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Mexican

Easy Beef Tacos

Seasoned ground beef in warm tortillas with lettuce, cheese, and tomato. The seasoning is a short spice list, not a mystery packet.

Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
Three beef tacos with lettuce, cheddar, tomato, and lime on a plate.

Why you’ll love it

  • Ground beef is cooked through to 160°F and still stays saucy.
  • You control the salt because you are not using a packet.
  • The toppings are ordinary and enough.
  • It is on the table in about 25 minutes.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Cook the beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat, breaking the meat up, until the beef is browned and no longer pink, about 8 minutes. It should reach 160°F. Drain excess fat if the pan is swimming.

  2. 2

    Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir 30 seconds.

  3. 3

    Pour in the water and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until the beef looks saucy, not dry or soupy.

  4. 4

    Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet.

  5. 5

    Fill the tortillas with beef, lettuce, cheddar, and tomato.

  6. 6

    Serve with lime.

Pro tips

  • Do not crank the heat so high that the spices scorch when they hit the pan.
  • A little water at the end keeps the beef from tasting like dry crumbles.
  • Warm tortillas taste like a different meal than cold ones from the bag.

Easy substitutions

Ground beef
Ground turkey. Add 1 teaspoon oil if it is very lean, and cook to 165°F.
Cheddar
Monterey jack or a Mexican blend.
Lettuce and tomato
Salsa and pickled onion.

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate the beef up to 3 days. Assemble tacos when you eat.

Reheating

Warm the beef in a skillet with a splash of water until hot.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
460
Protein
29 g
Carbs
28 g
Fat
26 g
Fiber
4 g

Budget friendly · Stovetop

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients