Easy Beef Tacos
Delicious 30 Minute Easy Ground Beef Tacos are family friendly, mom-approved, and kid appreciated. We love these flavorful beef tacos, and even more, we love how easy this taco recipe is to make.
Pair these tacos with Cilantro Lime Rice, Best Ever Black Beans, and Flan!
This year our back to school has been a little more hectic than past years. We still have all the chaos of choosing classes, buying school supplies, selecting the right outfits for making good first impressions, homework, reading, carpools, etc. But throw in one walker/crutches, one kid who can’t put any weight on her left leg, and a lot of doctor visits, physical therapy, and emotions, and well, dinner kind of takes a back seat.
But, lucky for me, there are some classic recipes my whole family loves that take only 30 minutes or less to toss together, and leave the whole family smiling. These 30 Minute Easy Ground Beef Tacos are one of our favorites. And we don’t wait for #TacoTuesday to enjoy them either, we have them any day of the week. Sometimes multiple times a week.
I mean, why not right? When it is good it is good! And these are really good.
When we don’t have beef, we love these Easy Chicken Tacos or Grilled Fish Tacos.
What makes these Ground Beef Tacos special?
Okay, I know there are many recipes out there for ground beef tacos, some authentic mexican ground beef taco recipes, some more americanized, and you are probably wondering why you should be making my recipe over someone else’s. I get that. So, please, let me explain.
- Easy Peasy! Hahaha okay, I know I am being silly here, but isn’t it nice to have an arsenal of meal ideas that are just super simple to make but also make everyone happy? Like my kids love microwave meals and they are easy to make, but they don’t make me happy at all. When it comes to easy taco recipes, these beef tacos are a dinner winner I am super proud to make. I would even go so far as to call this the best ground beef taco recipe.
- Good Grains Yellow Corn & Red Bell Pepper Taco Shells: I had a friend try this recipe before I shared it here, and she said, “I was skeptical about trying those shells, but they were really freaking delicious.” I am a huge fan of Ortega products. They offer a full line of high quality, Mexican foods that are really tasty, and are designed specifically to create an eating experience the whole family will love. The Ortega Taco Shells are available in Yellow Corn, White Corn, Whole Grain Corn and these NEW Good Grains varieties, which I used for this recipe. They are so good, and I love using them because I know Ortega Taco Shells are made the traditional way, with 100% whole kernel corn, not corn flour. Why does this matter? Well, it impacts flavor, aroma, and texture.
- The flavor! The ground beef I use for these tacos are cooked with a few fun spices, and salsa. The beef ends up insanely flavorful, making them great plain in the shells, but then when you add the toppings, especially the Flavor Craver Taco Ranch Taco Sauce, it takes the whole thing up another level. Ortega is America’s #1 Taco Sauce. And this new bold, creamy ranch flavor is delish! Perfect for tacos, taco salads, dips, burgers, and more!
What kind of ground beef is best for tacos?
If you want great tacos, you need great products, which is why I always recommend Ortega, as for more than 100 years they have been committed to providing a wide range of authentic Mexican meals at home. But beyond those products, you also need to choose the right ground beef.
When it comes to ground beef there are a lot of options, with different fat content. For great tacos, you don’t need the highest quality cut, and a high fat content is okay too. I use regular ground beef that is 70-77% lean. Fat is flavor. And you want that flavor in your tacos.
How many tacos does a pound of ground beef make?
One thing to consider when preparing this tasty taco night meal at home is how much you should make for your family.
One thing I love about tacos in general is a little meat can go far. How many tacos you get out of each pound of ground beef really depends on how much you put in each taco. However, a good rule of thumb to go by is this, each pound of raw ground beef will likely equal about 12 ounces of cooked ground beef. And a standard sized taco will typically have 2 ounces of ground beef in it. Therefore you get 6 tacos out of each pound of ground beef.
More Delicious Recipes
- Easy Tomato Soup
- Instant Pot Lasagna
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breast Air Fryer
- Chicken Enchiladas Bowl (Keto)
30 Minute Ground Beef Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 cup Ortega Homestyle Mild Salsa
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Good Grains Yellow Corn & Red Bell Pepper Taco Shells
- Good Grains Yellow Corn & Spinach Taco Shells
Toppings:
- Flavor Craver Taco Ranch Taco Sauce
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Cheese
Instructions
- Over medium heat, add the ground beef, 1/2 cup salsa, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a large skillet.
- Break the meat up into small pieces, and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove from heat, and drain any excess liquid or grease off the ground beef.
- Return the skillet to the heat and stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper, cooking until mixed well and fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
- Add the remaining salsa and simmer the mixture for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve in Good Grains Yellow Corn & Red Bell Pepper Taco Shells and Good Grains Yellow Corn & Spinach Taco Shells, and top with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and Flavor Craver Taco Ranch Taco Sauce
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Kim - Today's Creative Life says
Yum! I’ve never heard of these shells and the sauce! My college son will have to have this!
Rachael says
They are new, and sooooo good. Look for them in your local grocer!
Krissy Allori says
I love how you used the different colored taco shells! They look so yummy!
Rachael says
Oh my gosh they are so good too. If you get the chance to try them please do, You won’t regret it!
Jamielyn says
These looks so easy and delicious! Perfect for Taco Tuesday 🙂
Rachael says
A favorite for taco Tuesday for sure!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
We are in love with these right now! I love these so much!!!
Rachael says
Thank you, we are big fans of Taco night at our house.
Charity says
These tacos look delicious! Taco night is our favorite night of the week!