Ground Beef Tacos

Ground beef tacos make for a tasty, satisfying meal. They combine savory meat with a delightful mix of spices and textures. Adding black beans enhances their flavor with a healthy twist. Fresh toppings and warm tortillas complete this versatile and crowd-pleasing option.

I make a few recipes weekly, or at least we always have them in the refrigerator or freezer. This is one of those recipes. I make this recipe, and since only two of us are in the household, I vacuum-seal half of it and freeze it for the next week or two.

Does anyone else ignore Taco Tuesday and eat them any day you want, or is it just me?

The other recipes in our fridge at all times are refried beans and prune spread.

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Helpful tips

• I use organic 80/20 (meat to fat) ground beef, and I don’t need to drain off fat as there is never any excess after I brown the beef. If you use beef with a higher fat content, drain any excess to avoid greasy tacos.
• If you don’t like beef taco meat, you can also use ground chicken or ground turkey.
• Rinse and drain the canned beans thoroughly for a firmer texture and to remove excess sodium.
• You can use frozen corn, fresh corn cut off the cob, or canned corn. We like Trader Joe’s canned corn, so make sure to drain and rinse it if you use canned.
• Warm tortillas in a skillet or oven before serving. This makes them more pliable and enhances their flavor.
• We like adding flavor layers by sautéing onions, red bell peppers, and garlic with the ground beef. This step builds a savory base for your taco filling.
• We like to make our taco seasoning, but if you prefer premade seasoning packets, use what you want.
• Adjust the seasoning of your beef and bean mixture to taste. A bit of salt, pepper, and lime juice can perfectly balance the flavors.
• Prepping toppings like shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, and sliced avocado ahead of time makes assembly quicker and more enjoyable.
• To complement the tacos and allow for customization, offer sides such as salsa, guacamole, pico de gallo, fresh limes, Mexican rice, fresh cilantro, and sour cream.
• If you bring this taco filling to a potluck or BBQ, keep the ground beef mixture warm in a slow cooker.
• We love our soft-shell tacos like smaller flour tortillas or corn tortillas. We also occasionally have hard taco shells.
• Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months.

How to make ground beef tacos

Pre-step

Get out your cast iron skillet or sautépan and a metal spatula.

Also, drain and rinse the black beans and corn. I pour them into a metal sieve and run water over them.

Step One

Gather the ingredients – ground beef, onion, red bell pepper, garlic, canned black beans, corn, and all the homemade taco seasoning – cumin, chili powder, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, and ground pepper.

Step two

Dice the onion and bell pepper, and mince the fresh garlic.

Step three

Heat the skillet on medium-high heat, and once it heats up, add extra virgin olive oil. Add the diced onion and bell pepper once the oil heats up (shimmers). Sauté for 8 minutes or until the onion is translucent and the bell peppers look cooked. (A)

Step four

Add the minced garlic and sauté for a minute.

Step five

Unwrap the ground beef and add it to the pan with the vegetables. I use my hands to break it up a bit. Then, take your metal spatula and chop the ground beef into smaller pieces.

Step six

Add the spices and herbs. (B)

Step seven

Cook the beef until it is mainly browned but still has some pink parts. (C)

Step eight

Add the black beans and corn (D) and stir the ingredients until they are heated and the beef is fully cooked – around 2 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat.

Step nine

Heat a smaller sautepan on medium-low heat. Add your flour or corn tortillas. Heat both sides for a minute each. Serve immediately.

You can also put them in a toaster oven for a minute.

Step ten

Sometimes I’ll just eat the taco with just the tortilla and the ground beef mixture.

Step eleven

Other times, I add a little shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced avocado, pico de Gallo, and fresh cilantro.

Delicious.

I hope you enjoyed this ground beef taco recipe! As I said previously, we eat this a lot.

Other Hispanic recipes

• Carne Asada tacos
• Chicken tacos
• Chicken enchiladas
• Ground beef enchiladas
• Shrimp enchiladas
• Mexican pickled onions

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