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The Best Taco Meat Recipe

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With less than 10 ingredients and just one skillet, you can make delicious taco meat in about 15 minutes using homemade taco seasoning! It’s quick, easy, and best of all – DELICIOUS!

Ingredients

Units Scale

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add onion along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
  3. Add ground beef, and cook, crumbling with a spatula until browned and cooked through.
  4. Add taco seasoning, tomato paste, and water. Stir until well combined.
  5. Turn heat to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occaisonally. 
  6. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

  • Customize the seasoning to suit your family’s taste! If you prefer your taco meat a little spicier, add in a pinch of cayenne pepper or some red pepper flakes. If you like a more earthy flavor, add a few extra pinches of cumin. If you like it smoky, try adding ancho chili powder or smoked paprika.
  • I don’t drain the grease from my ground beef. Remember that fat equals flavor and fat doesn’t make you fat! I like to use an 85/15 ground beef and it comes out delicious and not greasy at all! If you’re using meat with a higher fat content, you may need to drain the grease off at some point just to make sure the meat is actually browning and not just boiling.
  • Add more water as needed. Depending on the fat content of your ground beef and what kind of pan you’re using, you may need to add a bit more water to keep the meat from drying out, burning, or sticking to the pan.
  • Although the meat may look like it’s done after you’ve stirred in the taco seasoning, tomato paste, and water it’s important to simmer the meat for 3-5 more minutes so that the tomato paste has time to cook through. Tomato paste has a bit of a raw flavor before it’s cooked and it will develop a very deep flavor as it cooks. So don’t hurry the meat and give it plenty of time to simmer with the tomato paste and spices.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/taco-meat-recipe/