The Best Taco Meat
Feed a crowd big or small, this easy to make Taco Meat is packed with slow roasted flavor and is perfect for parties. Double, triple or quadruple the batch to fit the size of your crowd or freeze in batches for easy weeknight dinners.
Taco Meat
Beef Tacos reign supreme in our house and it’s easy to see why! A flavor packed Taco Meat is totally easy to make and great for parties. And since I plan to have all the parties this coming year, have tons of plans for this ground beef taco stuffer.
The recipe for this ground beef taco meat is inspired by the same one I love at Frontera Grill. Rich with flavor and spice, this is one mouthwatering meal you can get on the table in minutes for easy weeknight dinners.
We like to set up a Walking Taco Bar since they’re kind of a big thing around here. It’s always a huge hit at parties but this Taco Meat would also be great for a regular taco bar or a taco pizza! Or a taco salad! And it’s totally freezable which makes it even better because you can make a huge batch to have on hand for easy weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef – We like to use 80/20 lean ground beef but you can use 90/10 or even ground turkey as a substitute.
- Onion – Sweet onion adds a less peppery bite than a regular yellow onion.
- Tomato Paste – Don’t skip the tomato paste, it adds a slow simmered richness to the sauce.
- Seasonings – You can grab a packet of taco seasoning or you can make your own taco seasoning which will take this recipe to another level.
- Chipotle Chile – Packed in adobo sauce, these canned jalapeno peppers are super spicy so use sparingly.
- Tomatos – We love fire roasted canned tomatoes for the extra smokiness but if you can’t find them, regular tomatoes will work well.
- Beef Stock – If you have homemade beef stock, this is the time to use it but store bought is such a time saver.
For the full list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom.
How to Cook Taco Meat
I make my taco meat on the stovetop but for parties I make Slow Cooker Taco Beef with ground beef, THIS easy to make Taco Seasoning (or use your favorite!) and beef stock! That’s the big secret here, I simmered swimming in beef stock that kind of gets a little concentrated giving your taco beef a really kicked up savory, beefy flavor that you’re not going to get from water.
- Brown the beef. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and brown the ground beef. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
- Make the Taco Sauce. Cook the onion in the skillet then add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.
- Combine. Add the ground beef back to the pan and simmer until the sauce is reduced.
- Serve. Serve the taco beef in taco shells, on a salad or on top of nachos.
It’s so simple! To make a taco bar, transfer the taco meat to a slow cooker and keep on the warm setting in the middle of a table so party guests can make their own.
Serving Suggestions
This easy Taco Meat is simply amazing and would be perfect piled on a top of these tortilla chips with melty cheese draped on top. What do you think? OR you can roll it up in pizza dough with cheese to make Taco Pinwheels for a game day snack that is simply amazing!
More Taco Inspired Recipes
- Easy Taco Pinwheels
- Taco Casserole
- Dorito Taco Salad
- Easy Taco Soup
- The Best Taco Pasta
- The Best Birria Tacos Recipe
- Mexican Shredded Beef
For more easy dinner ideas, follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Get the Recipe: The Best Taco Meat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 Onion, diced
- 4 cloves Roasted Garlic
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 tablespoon Ancho Chile powder
- 1 tablespoon ground Cumin
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Oregano
- 1 tablespoon brown Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher Salt
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper, optional
- 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 Chipotle Chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped,
- 15.5 ounce can fire roasted diced Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomato Juice,
- 1 tablespoons Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 cup Beef Stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
Equipment
- 1 skillet
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add the ground beef and cook until browned while breaking up into small pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula. Once cooked and no longer pink, transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
- Drain off all but 2 tablespoons fat and return the skillet to the stovetop.
- Add the onion to the pan and cook until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes or until a deep Burgundy color.
- Add the Chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, brown sugar, salt, cayenne, smoked paprika, chipotle Chile and adobo sauce and tomatoes. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and turn the heat to low.
- REturn the beef back to the pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and reduced by half.
- Serve in taco shells or on a salad.
Notes
The taco beef can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
One Comment on “The Best Taco Meat”
Why slow cook it instead of cooking in a pot? Does that just make the taco meat more crumbly?