Easy beef taco recipe made with ground beef and ready in minutes. This quick taco recipe makes a couple of tacos, perfect for those cooking for one.
When my kids were small, taco night was probably their favorite night of the week. Back then, I would purchase the boxes of taco shells that included everything but the meat. Dinner was a breeze to make and my kids enjoyed building their own beef tacos.
Now that the kids aren't living at home any longer, I find those all-in-one kits to be unnecessary. Tacos are really easy to make. Plus, I've got an easy spice mix that adds so much flavor to the ground beef.
Why This Recipe Works
With this quick taco recipe, it's just a matter of cooking the ground beef, adding in the homemade taco seasoning, spooning the filling into the taco shells, and adding the toppings.
This ground beef taco recipe will yield 2 beef tacos or maybe even 3 tacos, depending on how much you fill each taco shell.
Ingredient Notes
See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this ground beef taco recipe as well as in every other recipe on One Dish Kitchen that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It's my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use a lighter olive oil instead.
- Chopped onions and garlic: Chopped onions and garlic add quite a lot of flavor to the beef filling, definitely don't leave them out. If you don't have fresh garlic, use ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
- Ground beef: I use 80-90% lean ground beef. You can even use ground turkey instead.
- Seasonings: For wonderful flavor use chili powder, ground cumin, and salt.
- Taco shells: If you want to use tortillas instead of taco shells, use our small batch flour tortilla recipe.
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
How To Cook Ground Beef For Tacos
The star of this beef taco recipe is the seasoned ground beef. For these tacos, you'll start by browning the ground beef and seasoning it with the salt, chili powder and ground cumin. This taco recipe calls for using 5 ounces of ground beef. For best results, use an 8- to 10-inch skillet for browning the beef.
- Begin by heating the pan and the oil.
- Add the meat to the pan and break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon or a spatula. Let it brown for several minutes.
- As the beef begins to brown, continue to break the meat into smaller pieces and add in the spices.
- Cook until the beef is browned, stirring occasionally.
How To Assemble Tacos
Making ground beef tacos is super simple.
- After the ground beef is cooked, heat the hard taco shells in the oven to make them crisp and warm.
- Fill the taco shells with the meat and add your favorite taco toppings.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use the seasonings recommended in this recipe or you can make a small batch of taco seasoning. In most taco seasoning recipes you will find: chili powder, cumin, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes and dried oregano.
You can use our small batch taco seasoning recipe and season the ground beef with a teaspoon (or more to suit your tastes) instead.
Absolutely! You can use the beef taco filling over lettuce and make a taco salad.
My personal preference is to add lettuce, chopped tomatoes, a spoonful or two of salsa, sour cream, and shredded cheese to my beef tacos.
You might like to add any or all of these small batch and single serving taco toppings to yours:
* Guacamole
* Queso
* Corn Salsa
Expert Tips
- The meat can be made in advance. Consider cooking the ground beef the day before you want to make tacos and just assemble the tacos when you are ready to eat them.
- You might also like to consider using flour tortillas instead of corn shells.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients left over from this ground beef tacos recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Onions: Chicken and Dumplings, Chicken Fajitas, Beef Stew
- Garlic: Pasta Carbonara, Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls, Chicken Margherita
- Ground Beef: Goulash, Meatloaf, Lasagna
- Chili powder: Chicken Chili, Chicken Burrito Bowl, Curried Carrot Soup
- Ground cumin: Baba Ganoush, Vegetarian Chili, Broccoli Cheese Soup
Serving Suggestions
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 clove garlic
- 5 ounces ground beef
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 taco shells
Optional Toppings
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- avocado slices
- salsa
Instructions
- In a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, heat oil 30 seconds. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook an additional minute.
- Add ground beef to skillet and break up with a spatula. Add salt, chili powder, and cumin and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Transfer the ground beef to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Cover and set aside.
- Heat oven to 350°F (177°C). Place taco shells on a baking sheet and bake 5 minutes or until heated.
- Fill taco shells with meat and desired toppings.
Notes
- The meat can be made in advance. Consider cooking the ground beef the day before you want to make tacos and just assemble the tacos when you are ready to eat them.
- You might also like to consider using flour tortillas instead of corn shells.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Karen Weisbaum says
I will make these since my son has gastritis and can't eat spicy food. Have you ever tried adding grated carrot on top of the beef? Delicious and adds an extra veggie!