This is how I make our favorite seasoned ground beef tacos with homemade taco seasoning on a weeknight in less than 15 minutes. This flavorful, easy, best ground beef taco meat is a quick dinner recipe for busy weeknights, and always a hit with the family!
- Easy Weeknight Ground Beef Taco Meat
- What ground beef is best for tacos?
- How much taco meat do you need per person?
- What spices are in taco seasoning?
- How to make taco meat for ground beef tacos
- Basic Ground Beef Taco Meat Variations
- Double Decker Tacos
- More of our Go-To, Easy Weeknight Meals
- Easy Weeknight Taco Meat Recipe
Easy Weeknight Ground Beef Taco Meat
Ground beef tacos have always been one of my favorite dinners.
They aren’t impressive or fancy, but they are so satisfying and everybody loves them. I find that I never get tired of tacos!
We like to serve them with lots of thinly sliced iceberg lettuce and freshly shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole , maybe chopped red or green onions, and hard shell and soft shell flour tortillas. Sometimes pico de gallo and cilantro.
Basic, I know, but honestly, sometimes basic is just the best. Besides, it gives the deliciously seasoned ground beef taco meat a chance to really shine. Tacos are a go-to menu item for weeknights when I don’t really want to cook or didn’t plan ahead. I almost always have hamburger in the freezer that can be defrosted and turned into tacos in less than 15 minutes.
Perfect for weeknight tacos, taco salad , or on super nachos.
What ground beef is best for tacos?
I don’t like to use ground beef that is too lean for tacos. I think the best ground beef for taco meat is 80/20 lean, maybe 85/15 max.
The higher fat content gives much better flavor to the taco meat and helps it stay juicy. And you will drain the grease off the ground beef prior to adding the spices in the homemade taco seasoning.
You can use 90/10 ground beef, but I don’t find the taco meat to be as flavorful and good.
How much taco meat do you need per person?
If you are thinking about making taco meat for a crowd, this recipe can easily be multiplied for large groups. One batch makes enough for 8 tacos, as written, which is perfect for our family of four.
What spices are in taco seasoning?
- chili powder
- cumin
- coriander
- oregano
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- smoked paprika
- crushed red pepper
- chipotle chili powder
- salt
- black pepper
How to make taco meat for ground beef tacos
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat until it is browned. Drain the grease.
- Add the spices, tomato paste, and water, stirring to combine. Decrease the heat to low and cover with a lid, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve with tortillas and your favorite taco fixings.
Another nice thing about this weeknight taco meat is that it is actually a dish that is easy for your kids to help with, as long as they are old enough to be safe around the stove.
My girls LOVE measuring things for me and that’s basically what goes into preparing taco meat. And I remember being tasked with browning hamburger meat for tacos many, many times as a kid since I was the oldest girl in a family of seven.
Clara can make these if I’m standing next to her prepping tomatoes and cheese and other taco fixings. She stirs and watches the meat turn from pink to brown and adds in the seasonings. It gives us time to work together side-by-side, which is always a good thing.
Basic Ground Beef Taco Meat Variations
- Add half of a diced onion, a clove or two of minced garlic, or a chopped bell pepper to the pan with the ground beef before browning and saute them together.
- Mix in a can of drained black beans to stretch the taco meat a little farther.
- Add ½ teaspoon of cornstarch with the taco seasoning for a slightly saucier taco meat.
- You can switch out the ground beef for ground turkey if you are looking for a healthier option.
Double Decker Tacos
One of our favorite things to do with this easy taco meat is to make double decker tacos.
That’s where you spread refried beans on a flour tortilla, then lay a hard shell taco on top of the beans and fold the flour tortilla over it and fill the hard shell like normal with shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream. They are the BEST!
More of our Go-To, Easy Weeknight Meals
- Grilled Thai Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Lime Peanut Sauce
- Creamy Apple Cider Chicken Skillet
- Meatloaf Hamburger Patties
- Best Beef Kabob Marinade
- And see all of my DINNER RECIPES here!
One Pot & Sheet Pan Meals
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Pasta
One Pot Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
Chicken & Poultry
Stove Top Chicken Thighs
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Easy Weeknight Taco Meat
Ingredients123
- ▢ 1 lb ground beef
- ▢ 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- ▢ 1/2 cup water
Taco Seasoning
- ▢ 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
- ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium heat, brown the ground beef. Drain excess fat. 1 lb ground beef
- Add tomato paste, water and all the spices to the ground beef. Stir to mix them together, and bring to a simmer. 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, ½ cup water, 1 Tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper, ⅛ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- Cover and simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat and use for tacos, nachos, or taco salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Easy Weeknight Taco Meat
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
Taco Seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium heat, brown the ground beef. Drain excess fat. 1 lb ground beef
- Add tomato paste, water and all the spices to the ground beef. Stir to mix them together, and bring to a simmer. 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 1/2 cup water, 1 Tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- Cover and simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat and use for tacos, nachos, or taco salad.
Notes
Nutrition
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