The Easiest Ground Beef Tacos
Ground beef tacos are a quick and easy meal that takes just 15 minutes to make! With a few simple ingredients, this dinner recipe is great for feeding a crowd and is delicious and carb smart.
This is your basic ground beef taco recipe using a homemade taco seasoning mix that I always have on hand! I grew up with my mom making this quick and easy dinner staple every other week or so. And any night that I’m low on recipe ideas, I can whip this one up in a jiffy!
I also love to double or triple this recipe when I’m having company over, because a taco bar is a perfect crowd pleaser. People can choose their preferred toppings and everyone always loves it.
Does your family love ground beef recipes as much as my family does? If so, you will love these Classic Lasagna, Classic Chili or Super-Easy Cowboy Stew recipes!
What Ingredients are Needed for Tacos?
- Olive Oil: drizzle a little bit in the pan before sautéing the meat for a better browning experience
- Minced Garlic: Add a teaspoon of fresh minced garlic (or from a jar) to the meat before cooking for a more robust flavor.
- Ground Beef: I like to use a 80-90% lean ground beef for tacos. And I drain off any fat that cooks off, but it’s not much! You could also use ground turkey for a leaner meal.
- Taco Seasonings: It really doesn’t take long to make your own taco seasoning and you’ll be assured there are no unwanted additional additives or ingredients. We love the traditional seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper!
- Toppings: We love to add anything like shredded cheese, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, lettuce, onion, sour cream, rice or black beans to our tacos.
- Tortillas: It’s a matter of preference, but I prefer a corn tortilla when I’m pilling on the toppings, or a corn tortilla when I’m just doing cilantro and onion.
- Tomato Sauce: I don’t normally use tomato sauce in my taco meat, but you can if you want a saucier consistency. Add a 1/2 cup of tomato sauce for every 1 lbs. of ground beef.
Sides to Pair with Tacos
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Queso Dip
- Tortilla Chips
- Rice
- Black Beans or Pinto Beans
How to Make Tacos with Ground Beef Filling
- Heat a large pan on medium high and drizzle a little bit of olive oil in the pan.
- Add ground beef to the pan and break it up with a spatula or ground meat chopper.
- Sauté until the meat is brown and there’s no more pink.
- Pour off any fat that is still in the pan. If you use a 90% lean ground beef, there probably won’t be much fat to drain, so maybe just pat with a paper towel.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of Taco seasoning per 1 lbs. of ground beef.
- Add enough water to halfway cover the ground beef in the pan.
- Simmer on medium-low until the water has cooked out and the meat is saucy, but not runny.
- Serve on flour tortillas or taco shells with the toppings of your choice.
Can you Freeze Ground Beef Taco Meat?
Yes! You can absolutely free ground beef taco meat. I’ve done it plenty of times. You’ll follow the instructions for cooking the ground beef below, then let it cool for about 20 minutes, and place it in your freezer in a gallon freezer bag or container.
Batch Cook: It’s a great idea to batch cook multiple pounds of taco meat to freeze. Then portion out whatever your family will eat for a meal and you have an even easier weeknight dinner ready to go!
Freeze: Place portions in gallon freezer bags or a container to keep in the freezer until you’re ready to eat! You could also use this in taco soup!
Reheat: When it comes time to use the taco meat, warm it up in the saucepan with a splash or two of water to keep it from being too dry. Or you can microwave it, too.
MORE GRANDMA-APPROVED RECIPES TO TRY
If you enjoyed this recipe for taco seasoning, take a look at some of these other yummy recipes:
- Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole
- Classic Homemade Lasagna
- How To Make Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Beef Enchiladas with Cheese Sauce
What are your favorite toppings to pair with ground beef tacos? I’d love to hear about your favorites in the comments below!
The Easiest Ground Beef Tacos
Equipment
- large sauce pan
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 lbs. ground beef
- 2 Tbsp. homemade taco seasoning
- toppings of your choice example: shredded cheese, lettuce, olives, avocado, sour cream, etc.
- tortillas
If you don't have homemade taco seasoning on hand, use the following:
- 2 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large pan on medium high and drizzle a little bit of olive oil in the pan.
- Add ground beef to the pan and break it up with a spatula or ground meat chopper.
- Sauté until the meat is brown and there's no more pink. Pour off any fat that is still in the pan. (If you use a 90% lean ground beef, there probably won't be much fat to drain, so maybe just pat with a paper towel.)
- Add 2 Tablespoons of Taco seasoning per 1 lbs. of ground beef.
- Add enough water to halfway cover the ground beef in the pan.
- Simmer on medium-low until the water has cooked out and the meat is saucy, but not runny.
- Serve on flour tortillas or taco shells with the toppings of your choice.
