The Best Ground Taco Meat
This really is THE BEST Taco Meat. It’s packed with rich flavour, crumbly in texture and moist without being oily. It’s a great recipe to throw together in less than 30 minutes when you are in need of a quick and easy family friendly meal that everyone will love. This Ground Beef Taco Meat is Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.
WHY THIS REALLY IS THE BEST TACO MEAT
- It takes less than 30-minutes to make and you can even use frozen ground meat if you don’t have time (or forgot!) to thaw it.
- It’s the perfect thing to throw together when you are short on time and ingredients.
- It’s guaranteed to be a family favourite! The meat only has a touch of spice so even your kids will love it.
- It really is the best taco meat! It’s loaded with flavour and perfectly moist, plus the meat has a super crumbly texture thanks to a secret (unconventional!) trick I use.
WAYS TO USE THIS TACO MEAT:
This taco meat is incredibly versatile.
- You can serve it in corn or flour tortillas with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and lettuce, or in celery root tortillas or lettuce cups if you are doing Whole30 or on the specific carbohydrate diet.
- For a low carb option serve it as a salad on a bed of shredded lettuce with all of the taco toppings, or on a bed of cauliflower rice (or regular rice) as a loaded taco bowl.
- For game day you can make nachos by spreading the taco meat over tortilla chips, sprinkling with cheese and cooking in the oven, or you can serve a big bowl of the taco meat with tortilla chips on the side to scoop it up.
IS THIS TACO MEAT SPICY:
This taco meat has a slight kick to it but isn’t so hot your mouth stings. I would rate it a 5/10 on the spicy scale. If you like your taco meat to have more of a kick to it I would recommend adding in another 1-2 tablespoons of chili powder, or alternatively finely dice a jalapeno and add it in with the onion and garlic. My two year old toddler loves this taco meat and doesn’t have an issue with the level of spice, but if your kids like zero spice than I would recommend reducing the amount of chili powder to 1 or 2 tablespoons.
DO I HAVE TO USE BEEF?
I prefer using lean ground beef, but if you do not eat beef or prefer a healthier option, ground turkey is a great substitution. Ground chicken or ground pork would also work in this recipe although I find that the texture and flavour changes quite significantly.
CAN I ADD ANYTHING ELSE IN WITH THE TACO MEAT?
If you would like to sneak in some hidden veggies, stir in 1 1/2 cups of very finely ground cauliflower rice. As it cooks it adds volume to the ground meat while its taste and texture is completely undetectable. A handful or two of spinach added into the ground meat just a few minutes before it’s finished cooking is another great way to add in vegetables. If you are not on the Paleo or Whole30 diet you can also add in 1 cup of corn kernels or 1 can of black beans.
I FORGOT TO THAW THE BEEF, CAN I MAKE THIS WITH FROZEN GROUND BEEF?
Don’t stress! You don’t need to worry about thawing the ground beef before adding it to the pot. Flip the block of ground beef over as it cooks in the pot and try to break it up with a wooden spoon to decrease the cooking time. There will likely be excess liquid in the pot from the frozen beef which may take a few extra minutes of cooking to evaporate.
CAN I MAKE THIS IN AN INSTANT POT?
If you prefer to make this taco meat in the instant pot you definitely can. Start by switching the instant pot to saute for steps 1-2 in the instructions. Add in the ground beef, switch the instant pot to manual settings and high pressure for 20 minutes to cook the beef. After 20 minutes, quick release and if there is quite a bit of liquid in the pot, switch to saute and leave the beef to cook for a few more minutes uncovered until all of the liquid has evaporated.
CAN I MAKE THIS IN A SLOW COOKER?
If you are into a low maintenance way of cooking, the slow cooker method is the way to go.This method skips the sauteing step, simply put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and leave it to cook on high heat for 3 hours or low heat for 6 hours.
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS
Leftover taco meat can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheated in the microwave or in a pot on the stove. You can freeze the taco meat in zip loc bags or an airtight container for up to 4 months and pull it out for nights when you have no time to cook and are in need of a family favourite meal.
Here are a few more recipes that use ground beef:
- Beef Taco Soup
- Korean Beef Bowl
- Mexican Meatballs
- The Best Grain Free Lasagna
- Grilled Kofta
- Italian Meatballs
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Taco Meat
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups diced onion (2 yellow onions)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 lbs lean ground beef
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp coriander
- 4 tbsp chili powder
- 2/3 cup tomato paste
- 2/3 cup beef stock
Instructions
- To a large skillet or pot on medium high heat add the olive oil, onion, garlic and salt and saute for 4 minutes until the onion begins to soften.
- Add in the ground beef and use a wooden spoon to break the beef up into smaller pieces. Cook the beef for approximately 6 minutes until it has browned and is no longer pink in colour.
- Add in the cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, chili powder, tomato paste and beef stock and stir. Leave the meat to simmer for 10-12 minutes until all of the liquid has evaporated. Use a potato masher to break the meat up into a crumbly texture. Taste the meat and add more chili powder, salt or cumin as needed. Serve warm.
Leave a Reply