Mexican Style Ground Beef Taco Meat | Heather Likes Food (2024)

By Heather · Published: May 21, 2021 · Updated: May 21, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links · See the privacy policy linked in my footer.

This is the recipe I reach for most often when we're making ground beef taco, burritos or nachos. It's full of flavor, saucy, and not much harder than reaching for that big bottle of taco seasoning!

If you're tired of reaching for the Costco-sized container of taco seasoning every time you want need ground beef for tacos, enchiladas, or nachos, you have to try this recipe!

I know I'm guilty of going the easy route too, but this recipe is really not that much harder than stirring in premade seasoning.

It is perfect for a myriad of Mexican ground beef recipes and tastes so much better than anything you can shake out of a canister.

📋 Why This Recipe Works

This recipe uses cumin, paprika, chili powder, and dried onion which are all elements in traditional taco seasoning. What sets it apart is the use of green enchilada sauce! The enchilada sauce adds acidity, moisture, and tons of flavor making these ground beef tacos saucy and delicious.

🔪 How To Make The Recipe

1.) Gather your ingredients

You'll need ground beef, paprika, cumin, chili powder, dried onion, and green enchilada sauce.

2.) Brown and crumble the beef

Place the meat in a skillet, cook, and use a spatula to break up and crumble the meat.

3.) Remove the excess fat

I like to fold up a paper towel and move it around in the pan to absorb the excess fat. Sometimes it takes a few paper towels, but it's much easier than transferring the meat into a strainer, in my opinion.

4.) Add the seasoning!

Stir the spices, onion and enchilada sauce into the meat.

5.) Let it it simmer

Let the meat simmer on low to soften the onion and allow the sauce to thicken up a bit. Allow it to simmer as long or little as you'd like or until it's your desired consistency.

6.) Assemble!

See my serving and topping tips below for suggestions on how to use this super versatile meat.

👩🏻‍🍳 Pro Tips

• Salsa or Enchilada Sauce: Use what you have on hand! I've used both salsa and enchilada sauce with great results. Sometimes salsa is thicker and you may need to add a little bit of water to the meat while it simmers.
• Bake the Shells: If you're making crunchy tacos with this meat, remember to bake or heat up the crunchy shells before assembling. It makes a huge difference!

👪 Scaling The Recipe

Cooking for two or a crowd? This recipe is easily adaptable. Use the slider on the recipe card to change the quantity and the ingredient amounts will change accordingly.

🍽 Serving and Topping Suggestions

I love to eat this taco meat in basic taco form with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese but here are some other ideas:

• Wrapped up in a tortilla with beans, spanish rice, and pico de gallo for burritos.
• On top of corn chips with refried beans and cheese for some epic nachos
• Mixed with red enchilada sauce and stuffed inside corn tortillas for beefy enchiladas
• Served on greens with beans and veggies for fresh taco salads

Want Super Fine Taco Meat?

Ever wonder why some taco meat found at restaurants or in chili is ground SUPER fine and how they get it that way? That is the result of actually boiling the hamburger first. This method of cooking brings the temperature of the meat up slowly and prevents it from clumping, keeping it finely ground.

If you'd like to try this method with this recipe, place the beef in a deep pan and add enough cold water to cover the meat. Slowly bring the pan to a boil, stirring often to separate the meat into small crumbles. Once it's to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the meat is brown and fully cooked.

At this point, you'll drain off the water and add the remaining ingredients to the meat, following the recipe card below.

💭 FAQs

🥘 Leftovers and Storing

This taco meat can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days. It can also be place into a freezer zip-lock bag and kept frozen for up to 3 months. When you're ready to eat, place in a skillet with a little bit of water, bring to a simmer, and serve!

• Lodge 10" Cast Iron Skillet:Cast Iron Skillets are your BEST friend and are totally underrated. Cast iron retains heat really well and allows you to get that irresistible sear on steaks and other meats you can usually only get at a restaurant. Pair this with the fact that they are CHEAP it's a no-brainer.
• Chop Stir:This strange little tool makes short work of browning ground meat with its odd shape that allows it to crumble the meat quickly as it cooks.

📖 Recipe