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    Home » Real Food » 30-Minute Meals » The Best Taco Meat Recipe

    The Best Taco Meat Recipe

    By Kristen Chidsey | 67 Comments | Published January 28, 2020 | Updated September 15, 2020 *This post may include amazon links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Nothing beats homemade tacos and this recipe for taco meat is just like authentic Mexican restaurants. Perfectly seasoned, perfectly sauced, this taco meat will be a staple for easy weeknight dinners. Perfect for loading up on tacos or using in a variety of other recipes like burritos, taco salad, and taco pizza.

    The absolute BEST Taco Meat! Made with a homemade blend of taco seasonings and tomato sauce, this makes the most flavorful and juiciest taco meat EVER! This easy recipe comes together in just 15 minutes and is the perfect base for Tacos. 

    Serve up this perfectly seasoned taco meat as traditional tacos, on nachos, in taco salad, as a layer in Instant Pot Mexican Lasagna, on top of taco pizza, or stuffed in baked sweet potatoes, for an easy and delicious family meal.

     3 Ingredient Taco Meat in skillet surronded by ingredients for tacos

    Tacos

    One family meal that never disappoints is Tacos. My family loves just about every version of tacos I can think up to serve--Buffalo Chicken Tacos, Lentil Tacos, Honey Lime Chicken Tacos, and the list goes on....

    However, our absolute favorite version of tacos have to be classic tacos made with ground beef. There is just something about taco meat piled on a taco shell and then loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. It is a simple meal that never disappoints!

    In order to have the BEST tacos, you need to start out with a really good taco meat. And this is the BEST recipe for taco meat--PERIOD!

    Ground meat is coated with a perfectly spiced tomato sauce that tastes just like taco meat you get from your favorite taco place. Just this recipe for taco meat has no added MSG, gluten, and is MUCH lower in sodium.

    Bottom line--this recipe needs to be a staple at your house. It is inexpensive, simple, kid-friendly, and while this taco meat taste amazing on tacos, it can be used in numerous ways so you will never tire of it!

    Ingredients for Taco Meat

    • Ground meat--Use any ground meat you like for homemade tacos. Beef, turkey, chicken, or pork all work well.
    • Tomato Sauce--Really good tacos have a saucy tomato base, and by adding in a little bit of canned tomato sauce, you can easily replicate the taste of authentic tacos and keeps this taco meat super moist.
    • Taco Seasoning--I use my homemade taco seasoning that I prepare in bulk which I love having on hand. But you can simply use the spices listed in the recipe card instead of using the homemade blend.

    How To Cook Taco Meat

    Homemade taco meat is one of the first things my mom had me make when I was learning to cook, because it is so SIMPLE. But let me share a few tips to make this truly the best taco meat.

    • Heat a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. If using a stainless steel skillet, add in ½ tablespoon oil to prevent meat from sticking. 
    • Add in ground meat and begin to break up in small chunks as the meat browns, stirring frequently to evenly brown the meat.
    • Once the meat is browned, drain off excess grease, if you have any. You can even blot with a paper towel to absorb more grease, if desired.

    Pro Tip: If you want to prepare taco meat like Mexican Restaurants, get out your food processor and pulse the browned up up meat until very small crumbles form. Be careful to not over process. you simply want to pulse a few times to break the meat down. Return the skillet and proceed with the recipe. 

    Skillet with ground beef browned and broken up

    • Return drained meat to skillet and add in tomato sauce, ¼ cup water, and the seasonings.

    Ingredients for Taco Meat in Skillet

    • Simmer over medium heat until liquid from tomatoes has been absorbed, about 5-7 minutes.

    Taco meat in skillet

    Ways to use Taco Meat

    Of course it is traditional to serve this taco meat on soft or hard taco shells and top with your favorite toppings like cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and sour cream. BUT, there are so many more creative ways to use taco meat.

    • Taco Salad --Make a simple taco salad by starting with a base of lettuce then topping with taco meat, diced tomatoes, olives, onions, corn, cheese and of course some tortilla chips.
    • Nachos--Spread out tortilla chips (or homemade sweet potato chips) and top with this recipe for taco meat and cheese. Melt for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven and then top with all the fresh toppings.
    • Taco Pizza--Top homemade pizza dough with refried beans, taco meat, and cheese. Bake and top with all the taco toppings.
    • Taco Pasta: Taco meat is used as the base of this super easy, one-pot pasta meal.
    • Wonton Taco Cups--wontons are baked and served as mini taco shells.
    • Stuffed Potatoes--I love to use perfectly baked sweet potatoes or russet baked potatoes as a healthy option for serving my taco meat. Simple, hearty, and always a winner at my house!

