Simple Beef Tacos

I was craving some Mexican food, so I decided to make some very simple beef tacos.

Serving: 4

Cook Time: 10 mins

Prep Time: 10-15 mins

Ingredients:

For Tacos:

  • 450g (1 lb) of lean ground beef

  • 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

  • 1/2 white onion finely chopped

  • 1/2 red bell pepper chopped into small cubes (optional)

  • 1/2 red bell pepper chopped into small cubes (optional)

  • 1 jalapeno finely chopped (optional, can be SUBSTITUTED with crushed red chili peppers if you want some spice)

  • 1 tablespoon chili powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves of garlic)

  • 1 teaspoon cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano

  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

  • 1 tsp Salt

  • 1/2 tsp pepper

  • 8-12 taco shells or tortillas

For Corn Salsa:

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • Juice of 1 lime

  • 4 medium tomatoes, chopped

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels

  • 1 cup chopped cilantro

  • 2 red or green jalapeño chiles, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

For Guacamole:

  • 2 AVOCADOS

  • 1 lime

  • 1 small onion finely chopped

  • 1-2 garlic cloves finely minced

  • salt

  • 1 tbsp cilantro coarsely chopped

Method:

For Corn Salsa:

  1. Place the chopped onion in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt, squeeze the lime juice over, and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the chopped chiles, tomatoes, corn, and cilantro to the onion mixture, and stir. Serve immediately.

For Guacamole:

  1. Cut the avocados, deseed them and remove the flesh. Then place them into a medium-sized bowl.

  2. Cut the lime in half and squeeze both halves into the bowl with the avocado. Add the garlic, salt and any/all or none of the optional ingredients. Using a fork gently mash each avocado half a few times then stir all ingredients together. adjust seasoning and Set aside.

For Beef Tacos:

  1. Mix all spices, herbs, salt, and pepper together and set aside.

  2. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion (and if using bell peppers, add with onions) saute until soft, about 4-5 minutes. And if adding garlic, add it now and continue to saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

  3. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat into smaller chunks, until it is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

  4. Stir in the taco seasoning, cook for about 30 seconds and then add jalapeno. Turn the heat to low and cook for another 3-5 minutes. adjust seasoning if needed.

  5. Warm the tortillas in either dry skillet or in the oven, depending on package instructions.

  6. Fill each tortilla with the beef mixture and top with your preferred toppings. Enjoy!

This was a very quick and simple version of beef tacos, something that can easily be made for a weekday meal. as this is quite a simple recipe there are many variations for both the filling and toppings, you can be creative with additional ingredients or toppings. i also had some SHREDDED LETTUCE, carrots, and cucumbers to some more freshness. this is probably not the most authentic taco but it is a good tasty quick fix for someone who is having a mexican food craving.

cooking, mexicanJackie Wongbeef taco, ground beefComment