Ground Beef Tacos
Brown ground beef in a skillet, drain the fat, add a homemade taco seasoning blend with broth, and simmer until thickened. Serve in warm tortillas with your preferred toppings — total time is about 25 minutes.
A taco seasoning packet is convenient, but so is wearing sweatpants to a wedding, and at some point convenience has to answer a few questions. These ground beef tacos build the seasoning directly in the pan with chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, black pepper, salt, and optional cayenne. Using 80/20 beef gives the filling enough fat to carry those spices, while finely diced onion cooks right alongside the meat instead of becoming a separate little project.
Once the beef is browned and reaches 160°F, drain most of the fat but leave a little behind. Garlic gets 30 seconds, the dry spices get a full minute to bloom in the heat, and then beef broth goes in. That brief simmer is the difference between loose crumbles with dusty seasoning on the outside and a cohesive taco filling where the spice mixture actually clings to the meat. Stop when it is saucy but not wet; tortillas are flexible, not waterproof.
Warm the tortillas before filling them—char corn tortillas briefly over a flame or heat flour tortillas in a dry skillet—then add whatever makes your particular taco make sense: cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cilantro, onion, lime, hot sauce. Twenty-five minutes from start to finish, with no mystery dust packet required.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) ground beef, 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 8 small corn or flour tortillas
- Optional toppings: shredded cheddar or cotija cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream, fresh cilantro, diced white onion, lime wedges, hot sauce
Instructions
- 1Mix together the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, oregano, and cayenne in a small bowl. Set aside.
- 2Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and diced onion together. Cook, breaking the beef apart with a wooden spoon or spatula, for 6 to 8 minutes until the beef is fully browned and the onion is soft.
- 3Drain excess fat from the skillet, leaving about 1 teaspoon behind. Return skillet to medium heat.
- 4Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
- 5Add the spice mixture over the beef and stir to coat evenly. Cook for 1 minute to bloom the spices.
- 6Pour in the beef broth. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until the broth has mostly absorbed and the filling is slightly saucy but not wet. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Cook ground meat until it reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- 7Warm the tortillas: for corn tortillas, char them directly over a gas burner flame for 15 to 20 seconds per side. For flour tortillas, heat them dry in a skillet for 30 seconds per side, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds.
- 8Spoon beef filling into warm tortillas and top with your preferred toppings. Serve immediately with lime wedges.
Nutrition Information
Estimated per serving: 1 of 4 servings.
Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.
Pro Tips
- Use 80/20 ground beef here, not lean. The fat carries the seasoning, and leaner beef will cook up dry before the flavors have time to develop — that is not a preference, that is physics.
- Don't skip the simmer step with the broth. Even just 3 minutes changes the texture from crumbly browned meat to actual taco filling. The broth pulls the spices into the meat instead of just coating the outside.
- Bloom your spices directly in the pan for one minute before adding the broth. It sounds like an extra step that isn't worth it, and then you taste the difference, and you never skip it again.
Substitutions
Storage Instructions
Store leftover taco meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water or broth to loosen it, or microwave in 30-second intervals. Do not store assembled tacos — the tortillas go soggy. Keep toppings separate and assemble fresh.
Make Ahead
The beef filling can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. It also freezes well in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop with a small splash of broth.
Make It a Meal
Pair this recipe with a side, bread, and something sweet from the FAFO Kitchen.
