Ground Beef Tacos
A house standby seasoned ground beef for your taco fix!
We have been infatuated with tacos since we were a little kid. We're not sure when we started loving them so much, but they were always our food of choice if we were at the mall and eating at the food court, or if we got to pick what we had for dinner on any given night. Tacos. Always tacos.
The weekend after Christmas, we had a feeling that everyone was pretty much over big, heavy holiday meals, so when we planned Sunday dinner, we spied ground beef that needed to be used up and thought a simple taco bar would be reliable. We keep a jar of from-scratch taco seasoning in our pantry for speedy taco nights, but we had just gone through some recipe binders and saw this recipe for ground beef tacos, so we decided to give it a try.
Everyone said that they were a standby tacos they’d ever had, so the recipe was a total win!
This recipe takes a little bit more time than just throwing some taco seasoning mix into the pan with ground beef, but not all that much more, and for the crazy amount of flavor that you get, it’s totally worth it! We love the addition of coriander, which isn’t something we normally include in our seasoning mix, but it adds to the characteristic Mexican flavor.
Many of you have asked for some Whole30 recipes since we're doing it again this month. We loved this taco meat so much that last week we made a double batch (minus the vinegar and brown sugar) to keep in the refrigerator. Our husband loved it in his scrambled eggs in the morning and with roasted vegetables, and we ate it with a sweet potato for our lunches (we'd cut the potato in half, mash it up and add the meat for a “stuffed” potato). Rich and so straightforward to mix.
Whether you’re looking to make traditional tacos or would like a spiced up beef option for other meals, this taco meat is a house standby recipe!
One year ago: Banana Muffins
Four years ago: New England Clam Chowder
Five years ago: Peanut Butter Cup Bars
Six years ago: Maple-Oatmeal Scones
Ground Beef Tacos
Yield: 4 servings A house standby seasoned ground beef for your taco fix!- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 pound (453.59 g) ground beef
- ½ cup (122.5 g) tomato sauce
- ½ cup (117.5 ml) chicken broth or stock
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- Black pepper, to taste
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne and salt; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, vinegar and brown sugar, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until the liquid has reduced and thickened (the mixture should not be completely dry), about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Assemble hard or soft tacos as you'd like, with toppings such as shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, etc. Leftover taco meat can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one serving
- Yield: 4 servings
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: 25 minutes
- Total: 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) salt
- 1 pound ( 453.59 g ) ground beef
- ½ cup ( 122.5 g ) tomato sauce
- ½ cup ( 117.5 ml ) chicken broth or stock
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- Black pepper, to taste
Method
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne and salt; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, vinegar and brown sugar, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until the liquid has reduced and thickened (the mixture should not be completely dry), about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Assemble hard or soft tacos as you'd like, with toppings such as shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, etc. Leftover taco meat can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
