How To Make Tacos

This article will detail the process of making homemade tacos, which is a dish that offers a large amount of customization when preparing and can be eaten as both a sit-down meal and enjoyed on the go. Like with most foods the best way to prepare it is how you like, so while the below steps will give ingredients and instructions on how to make delicious tacos, this article is also considered a starting point since we encourage you to try swapping out ingredients and methods to suit your individual tastes. The result should be roughly 8 tacos with minimal cooking time and effort.

For this recipe you’ll need the below ingredients, which are broken down between seasonings and foods. If you see any ingredients you already know you like or dislike, feel free to make any changes to suit your taste. Though you can easily buy a “Taco Seasoning” packet from the store, the below steps will walk you through making your own dry taco seasoning which allows for more customization and a richer flavor than traditional packets. We also suggest using cooked corn tortillas for hard shell tacos, or flower tortillas for soft.

Most of the cooking is done with this step where you’ll first cook and then drain the meat. Lean hamburger meat is used since the seasonings and topping of the taco is where most of the flavor comes from vs the meat itself. To brown hamburger meat:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium to high heat.

2. Once the oil heats up after a minute, carefully add the ground beef.

3. Using a spatula or pan safe utensil, repeatedly separate the beef from a rectangle to smaller sized bites.

4. As the beef cooks the colors change from a red, to a pink, and finally to a brown after about 5-7 minutes.

5. Carefully drain the fat into a dispensable container using a colander with the container underneath.

Open

Raw Rectangle Form

Open

Cooked and Ready

With the meat now browned and the fat drained, you’ll now add the seasoning. Since the meat is fully cooked and safe to eat, you’re free to now experiment with different seasonings and amounts.

1. Set your burner to medium/low with the cooked hamburger still in the skillet

2. Add the chili powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, tomato paste and water.

3. Stir to combine and simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Whether you’re building the tacos yourself or prepping the toppings for a taco bar, this is where the fun begins! Warm the taco shell in the microwave for 15 seconds, then simply add the taco meat to the warmed taco shell or flour tortilla then add your toppings on top. Some prefer a basic taco with just meat and salsa, while others will end up with more toppings than taco meat. There is no right or wrong way, but a few topping suggestions are:

• Spreading sour cream on the taco shell before adding meat

• Chopped tomato/onion chunks

• Shredded cheese

• Salsa/hot sauce

• Lettuce (finely chopped)

• Guacamole

• Jalapenos

Whatever seasonings and toppings you use, try swapping out a couple ingredients at a time for something else to finely tune what will slowly become your favorite taco.

What is the best ground beef for tacos?

We suggest using 90% lean ground beef for tacos for the best flavor and consistency. If it’s any leaner, it may be too dry. If you use a less lean kind, make sure to drain off the fat after cooking the ground beef, before adding the seasoning.

How can make the tacos low carb?

The actual ground beef taco meat is low carb, so you can use low-carb tortillas or skip the tortillas all together as serve it as a taco salad or in a taco bowl.

How much taco meat do you need per person?

Using a traditional 6-inch tortilla or traditional size hard taco shell, you can use about 2-3 tablespoons of taco meat per taco. That means that depending on how much you load up the ground beef tacos with other ingredients, one pound of beef could serve between 8 and 12 people.

How can I best store the leftovers?

Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last up to 4 days and can be reheated on the stove top. To reheat, add a splash of water so the taco meat doesn’t dry out.