Make the ultimate juicy and flavorful ground beef taco meat in under 10 minutes! This hearty taco meat is such a versatile dish, great for tacos, bowls, nachos, salads and more.
TACO MEAT RECIPE
Taco night just got a lot better with this flavorful ground beef taco meat recipe! Ground beef is perfectly seasoned and ready in under 10 minutes. Enjoy this taco meat in your tacos, bowls, burritos, nachos and more! This recipe is an easy recipe that is great for busy weeknights, meal prep or taco nights.
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Ground Beef– For the best results, be sure to use a good-quality ground beef! You want to choose ground beef that is around 85-90% lean (10-15% fat). This ratio gives you plenty of meat while adding just enough fat to keep it juicy and flavorful.
- Garlic– You want to use freshly minced garlic or jarred minced garlic. The added garlic brings additional flavors to the meat.
- Salsa– Stirring in salsa adds an unexpected boost of flavor and makes the taco meat extra juicy. Use your favorite store-bought salsa or homemade salsa, or swap it for ketchup, tomato paste, or finely diced fresh tomatoes.
- Flavor– For the seasoning, stick with salt, pepper, and your favorite brand of taco seasoning or homemade taco seasoning. I love to use the McCormick Taco Seasoning.
HOW TO MAKE TACO MEAT
This beef taco meat recipe comes together in under 10 minutes; it is such a simple dish!
- Heat a skillet on medium high heat. Once hot, add the ground beef to the skillet and cook, breaking the meat apart as it cooks. (Use a meat separator to break the meat apart easier.)
- As the ground beef is cooking, add in the minced garlic and seasonings. (Remove any excess fat from the skillet before seasoning.)
- Once the beef has browned, add the salsa and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and top with freshly chopped greens.
- Serve immediately while it is still hot.
WAYS TO USE TACO MEAT
You don’t have to just limit this ground beef taco meat to tacos! There are so many other recipes that you can use this meat in:
- Tacos– Enjoy this juicy and flavorful taco meat and make soft tacos or hard tacos! Check out my ground beef tacos recipe on how to make the ultimate taco! LINK
- Bowls– I love making taco bowls with this meat. It makes for a great weeknight dinner or meal prep idea.
- Salad– Add this ground beef taco meat to your salads for added protein! I love making my Taco Pasta salad or just a classic pasta salad.
- Burritos– Load up your burritos with this flavorful ground beef, so good!
- Pasta– Make this cheesy Taco Pasta for an easy dinner idea.
- Nachos– Love loaded nachos? Load up tortilla chips with queso, this ground beef and other toppings. The perfect appetizer or side dish idea.
- Breakfast– Serve this taco meat recipe for breakfast! Pair with your scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes or add to your breakfast tacos.
- Quesadillas– Make cheesy beef quesadillas with this recipe.
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
No! You can totally swap the ground beef for ground chicken or turkey for lighter taco meat.
If your taco meat is dry, then you probably overcooked it. Ground beef browns very quickly, and as soon as it’s browned it’s done!
Yes, you can totally add onions to this ground beef recipe. Just sauté the onions first then add the ground beef and continue with the instructions.
This easy ground beef taco meat recipe will make about 6-8 tacos!
Once the taco meat is cooled, cover or transfer the meat to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes, taco meat freezes great! Once cooled, transfer the meat to a freezer safe container or freezer bag and freeze for 3-4 months.
OTHER MEXICAN RECIPES-
Ground Beef Taco Meat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef 85 lean/15 fat
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 3 Tbsp salsa
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart into small chunks. (Drain the excess fat by carefully blotting it with a paper towel in the skillet, then discard the paper towel.)
- Add the salt, pepper, taco seasoning, and minced garlic to the beef and continue cooking until browned, about 5-6 minutes.
- Once the beef has browned, add the salsa and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Remove from the heat and top with freshly chopped greens.
- Serve immediately while it is still hot.
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