Ground Beef Tacos
Taco night with a homemade seasoning blend, saucy ground beef simmered with a little tomato, and crispy shells or warm tortillas.
- Everyday Classics
- Cast iron / Dutch oven
- Beef
- Dinner
- 30 min total
- Serves 4
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 4. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
Seasoning
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Beef
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 lb ground beef, 85/15
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2/3 cup water
To serve
- 12 taco shells or small flour tortillas
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup salsa
Steps
Step 1: Mix all the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl.
Step 2: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the beef and onion and break up the meat into small crumbles. Cook 7 to 8 minutes until browned. Drain off extra grease.
Step 3: Stir in the seasoning and tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
Step 4: Add the water, bring to a simmer, and cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the liquid thickens and coats the meat.
Step 5: Warm the taco shells in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes, or char tortillas in a dry skillet 20 seconds per side.
Step 6: Fill with beef and top with cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and salsa.
Swaps
- Packet: Use 1 store-bought taco seasoning packet instead of the homemade blend.
- Meat: Ground turkey or chicken; add an extra teaspoon of oil.
- Beans: Stir in a can of drained black beans to stretch the meat.
Tips
- Make a big jar of the seasoning blend (without the cornstarch) to keep on hand.
- The cornstarch is what makes the meat saucy instead of dry and crumbly.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Taco night isn’t a meal. It’s a lifestyle. Everybody builds their own, everybody’s happy, and the dishwasher is the only one who complains.
Homemade seasoning takes about two minutes and beats the packet because you control the salt and the heat. The tiny bit of cornstarch is the same trick the packets use. It thickens the water into a light sauce that coats every bit of meat, so you get juicy, saucy taco filling instead of dry crumbles rolling out of the shell. Tomato paste deepens the flavor and gives it a rich red color.
Pro move: warm your shells. A cold shell cracks the second you look at it. A warm one is a little more flexible and tastes toasty. You’ll still lose half your filling onto the plate. That’s just tacos.
HAM out.
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