Taco Meat Recipe

This easy Taco Meat Recipe is hearty, well-seasoned, and full of flavor. Perfect for piling into warm tortillas, crunchy shells, or loading up a big plate of nachos.

Course Dessert, Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican, Southern

Keyword taco-meat-recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 256kcal

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef (85/15)
1 medium onion diced
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp dark chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon pepper or black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cimin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder

Instructions

Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil, then add ground beef and diced onion.
Cook over medium-high for 8-10 minutes or until no pink remains. Drain excess grease from the pan.
To the skillet add tomato sauce, chili powder, salt, lemon pepper, paprika, cumin, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir the meat mixture well to combine.
Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes. (Add a little broth to thin the texture or tomato paste to thicken to you taste, if needed.)
Serve immediately on warm flour tortillas or crispy corn tortillas with your favorite taco fixings.

Notes

Protein - You can make this same recipe using ground turkey, ground chicken or ground pork. Should you choose to use a seasoned sausage like ground chorizo you may need to adjust the seasonings.
Spices - You can add ancho chili powder, ground chipotle chili powder or chipotles in adobo for extra spice.
Fresh Herbs - You could add chopped cilantro at the end of cooking or add Mexican oregano to expand the flavor profile.
Peppers - You could sauté a chopped jalapeno pepper or poblano pepper with the onion.
Set Up a Create Your Own Taco Bar - It’s super fun to set up a toppings bar and let the family build their own tacos. Some things you may want to include would be shredded cheese or crumbled cotija cheese, sour cream, lettuce, black beans, diced tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, diced avocado, sliced olives, pico de gallo and guacamole. The sky’s the limit, these are just to inspire you to build and make these tacos your own!
Make Nachos or Taco Bowls - Use this taco meat to layer with tortilla chips or rice, drizzle with warm queso, refried beans, jalapenos, cheese and shredded lettuce, topped with salsa and sour cream or any of your favorite toppings.
Utilize a Crockpot to Keep it Warm - On busy days, you can make this taco meat on the stovetop, then place it into a crockpot on the warm setting. This is especially helpful when you have everyone going in many directions for after school and college activities and differing work schedules. This is also handy for tailgating!
Store-Bought Taco Seasoning - This recipe uses homemade taco seasoning. If you choose to use a packet of taco seasoning, replace the water called for on the package with chicken broth or beef broth for a pop of flavor.

Nutrition