Quick And Easy Ground Beef Meat for Tacos Recipe
This kid-friendly Easy Ground Beef for Tacos isn’t just for tacos. This super versatile ground beef recipe, made with simple ingredients, is perfect for filling tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, empanadas, etc. No store-bought taco seasoning is needed and it’s ready and just 20 minutes! PRO TIP: Double (or even triple!) this recipe and use it to meal prep for meals for the whole week or freeze to use those days that you don’t have time to cook but still want something delicious and satisfying. Easy Eggless Meatloaf, Bolognese Sauce, and Easy Shepherd’s Pie are some of my favorite recipes that use ground beef. If you’ve got extra beef, then try these recipes.
HOW TO MAKE TACO MEAT
Detailed instructions are included in the printable recipe below (scroll down).
Ground beef — 90-10% lean ground beef is ideal. Onion — finely diced Garlic cloves — minced Chili powder — be sure to use American chili powder and not chile powder. Paprika Cumin Dried oregano Cayenne pepper — or black pepper if you don’t like the heat. Tomato paste Beef broth Kosher salt to taste Cilantro leaves
1 – BROWN THE BEEF
Heat a skillet (preferably nonstick) over high heat. When hot, place meat in the skillet and cook, using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula to break up the ground beef into equal-size pieces as it cooks, until no longer pink.
2 — ADD THE AROMATICS
Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 2 -3 minutes.
3 — ADD THE SEASONING
Add paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, tomato paste, and beef broth. Mix until everything is well combined. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and cook for 5 -8 minutes, or until most of the liquid is evaporated. Taste and add more salt if necessary
4 — GARNISH AND ENJOY
Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired, and use to fill tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, empanadas, etc.
WHAT SPICES ARE IN TACO MEAT
Skip the packet seasoning! Seasoning meat for tacos is truly simple: onion, garlic, chili powder, paprika cumin, oregano, plus optional cayenne pepper for a kick of heat. If you are looking for a spicy taco blend check out my Homemade Spicy Taco Seasoning recipe.
HOW MUCH TACO MEAT DO YOU NEED PER PERSON?
Two pounds of ground beef makes for around 8 servings/people with each serving being around 2-3 tacos.
HOW CAN I USE THIS GROUND MEAT RECIPE?
This Easy Ground Beef is perfect to fill tacos, tostadas, burritos, quesadillas, empanadas, and much more…
STORING
You can make extra to enjoy throughout the week or freeze it for later. Here’s how to store leftover taco meats!
LEFTOVERS
To store leftover taco meat, let the meat cool then place leftover ground beef into an airtight container and refrigerate for up 3 days.
FREEZER
To freeze taco meat, let the meat cool then place leftover ground beef into an airtight container or a freezer Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Make sure is well sealed to avoid freezer burn on frozen taco meat.
REHEAT
When it comes time to use your ground beef, you can defrost in the microwave or in the refrigerator overnight. To warm it up, drizzle a couple of tablespoons of beef broth over the meat, place it in a skillet over medium-low heat, cover and heat to your liking.
Recipe originally posted in May 2019, post content edited to add more helpful information, no change to the recipe in July 2021.
