Our Favorite Ground Beef Tacos

Name: Our Favorite Ground Beef Tacos
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 serving
Ingredients: 1 pound 85% to 93% lean ground beef; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper; 1 pint cherry tomatoes; ½ sweet onion; ¼ cup cilantro; ½ lime; pinch of salt and pepper; Corn or flour tortillas; hard shells or tortilla chips; sharp white Cheddar cheese; avocado; fresh cilantro; quick pickled onions

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5.0

2,052 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings
4
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American

Our Favorite Ground Beef Tacos

Kian Mendoza

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Weeknight ground beef tacos that are anything like the 90s! These are made with a homemade taco seasoning and served with the perfect toppings!

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Ingredients

Servings

1 pound 85% to 93% lean ground beef
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

quick pico

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ sweet onion, diced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
½ lime, juiced
pinch of salt and pepper

for serving

Corn or flour tortillas, warmed
hard shells or tortilla chips, if desired
sharp white Cheddar cheese, freshly grated
avocado, diced
fresh cilantro
quick pickled onions

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Instructions

Heat a skillet over medium heat. With ground beef, I rarely add any oil to the skillet because it tends to be fattier. If needed, you can add 1 teaspoon of olive oil (of your oil of preference). Once the skillet it hot, add the ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon.
Cook, stirring and breaking apart the beef often, until it begins to brown. Add in the cumin, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir well to disperse all the seasonings. Cook until the beef is just browned.
I love the seasoned beef like this – it’s a personal preference. If you’d like it saucier, follow the directions below. You can also add in a tablespoon of beef or vegetable stock, or even tomato sauce, to make it saucier.
Serve the ground beef in tacos (warm corn or flour tortillas in the oven for a few minutes), on nachos or in salads. We like to top ours with a quick pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, white cheddar cheese, diced avocado and pickled onions.
If you’d like to add peppers and onions: heat the skillet over medium heat and add 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Add in 1 diced onion, 1 diced bell pepper and a few minced garlic cloves with a pinch of salt. Toss well and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Proceed with browning the beef above!

For a saucier ground beef

I use a slurry to make my homemade ground beef saucy. Fill a shaker cup with ½ cup cold water or beef/vegetable stock. Add 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour, masa or whole wheat flour to the liquid and cover it. Shake for at least 30 seconds. With the skillet on low heat, slowly stream in the slurry while stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir often and cook over low for about 10 minutes.