My family LOVES good Mexican food. My son especially LOVES tacos. And these tacos are his favorite tacos in the world. In his opinion, only one other taco rivaled “Mom’s tacos”; a posh Mexican restaurant in Philadelphia that will remain nameless. I have tried all kinds of different taco seasoning recipes but nothing has compared to Rick Bayless’ Frontera brand taco seasoning in a bag. Seriously. I like to make everything from scratch but this stuff is hard to beat and I love Rick Bayless and his enthusiasm for all things Mexican. I also love to support people that inspire me and Rick taps into my love for food, culture and travel. Frontera makes a whole host of different taco sauces but I stick to the ground beef mild red chili and cumin skillet sauce. It is one of the easiest meals that I make- and I have to make it a lot because my son wants it all the time!
Beef Tacos
Normally, I like soft corn tortillas but I use organic hard tortilla shells with this recipe. I try to shop mostly organic but most especially for certain products like corn tortillas because most corn products are made with GMO sourced corn in the USA. The 365 Brand organic blue corn tortilla shells at Whole Foods are good but they tend to break easily. I found that the organic Trader Joe’s shells are cheaper and hold up better. Either way, both are cheaper than most organic brands that you’ll find at the grocery store. As far as toppings, cilantro is a must. I love to add freshly sliced radishes, lime, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and Mexican crema. My kids love to add cotija cheese to their tacos. If you don’t have a Mexican store near you, you could dilute some store bought sour cream with a little bit of milk to mimic crema but the real stuff is worth the trip. Normally, I serve these tacos with “fiesta rice” which is just white rice with corn and salt. You can add a bit of butter or ghee or cilantro and some lime. I make sure that I have leftovers to serve the next day so my recipe has leftovers built right in. For the leftovers, everything is microwavable except the taco shells. Follow the package instructions to heat those- usually 425 F in the oven for 2-3 minutes. This is a great meal for when you are in a bind and need to get dinner on the table quickly.
Beef Tacos
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (can substitute olive oil or another vegetable oil)
- 1.25 lb of ground beef, 85/15
- Frontera Ground Beef Taco Skillet Sauce, mild red chili & cumin
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- Corn tortillas, hard shell (or you can use soft shell if you'd like- just follow package directions for cooking)
- cilantro, optional
- avocado, optional
- lime, optional
- crema, optional
- cherry tomatoes, optional
- cotija cheese or Mexican cheese of your choice, optional
- jalapeños, sliced, optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 F for hard corn tortilla shells or follow package instructions.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in large skillet over medium heat.
Add onions to hot skillet and sauté to a golden brown. About 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add garlic and stir continuously for about 45-60 seconds, making sure not to burn.
Add ground beef and break down with spatula. Stir frequently and cook until browned. About 5-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, place shells on baking sheet, making sure to separate slightly. Place in oven and cook for 2-3 minutes or follow package instructions.
Add Frontera taco skillet sauce to meat and stir until combined. Cook for additional 3 minutes and take off heat.
Serve taco shells covered with a dish towel to help retain heat without creating steam (steam will soften the shell).
Serve with desired toppings.
Notes
If serving with rice, I use a rice cooker and start the rice before I cook the tacos. White rice takes about 40 minutes to cook so it is ready when I have finished preparing the tacos.
No Comments