Well-seasoned and quick to prepare, this Ground Beef Taco Meat is perfect for hard and soft-shell tacos, as well as salads, burritos, enchiladas and more!
This ground beef taco meat recipe is flavorful, tender, and incredibly simple to make. I've been making this recipe in my own home for many years, and the taste brings back all the classic Americanized taco vibes from my childhood. This hearty beef taco filling is a nod to those memories but made with simple pantry ingredients. This recipe also includes a little something different: refried beans
Adding refried beans to seasoned ground beef not only adds tons of flavor but also helps thicken up the filling without needing to add too much of an actual thickener. Curious why a thickener is added at all? If you've ever looked on the back of one of those seasoning packets, it's one of the first ingredients listed. It gives the taco meat a heartier bite. While it can be left out, I highly recommend giving it a try!
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
- lean ground beef (feel free to swap this out with ground chicken or turkey)
- red onion
- tomato paste
- salt + pepper
- spices (this recipe uses a homemade taco seasoning, but you can also substitute it with store-bought taco seasoning if you want)
- cornstarch (this thickens up the taco mixture, but if you are using store-bought taco seasoning with cornstarch already in it, you can omit this)
- refried beans (this adds some flavor and nutrition to the taco meat, as well as thickening it, but it can be left out)
- beef broth (chicken broth or water can be substituted)
Quick Tips for Making It
- The recipe calls for lean ground beef. This typically will mean you won't need to drain any excess rendered fat after the beef is cooked, but this can vary. A tiny bit of fat is ok, you wouldn't want the taco filling to be dry. But too much fat left in the pan can mean a greasy and unappealing texture to the taco meat. If there is more than a tablespoon of rendered fat after cooking the beef, be sure to drain it.
- Toasting the spices and tomato paste before adding in the beef broth helps strengthen their flavor, so don't skip that step.
- In the end, let it gently simmer to bring all the flavors together, but don't overcook it at a rapid boil.
Storage Info
The recipe makes a generous portion of beef taco filling because having leftover filling later in the week can mean another quick dinner.
Store any leftover ground beef filling for 3-4 days in a covered container in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen for up to a month.
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Beef Taco Filling
- Prep Time: 00:03
- Cook Time: 00:18
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: Serves about 6
- Category: Dinner
Description
Well-seasoned and quick to prepare, this Ground Beef Taco Meat is perfect for hard and soft-shell tacos, as well as salads, burritos, enchiladas and more!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1 small red onion, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup refried beans
- ¾ cup beef broth
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Once hot, add the beef and cook until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. If a lot of fat has been rendered, drain off nearly all of it.
- Reduce the heat to medium low, add the onion, and cook until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano and cornstarch and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the refried beans and the broth and scrape up any browned bits. Cook until the mixture has thickened up and the broth has reduced, about 5-7 minutes.
- Serve hot in tacos or as desired.
Notes
This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease the volume by half.
Originally published in 2022, this recipe has been regularly re-tested and updated to ensure it remains perfect.
Allison W
This is the absolute best beef taco meat ever. The fact that's it's so easy and fast is just the icing on the cake. It's perfectly seasoned, the consistency is divine and it's just so so so delicious. I'm often not a fan of ground beef taco meat when it's very tomato-y if that makes sense? This isn't and just adds to my love of it. Saved as a favorite and will be making on repeat. Thanks, Kelly!!