, flip it back onto the tortilla side and allow it to cook for a minute as well. After that, stuff in some soft, fluffy scrambled eggs along with fried potatoes or chunks of avocado before topping it with a delicious salsa recipe.

For those that don't eat meat, there is still another way to use this technique. Instead of sticking meat to the tortilla, drop some cheese directly into a pan and let it melt there. When the cheese is molten (and the bottom lightly crisped), set the tortilla on top and flip it over. The cheese will stick to the tortilla, giving it a crisp and gooey quesadilla effect while adding tons of flavor and texture to your vegetarian breakfast tacos.

Once you try this breakfast taco hack, you'll never go back. Easy cooking and even meat (or cheese) distribution make a perfect taco every time. The technique, though, can extend to other meals and cuisines as well. The viral smashburger tacos are one example, but it works equally well with other recipes. Smash ground pork and shrimp into the tortilla for Asian-inspired dumpling-style take or use seasoned lamb for something more akin to a Greek gyro. Breakfast first, but lunch and dinner too — these smashed tacos are always a winner.