If you want to nail your taco game on Tuesdays, you’ve gotta start with the perfect Taco Meat. And guess what? I’ve got you covered!
This taco filling is seasoned to perfection with my own homemade taco seasoning blend. It only takes about 20 minutes to whip up, and let me tell you, it’s incredibly versatile.
It seems like taco night comes along pretty often here at the Beisers’. I love them all, from simple Chicken Tacos to the ultimate epic Birria Tacos.
There’s no end to the variety of tacos you can make. But for today, l am going to cover the basic and most simple taco meat.
Why This Recipe is the BEST
- Simplicity. Other than ground beef and canned tomato sauce, all I use here is powdered spices and herbs. No chopping here.
- It’s perfect for meal prep. This versatile filling can be made in bulk, freezes well, and can be used in a variety of dishes beyond just tacos.
- You can customize it. Adjust the seasonings to your liking, or even use ground meats or even ground meat substitute.
Ingredient Needed
You will find exact measurements for all ingredients in the recipe card at the end of this post. Here are the things you will need:
- Ground Beef – I like to use 85/15 ground beef for our taco meat. Take note that leaner beef might require a little more water. If you’re using fattier ground beef, skim off some of the grease before adding the other ingredients.
- Tomato Sauce – Adds tanginess. You can also use tomato paste or salsa instead.
- Chili powder – This is the flavor base of the taco seasoning.
- Cumin – A staple seasoning in Latin cuisines.
- Garlic powder – You can use fresh garlic, but we’re trying to make this easy, right?
- Onion powder – Alternately, you can use dried onion flakes if that’s what is in your cupboard.
- Oregano – I use Mexican oregano when I have it on hand, but regular is fine too.
- Paprika – For flavor variation, sometimes I use smoked paprika.
- Crushed red pepper flakes – For a hint of heat.
- Salt and black pepper
- Water – I just add a dash of water. You can use broth instead (chicken, beef, or vegetable).
How to Make Taco Meat
1. Make a quick taco seasoning: I start by mixing together all the herbs and spices.
2. Brown the beef: I add ground beef to a greased skillet, break it up with a spoon or spatula, and cook it until it’s no longer pink.
3. Add the flavors: Time to stir in the taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and a little water. Then, I mix everything well and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. That’s it!
Can I Use Different Meats?
Absolutely! You can follow the same recipe for ground turkey or ground chicken. Note that you want to use basic ground turkey or chicken, not ground breast, which would be too dry.
For a vegetarian option, any ground meat substitute can be used.
Way to Use this Taco Filling
This homemade taco meat is incredibly versatile. Here are some of my other recipes which you can make with it:
A Few Tips and Tricks
- Brown the meat well: When I’m browning the beef, I don’t rush it. I let it cook undisturbed for a few minutes before stirring. This gives the meat a chance to develop a deeper flavor and a nice sear.
- Drain excess fat: If you’re using a higher fat content beef, drain some of the fat after browning for a less greasy finish.
- Adjust consistency: If the taco meat seems too dry, I add a bit more water or tomato sauce. If it’s too wet, I let it simmer a bit longer.
- Make it in bulk: This recipe scales up nicely. I often make a large batch and freeze portions for convenient future meals. It’s a great way to save time and always have taco meat on hand.
When you try this taco meat recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know your favorite way to use it. I love to hear from you!
Homemade Taco Meat, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
More ground beef meal prep ideas:
Ground Beef Bulgogi
Savoury Mince
Ground Beef Stir Fry
Carne Molida
Ground Beef Stroganoff
The BEST Taco Meat Recipe
This homemade Taco Meat recipe is perfect as a taco filling, but is also versatile enough to be used in a number of other ways.
Ingredients
Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1.5 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Meat
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- ⅓ cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Mix all taco seasoning ingredients in a bowl.
- Heat up a skillet over medium high heat, and add in a tablespoon of oil. Add in the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Let it cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, then give it a stir. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the beef is fully browned.
- Stir in taco seasoning, tomato sauce and a little water. Mix everything well and simmer for a couple of minutes.
Notes
- You can follow this same recipe with ground turkey or chicken, or even a vegetarian ground meat substitute.
- The recipe can easily be scaled. Simply double all of the ingredients.
- Leftovers and Storing: You can refrigerate leftover taco meat in an airtight container for 3-4 days. When reheating, add a tablespoon or so of water. If you wish to freeze it for later use, first allow to cool completely. Transfer to a freezer safe zip top bag and squeeze out as much air as possible. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before use.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 365Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 101mgSodium 944mgCarbohydrates 5gFiber 2gSugar 1gProtein 32g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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Y’all have a pretty decent recipe, definitely solid. I add a few other interests that kick up the richness and taste and really together to create full flavored meat you’ll want to eat start eating on a big spoon with sour cream, medium or higher cheddar, tomato and at least a jalapeno or serrano slice.
I didn’t see one thing really missed: Fresh ground ancho chili powder and another life guajillo. Smoke Paprika for sure, Mexican oregano, for your oil beef tallow.
for the added ingredients you want fresh minced garlic cooked in your tallow with the garlic powder and a couple tsp of red wine vinegar, it opens the flavors of them way up.
Then you want to add a good dash or three of more sodium soy or Maggis seasoning it’s like soy sauce in its look.
The next is balsamic de Modena or the syrupy balsamic it richens it further and sweetens, about a tsp.
Then some Knorrs chicken bullion, this is where your salt and msg mostly come from so go very easy, like a 1/2 tsp at first and remember it’s going to cook down more.
Finally a little sugar, trust me, about an even tsp or little less.
when these flavors all blend down to make this taco magic you’ll really have something special but super savory, spicy, broad flavored awesomeness. This is probably for a little over a pound of meat 1 1/4. I usually make two pounds though and never measure I’ve done it so much I just eyeball it. anyway, if you end up to salty dip some of your juice out before you cook it down. I’ve even in the beginning had to wash out the meat in a strainer. Anyway, just adding a few of these things really kicks it up a notch.