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Easy Ground Beef Taco Meat Recipe

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Last updated on June 16th, 2022 at 04:09 pm

Simple yet versatile and delicious, this ground beef taco meat recipe can be paired with just about any kind of taco shell you want. Transform your tacos by learning how to make this easy ground beef taco meat. The homemade taco seasoning is a great way to add extra flavor to your tacos, burritos, or nachos.

I love making large batches of this early in the week and then using leftovers throughout the week in various meals. It keeps well in the fridge for around six days.

Ingredients set out for homemade taco seasoning and cooking the ground beef

Start with some quality ground beef. I ended up using some 85-15 ground beef from Costco and cooked up a few batches of taco meat. We then went on to use it in about 5 separate meals.

Serve this in tacos alongside some Mexican rice, elotes (grilled Mexican street corn), and frozen mint lemonade for a complete meal that will please the palate.

The Best Taco Seasoning for Tacos without Added Sugar or Corn Syrup

After browning the ground beef, it is time to start adding in some seasoning and flavor.

Many premade taco seasoning mixes contain some form of added sugar. Sugar is relatively cheap and used as a preservative, flavor enhancer, and to prevent the spices from clumping. The good news is that you can make your own taco seasoning mix without any added sugars.

Close-up spoonful of cooked ground beef flavored with taco seasoning

And, in my opinion, seasoning taco meat with your own mix of spices and ingredients will taste better than any store-bought one. I’ve put together the best taco seasoning recipe for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and more.

Garlic, paprika, cumin, chili powder, Mexican oregano, salt, and pepper, combine with the beef and a few tablespoons of tomato paste. If you don’t have access to Mexican oregano, then regular oregano can be a good substitute. What most of us typically refer to as simply oregano is a Mediterranean/Italian herb. Mexican oregano comes from Mexico and Central America. They have slightly different flavors with Mexican oregano having more citrus-like notes.

How to Use This Taco Meat Recipe

Well, the most obvious use case for ground beef taco meat would be in tacos.

Get some taco shells or tortillas and then start layering in the flavored goodness. Start with this ground beef taco meat and then add in salsa, sour cream, cilantro, guacamole, chipotle crema, refried beans, nacho cheese, shredded cheese, and shredded lettuce.

And if you decide to roll this up in a burrito, make sure to check out how to fold a burrito for the best tips.

Tip – use some herb scissors on washed lettuce to easily make homemade shredded lettuce. I would also highly recommend pairing your tacos with Cholula hot sauce. It is my favorite. Just enough heat, with a ton of extra flavor.

Making hard shell tacos with this ground beef taco recipe

But you can also make use of this taco meat recipe in any of the following meals:

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out ground beef taco meat! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Easy Ground Beef Taco Meat

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Dinner, LunchDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

30

minutes

This quick and easy ground beef taco meat recipe can be cooked up and served in tacos, burritos, nachos, tostada, or taco salad

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika

  • 1/2 tablespoon cumin

  • 1/2 tablespoon chili powder

  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

  • 1 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

  • In a frying pan over medium heat, brown the ground beef using the vegetable oil for about 7 to 10 minutes
  • Once the beef is browned, use a turkey baster, large spoon, or measuring cup to drain most of the excess liquid from the beef – leave a few tablespoons to help the seasonings mix in
  • Add in all remaining ingredients and mix it all together
  • Heat everything in the frying over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until the beef is fully cooked through and thoroughly mixed in with the seasonings
  • Serve the ground beef taco meat with taco shells and toppings or another preferred meal

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