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Ground beef tacos are one of my quick and easy go-to dinners that everyone loves! Juicy, flavorful taco meat is seasoned with a homemade taco seasoning and your favorite jarred salsa. Serve it in tortillas or taco shells with all your favorite toppings!
If you love southwest and Mexican meals that use ground beef, try my Mexican ground beef and potatoes, ground beef enchilada skillet, and ground beef potato casserole.
Why You’ll Love Ground Beef Tacos
Quick and Easy – Dinners that can be on the table in 30 minutes or less are my kind of meal, especially on busy weeknights. Making these ground beef tacos is so simple! There’s minimal prep work and everything cooks in one skillet. The taco meat can also be made ahead of time and it freezes well!
Inexpensive – The cost of groceries is wild right now, so inexpensive dinners are always appreciated. The majority of the ingredients in this recipe are pantry ingredients and ones you likely already have on hand.
Family Dinner – Taco nights were always a favorite when I was growing up and even to this day I find myself making them almost every week. The homemade taco seasoning isn’t spicy and depending on what salsa you use, you can make them as spicy or mild as your family likes.
Ingredients Notes
Ground beef – Lean ground beef is recommended for these tacos. I like to use 93/7 lean ground beef so it isn’t too greasy.
Onion – Yellow onion or white onion can be used. Keep the dice of the onion fairly small so you aren’t biting into any big chunks.
Chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder – My homemade taco seasoning blend has the perfect blend of earthy, smoky, and garlic flavors. Be sure the chili powder you are using is mild or the filling will be too spicy.
Cilantro – Adds a fresh element to the taco filling. Omit if you don’t like cilantro.
Salsa – For extra flavor and moisture, I like to add in a 1/2 cup of salsa. A lot of recipes call for tomato sauce, but salsa has so much more flavor!
Tortillas – Corn tortillas, flour tortillas, or hard taco shells can all be used depending on what you’re in the mood for.
Tips for Making Ground Beef Tacos
- Add a little olive oil to the skillet to ensure the ground beef browns nicely. Once the beef is crumbled let it cook untouched for a couple minutes, which also helps with browning.
- Drain any excess grease from the skillet so the taco meat isn’t greasy.
- Make a double batch of the taco filling and freeze half of it for dinner some other night when you don’t have time to cook.
- Warm the tortillas before serving. If you have a gas stove place the tortilla on top of the burner for a 15-30 seconds and flip it over and repeat to give them a nice char.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap ground beef with ground chicken or make my ground turkey tacos.
- Add veggies such as corn or zucchini.
- Add in a can of black beans for fiber and extra protein. Drain and rinse them before adding them in.
- Once the taco meat is cooked, squeeze in the juice of half of a lime for a fresh, citrusy finish.
Toppings for Tacos
There are so many choices when it comes to what to top your tacos with. Honestly anything goes, but here are some of my top choices.
- Cheese – Shredded cheddar cheese, colby jack, or monterey jack are great. For a crumbly, salty cheese try cotija or queso fresco.
- Lettuce – Romaine or iceberg lettuce are best.
- Avocado chunks or guacamole. Try my green chile guacamole.
- Salsa – Use your favorite jarred salsa or make a batch of my pico de gallo or black bean and corn salsa.
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Tomatoes and red onion
What to Serve with Ground Beef Tacos
A couple of my favorite side dishes to serve with tacos are cilantro lime rice or black beans and rice.
This Mexican street corn salad not only goes great with tacos, but it doubles as a delicious taco topping!
Storage
The leftover beef taco filling will keep for 4-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Reheating – Reheat the taco filling in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat until it’s warmed through.
Freezing – Ground beef taco filling freezes great! Let it cool and then store it in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat using one of the methods listed above.
More Delicious Taco Recipes
If you make these Ground Beef Tacos, please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you and do my best to respond to your comments. And if you’re on Instagram tag @reciperunner so I can see your beautiful creations!
Ground Beef Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 8 corn tortillas
- cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, avocado for toppings
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle in a little olive oil and then add in the ground beef. Crumble the ground beef and then add in the onion.
- Let it cook for a couple minutes before stirring so that it browns nicely. Continue to cook until the onion has softened and the beef is nearly cooked through.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add in the dried spices, salt, cilantro, and salsa. Stir everything together until combined. If it looks a little dry, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of water. Continue to cook until the sauce thickens, 3-5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
- Serve in warm tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looks good. We will try. We enjoy your recipes. Wondering what kind of salsa?
I use Whole Foods salsa verde. I think they renamed it roasted tomatillo salsa.
Thanks! Will probably go with a red though.