Taco ’bout a weekly staple! We LOVE Mexican food and flavors around here, and typically have various taco nights on the regular. Almost every Tuesday I add a Mexican-inspired meal to my weekly meal plan, and these ground beef tacos are a hit with everyone in my family. Leftovers can be used for taco salads, quesadillas or nachos during the week, but I doubt you’ll have any morsels of meat left.
I taught a Zoom cooking class about these tacos that you can watch on YouTube. You’ll get all the inside tips and tricks! To sign up for my cooking class newsletter, head to my cooking class page and scroll to the bottom to enter your email.
What is the best ground beef for tacos?
I typically use roughly 80% ground beef, but 90% will work too. Most meat departments label ground beef with percentages, which are a ratio of lean meat to fat. If you don’t see a percentage label, just look for ground chuck, round or sirloin. The higher the fat contact, the more crumbly the meat will be. More fat also means better flavor, sorry! You can drain any accumulated grease in the cooking process. Of course, I prefer to buy meat directly from a rancher, such as Five Marys Farms or Yonder Way. You can also look for purveyors at your local farmer’s market. Grass-fed organic is the way to go!
The secret (veggie) ingredient!
This is a hack I use for almost any ground beef-based recipe, such as meatloaf, bolognese or picadillo. Add about a cup of riced cauliflower to the pan after the meat has lost its raw red color. It will just disappear into the meat and get seasoned with the spice mix. More veggies, more healthy!
Can I use ground turkey?
Yes! If you do, definitely use dark meat ground turkey for better texture and flavor. White meat will work too, but the texture will be chunkier and it will turn out a little dry. You can also use ground pork or dark meat ground chicken!
How do you make taco seasoning?
It’s super easy to make your own homemade taco seasoning! Check out this post for instructions. Keep it in your pantry in a jar with a tight fitting lid and use as needed. I also like Siete brand taco seasoning or Simply Organic. Traditional store bought taco seasonings have an absurd amount of sodium, preservative and msg.
How much ground beef per taco?
Each taco shell or small soft taco-size tortilla fits about 2 ounces or 1/4 cup of meat. If you add diced onions, you could stretch a pound of ground beef to make about a dozen tacos. With just the meat and spices, you can make about 8 tacos from a pound of meat.
What are the best toppings for tacos?
This is such a personal preference, but I like to put out the world’s fair and let everyone go to town.
Refried or whole beans, either black beans or pinto beans
Grated cheese (Jack, Cheddar or Mexican blend)
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Avocado slices or guacamole
Pickled or fresh jalapeños
Pickled red onions
Salsa! Green, red, pico de gallo, you name it!
Sour Cream
Cilantro
Hot Sauce, such as Yellowbird or homemade La Taqueria sauce
Can you make tacos ahead of time?
Yes! Make the meat a couple days ahead if you’d like, then cool and store in an airtight container in your refrigerator. When it comes time to reheat, warm in a pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Add a couple tablespoons of water to help loosen up and moisten the meat at it warms.
What are the best tortillas for beef tacos?
We have a variety of soft tortillas on hand or in our freezer at any given time. Siete Cassava grain-free tortillas (for me), regular flour tortillas (for my son) or sometimes my youngest will make homemade corn tortillas. You can roll them out by hand in between two cut open sheets of plastic freezer bags, or make life easier and get a tortilla press. You can also use crunchy tortilla shells, we just opt for soft tacos most of the time!
How do you keep tortillas warm?
I usually warm tortillas individually in a cast iron pan, on a comal or flat griddle or directly on a low gas flame. Once you warm them up, keep them that way in a tortilla warmer. I have an unattractive plastic one, but I really want to replace it with this or this.
How can I make lower carb tacos?
Serve your taco meat in lettuce cups, jicama tortillas (literally just round slices of jicama sold packaged in some grocery stores, such as H-E-B) or almond flour Siete tortillas.
What sides should I serve with tacos?
Mexican rice, beans and a chopped romaine salad with either super simple salad dressing or jalapeño ranch!
Definitely make my La Taqueria hot sauce for taco night!
More Taco Tuesday Favorites!
