Ground Beef Taco Recipe
A simple, flavorful ground beef taco recipe made with a homemade seasoning blend, ready in under 20 minutes for an easy weeknight taco night
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Wooden spoon
- small bowl
Ingredients
Taco Meat
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup water or beef broth
For Serving
- 8 small taco shells or tortillas
- Shredded cheese
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced tomato
- Sour cream
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Brown the Beef
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef and diced onion, breaking the beef apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the beef is fully browned and the onion has softened, then drain any excess grease from the pan.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
Season the Meat
- Sprinkle the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne if using, and salt evenly over the beef, stirring to coat everything evenly in the spice blend.
- Pour in the water or beef broth, stirring to combine, and let the mixture simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the liquid has mostly reduced and the seasoning clings to the beef in a thick, flavorful coating rather than looking watery.
Assemble the Tacos
- While the beef finishes simmering, warm the tortillas or taco shells according to the package instructions, or warm tortillas in a dry skillet for about 20-30 seconds per side until soft and pliable.
- Divide the seasoned beef evenly among the tortillas, then top with shredded cheese, lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream, and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
- Draining the excess grease after browning the beef helps keep the finished tacos from tasting greasy, especially once the seasoning and toppings are added.
- Letting the seasoned beef simmer with the liquid for the full few minutes is what gives it that thick, well-coated texture, rather than a watery, loosely seasoned filling.
- This homemade seasoning blend can easily be doubled or tripled and stored in an airtight container for future taco nights, saving you a step next time.
- If you prefer a milder taco meat recipe ground beef style, simply reduce or omit the cayenne pepper without affecting the rest of the flavor balance.
- Leftover taco meat keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheats easily in a skillet with a small splash of water to loosen it back up