Total Time: 25 minutes / Yield: 8 tacos
Ground beef tacos are delicious, authentic, and so easy to make. This traditional Mexican dish is packed with well-seasoned ground beef tacos, wrapped in soft flour tortillas, and topped with tomatoes, onions, and cheese. It’s garnished with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and freshly-squeezed lime juice for the best balance of flavors. It’s savory, spicy, creamy, and fresh. These tacos are the perfect item for a Mexican fiesta, to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, or for any time of year. Either way, these are always a big hit.
INGREDIENTS
To make these delicious and easy ground beef tacos, you will need the following ingredients:
- vegetable oil
- ground beef – if you don’t like ground beef, you can substitute it with 1 lb. of ground turkey. You can also consider using diced or shredded chicken or pork. For a vegetarian option, you can use tempeh, chickpeas, or tofu.
- taco seasoning – made with cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano (or Italian seasoning), salt and pepper.
- tomato paste
- beef broth or water
- small flour tortillas
- cheese – I would used a Mexican blend (Tex-Mex) of cheese. You can also use any cheese that shreds and melts easily such as cheddar, mozzarella, or Monterey Jack cheese.
- tomatoes
- onions – you can use red onion or white onion.
- fresh cilantro
- sour cream – optional.
- lime – to squeeze on some lime juice on the tacos, if desired.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, and a skillet (I used my cast-iron skillet).
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST MEXICAN GROUND BEEF TACOS
- Cook the ground beef. Heat oil in a large skillet for 2 minutes over medium-high heat until the hot oil sizzles. Add ground beef and stir well to cook evenly until browned, about 6-8 minutes. Make sure to break up beef into small pieces to help even browning.
- Add seasoning. Add cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, tomato paste and beef broth. Reduce heat to medium and let the mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and set aside.
- Heat the tortillas. Heat the soft flour tortillas according to the package instructions, or heat in an ungreased skillet over medium-high heat for 30 seconds per side. You can also heat it directly on a gas burner for a few seconds to get char marks on the edges.
- Assemble the tacos. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the ground beef mixture on each tortilla. Top with cheese, onion, tomato and cilantro. Add a dollop of sour cream and a squeeze of fresh lime juice, to taste.
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