Slow Cooker Carnitas
Fish Tacos
Skirt Steak Fajitas
Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote
Ground Beef Tacos
Servings: 6servings
Ingredients
1tablespoonavocado or olive oil
1/2yellow, white or red onion, dicedabout 1 cup
1poundground beef (or turkey, lamb, pork or chicken)
1tablespoontaco seasoninghomemade or store bought
1tablespoontomato paste
1cup chicken broth or water
10soft tortillas or hard taco shells
Toppings: sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, grated cheese, shredded lettuce, Pico de Gallo or salsa, avocado, cilantro, pickled jalapeños
Instructions
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil warms, add onion and cook until onion becomes translucent. Add ground meat and cook, breaking it up with the side of a spoon, just until meat is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in taco seasoning and tomato paste and stir to combine. Add broth or water and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid becomes thick and clings to the meat.
Divide meat mixture, lettuce, and cheese among taco shells and serve immediately with optional toppings.
Each taco shell or small soft taco-size tortilla fits about 2 ounces or 1/4 cup of meat. If you add diced onions, you could stretch a pound of ground beef to make about a dozen tacos. With just the meat and spices, you can make about 8 tacos from a pound of meat.
Just like breadcrumbs, whole or rolled oats can help stretch ground beef a little further in your favorite recipe. They mix easily in with the beef and won't be noticed once you cook the meat. Best of all, the oats are high in fiber so they can help make your meal more filling.
For instance, plan for about 3-4 ounces of ground beef taco meat per person, which means a pound of ground beef can feed roughly four people. Use a similar scale when shopping for other proteins, and remember, it's easier to have a little extra at the end of the party than to run out of food for your guests!
How to make big batch taco meat: This recipe scales by the pound. For every pound you use 2 Tablespoons of taco mix, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup water. 4 Pounds of meat uses 1/2 cup taco mix, 4 teaspoons salt, and 2 Cups of water.
Beef mince, steak, shredded chicken, pork, fish and even prawns are quick options. Enjoy a richer taco by using slow cooked beef or pulled pork. Don't forget to cook your meat with taco seasoning to get that Mexican spice rolling!
It's always a good idea to include something meaty, like ground beef, slow-cooked shredded chicken, or spicy shrimp. Saucy black beans or canned refried beans are also hearty options. Sautéed or grilled peppers and onions are a great vegetable-forward filling to include.
The calcium-rich properties of milk react with enzymes in the meat to gently soften the proteins. Whole milk (not reduced fat), buttermilk, and yogurt all get the job done – with a special nod to buttermilk and yogurt for their optimal tenderizing acidity levels.
Olive Oil: Olive oil offers a subtle, earthy undertone that complements the beef beautifully. I often use Clarified Butter in the place of olive oil. It adds richness and complexity to the overall flavor. Granulated Garlic: The ground spices are the secret to making the caramel color for the ground beef.
The sugar caramelizes in the heat, easily creating a brown crust that you might otherwise have had to wait twice as long for, during which time you'd risk overcooking the insides.
Brown your meat and add chopped onion and tomatoes and if you wanna spice it up thinly chopped Serrano peppers or fresh jalapeño peppers will give it a nice flavor boost. Then add your salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin if your wanting a taco flavor. Grind it yourself from a good cut of meat.
For More Tender Ground Meat, Grind It After Cooking Too
And it's easy enough to get: Just cook your meat with seasonings as you usually would, then cool the mixture and transfer it to a food processor. Pulse it together to your desired consistency and you'll have a much more tender and hom*ogenous filling.
However, by gently tossing a baking soda solution with the meat (about ¾ teaspoon baking soda to 2 tablespoons water for 2lbs of grind) and letting sit for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking, beef loses less liquid, browns faster and tastes better.
You generally allow 4oz mince per person when making hamburgers, plus onion and any other flavourings. In which case, you should get 8 hamburgers from 2lbs of mince.
Using a traditional 6-inch tortilla or traditional size hard taco shell, you can use about 2-3 tablespoons of taco meat per taco. That means that depending on how much you load up the ground beef tacos with other ingredients, one pound of beef could serve between 8 and 12 people.
If you're dishing up some ground beef for taco night, ¼ of a pound per person should be sufficient. You might want to consider ¾ of a pound for those with heartier appetites. A half a pound might not be enough. Similar thinking with children, who tend to have smaller appetites.
I figure about 15 pounds of meat per 100 people, but that may depend how hungry your guests are and what sides you serve at your party. You could think about steak too, but that could get pretty pricey depending on this size of your crowd! Taco meat ideas and recipes: ground beef taco meat.
Introduction: My name is Wyatt Volkman LLD, I am a handsome, rich, comfortable, lively, zealous, graceful, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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