Ground Beef Tacos

5 from 1 vote

These Ground Beef Tacos are easy and delicious. Filled flavorful ground beef that's been sautéed with a homemade taco seasoning and stuffed in homemade crunchy taco shells.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Mexican, Mexican-American

Diet: Diabetic

Servings:

Author: Adrianna Adarme

Cost: $9

Equipment

1 medium skillet
1 pair of tongs

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (I used 85%/15%)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup beef broth (or store-bought or homemade chicken stock)

Puffy Taco Shells

12 corn tortillas
Neutral high-heat oil (for frying)

For Serving:

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese or Colby Jack or Pepper Jack
3 leaves lettuce of choice thinly sliced (we want the shaved effect so we went with iceberg)
1 cup pico de gallo
1 cup sour cream
1 cup guacamole
Lime wedges

Instructions

To Make the Filling:

In a medium saucepan or skillet, set over medium heat, and add a teaspoon of olive oil. When warm, add the meat, along with all of the spices: cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt.
Break the meat up with a spatula and mix until the spices are evenly distributed throughout; cook for 5 minutes or so. When the meat begins to brown, add the tomato paste and beef broth, mix, and cook for about 5 additional minutes or until the broth has cooked off. Turn off the heat and set aside. Set aside.

To Make the Crunchy Taco Shells:

To a skillet with a wide rim, add oil until it’s about ½-inch up the sides. Heat the pan over medium-high heat for 4 minutes or until it’s 350 degrees F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test to see if the oil is ready by dropping a piece of a tortilla into the oil. If it doesn’t sizzle immediately, heat for another minute or two before trying again. If your oil is smoking, that means it’s too hot–turn down the temperature and wait a few minutes before testing again.
Line a plate or tray with paper towels and set next to your skillet. Using tongs, gently drop a tortilla into the oil, tap it a few times with the tongs to encourage the tortilla to puff, and fry for 12-15 seconds. Turn the tortilla over using the tongs and immediately fold the tortilla in half, holding it with the tongs, to shape it into a shell. Fry for about 12-15 seconds before flipping to the other side and frying for another 12-15 seconds.
The tortilla should be puffed, crispy, and golden all over and able to hold its shape. Transfer to your paper towel-lined plate or pan and immediately sprinkle the outside and inside of the shell with a pinch of kosher salt. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas. See below to reheat if you’d like to fry your shells beforehand.

To Assemble the Tacos:

Fill your shells with a few tablespoons of meat, shredded cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole. Serve lime wedges.

Notes

Tips and Tricks:

To Reheat the Shells: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the shells on a baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes then flip the shells and bake for another 3 minutes. They will continue to crisp up as they cool.
To Warm Store-bought Shells: Follow the directions per the package. I usually do this when the meat is already done so they stay warm.
Re-Heat the Meat. You can make the ground beef mixture up to three days ahead. Store in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat in a pan or microwave and add a few tablespoons of broth to ensure it's still saucy.

Nutrition