Description
Quick and easy ground beef taco meat is Taco Tuesday perfect! Make it in bulk and always have some premade in the freezer or make just enough to save dinner on a busy weeknight. This delicious ground beef mixture is scrumptious in so much more than just tacos. Loved by all ages!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef (85/15 ratio), browned and drained
- 1/3 cup homemade taco seasoning [or two store-bought packets]
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato paste
Instructions
- Brown and Drain the Ground Beef. Add the ground beef to a cast iron or stainless steel skillet and cook. Break it apart as it cooks until you have mostly evenly-sized crumbles. Continue cooking until no pink remains. (I don’t add salt at this time. My homemade taco seasoning contains salt. Most commercial brands will, too. Plus, the tomato sauce is canned with salt. Add salt and pepper at the very end, if needed.)
- To make the meat mixture for tacos, combine the cooked ground beef with my homemade taco seasoning (or store-bought if that’s all you have), tomato paste and water. Heat and stir over medium heat for five minutes to combine the flavors and roast off the tomato sauce and seasoning.
- Serve in ground beef tacos or any of your favorite Mexican recipes.
Notes
How to Stretch the Ground Beef Taco Meat to Go Further & Be Even More Affordable:
1. Add veggies. Saute finely minced onions, garlic, mushrooms, jalapenos, bell peppers, zucchini, celery, or even carrots in the skillet with the ground beef. The veggies will bulk up your mixture, plus add flavor, nutrition and juiciness to your taco meat.
2. Add beans. Black beans, pinto beans, lentils or refried beans are great additions to this delicious ground beef taco meat and will add bulk, fiber and even more nutrients.
3. Add cooked brown rice. Rice not only bulks up the recipe but also adds fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein. If you have some leftover Easy 10-Minute Mexican Rice (or want to make it special), it will be great in this mixture, too.
*IMPORTANT CHEF’S NOTE: When adding additional “bulk” to the recipe, add extra taco seasoning, tomato paste and water to accommodate whatever additional ingredients you include.
Storing:
Ground beef taco meat will keep 3-4 days when sealed in an airtight container in the fridge or 3 to 4 months in the freezer when sealed in a freezer-safe airtight container.
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Dish, Beef
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican-American