Right up there with macaroni, Spaghett-O’s, and Ramen noodles, my kids are always asking for ground beef tacos. You know, the kind where you just buy the Old El Paso tortilla shells and the seasoning? They’re so easy, and I love them too. Oh, except I don’t love that I have to eat like five of them to feel like I had a meal…which makes me feel nasty about myself. But, they’re small! I promise!! You eat five too, right?? Come on, say it.
Anyway, so this time, when the ground beef taco request came along, I decided to shake things up a bit…make it a little more…homemade. So, I pulled out my trusty America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, and found just the recipe, Beef Tacos.
Alright, so you can use shredded or ground beef. I used shredded, this time. Other than that, you’ll need:
Vegetable oil
Onion, minced (I just used dehydrated.)
3 garlic cloves (or about 2 tsp. of jarred minced garlic)
2 TBS. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup tomato sauce, smooth
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. brown sugar
Taco shells (I fried up my own with the white corn tortillas…I’ll show you, below.)
Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a pan. If using fresh onion, add that and cook about 5 minutes until softened. Add your salt, garlic, onion, and spices (chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne pepper), and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the beef, and stir. The beef can be already cooked or uncooked. But, stir and cook until the beef is done.
Sir in the tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, and sugar and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add more salt, to taste.
To fry up the corn tortillas, just heat up about an inch of oil in a fry pan. You want it to be pretty hot, but not spitting-at-you-hot. Once it’s heated, using tongs in one hand and a spoon in the other, place the tortilla in the hot oil, and fold over with the tongs. Hold the fold in place, and use the spoon to press down on the center of the fold…making sure the bottom of the taco shell is wide enough to hold the meat and fillings.
And, that’s it. This is one of those recipes, that you can just measure everything in the palm of your hand…a teaspoon, a tablespoon, and so on…and adjust it to your liking. It’s pretty forgiving.
Homemade Beef Tacos
America’s Test Kitchen
Homemade Beef Tacos
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- Onion minced (I just used dehydrated.)
- 3 garlic cloves or about 2 tsp. of jarred minced garlic
- 2 TBS. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. coriander
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce smooth
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tsp. cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
- Taco shells
Instructions
-
Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a pan.
-
If using fresh onion, add that and cook about 5 minutes until softened.
-
Add your salt, garlic, onion, and spices (chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne pepper), and cook for about 30 seconds.
-
Add the beef, and stir. The beef can be already cooked or uncooked. But, stir and cook until the beef is done.
-
Stir in the tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, and sugar and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add more salt, to taste.
-
To fry up the corn tortillas, just heat up about an inch of oil in a fry pan. You want it to be pretty hot, but not spitting-at-you-hot. Once it's heated, using tongs in one hand and a spoon in the other, place the tortilla in the hot oil, and fold over with the tongs. Hold the fold in place, and use the spoon to press down on the center of the fold...making sure the bottom of the taco shell is wide enough to hold the meat and fillings.
Can’t get enough Mexican food?? Check out these past posts:
Enchiladas Verde de Pollo
Black Bean Soup
Mexican Dip
Breakfast Fajitas
Baked Chicken Chimichangas
Easy Mexi-Burritos