    2 tacos on cutting board

    Using Frozen Meat

    A lot of people ask me how to make taco meat using frozen ground beef or frozen ground chicken or turkey. I do not recommend trying to cook frozen meat in a skillet or defrost in a microwave. However, you can cook frozen meat in your instant pot for Instant Pot Taco Meat. 

    Once you have followed my directions for Instant Pot Frozen Ground Meat, release pressure, drain fat and then turn Instant Pot to saute function. Add in seasonings and tomatoes, water, and saute for 5 minutes or until warmed through. Serve as desired.

    How to Freeze Taco Meat

    Let me give you some advice--double, better yet triple, this recipe and freeze for the base for an easy dinner ready and waiting for you! If you follow these tips, you can have frozen taco meat ready to pull out of the freezer for busy nights--and these tips will help you prevent freezer burn on your meat!

    • Double or triple recipe for taco meat.
    • Allow meat to cool completely.
    • Portion taco meat out into 1 pound or ½ pound servings.
    • Place each portion into a freezer safe storage bag. Squeeze out excess air from bag and seal until only a small opening remains.
    • Place a straw into the small opening, being sure the bag is sealed around the straw. Suck air out of bag through the straw and watch the bag collapse around meat mixture.
    • Remove straw and seal quickly.
    • Don't forget to label the bag!
    • Store in the freezer for 3 months.
    • To Thaw, place in refrigerator night before needed and reheat in microwave safe dish. You can also thaw in the microwave, but a slow thaw is better.

     Serve Tacos with

    • Pina Colada Smoothie
    • Mexican Grilled Corn
    • Cilantro Lime Rice
    • Mexican Quinoa Salad
    • Instant Pot Refried Beans

     

    Taco Meat in skillet with wooden spoon

    Taco Meat

    This is the best recipe taco meat! Made with the just the right ratio of spices, this taco meat is perfect for tacos, burritos, taco salad, or taco pizza. 
    4.99 from 62 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 6 -8
    Calories: 162kcal
    Author: Kristen Chidsey

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound of lean ground sirloin or ground chicken, turkey or pork
    • ½ cup tomato sauce
    • ¼ cup water
    • ½ tablespoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon paprika
    • ⅛ teaspoon oregano
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    Prevents your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe.

    Instructions

    • Brown up the ground sirloin over medium-high heat, crumbling the beef up into small chunks. Once completely browned, drain off any excess fat and blot with a paper towel to get any residual grease.
    • Return meat to heat and add in tomato sauce, water, and spices. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
    • Serve as desired.

    Notes

    • Feel free to use any ground meat (chicken, pork, turkey, etc) for this Taco Meat recipe. 
    • In place of the spices, feel free to use 2 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning. 
    • Omit the salt to control the sodium in these homemade tacos. 
    • Slow cooker Taco Meat: Brown the meat and place in slow cooker along with tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Add in ½ cup of water and cook on low for 4 hours.
    • Store leftover cooled taco meat in a sealed container or storage bag for 3 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 162kcal | Protein: 14g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 223mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1.6mg
    Liked this Recipe? Tag me Today!Snap a picture and tag #amindfullmom on Instagram - I would love to see!

     

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    About Kristen Chidsey

    Hi, I am Kristen, creator of A Mind "Full" Mom. I believe that making a wholesome family meal does not need to be hard or expensive! I love nothing more than to share with you delicious solutions for your hungry family.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jessica

      January 10, 2021 at 10:22 am

      Hi- Thank you for sharing your recipe. I can’t wait to try it. For the slow cooker recipe, is the 1/2 cup of water in addition to the 1/4 cup listed or instead of? How much total water is needed for slow cooker version? Thank you.

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        January 10, 2021 at 10:25 am

        You would use 1/2 cup water TOTAL for slow cooker recipe. Enjoy!

        Reply
      • Mike zskiman

        May 31, 2021 at 7:33 am

        I love this recipe, greatest taco meat I've ever made !! Please remove some of the pain in the ass pop ups and ads from your site!!

        Reply
        • Kristen Chidsey

          May 31, 2021 at 8:26 am

          Hi Mike! I am glad to know you enjoy this recipe. I have my site set to not have any pop-up ads, other than the video for the taco meat recipe, so I will be sure to check into that. Thanks for alerting me to the issue.

          Reply
        • Elle

          June 22, 2021 at 7:47 pm

          I've never had a pop up ad on this site. maybe check your computer for adware?

          Reply
    2. T Crisp

      October 27, 2020 at 9:06 am

      5 stars
      I’m so happy to have found and tried this delicious recipe! This is the best homemade seasoning I’ve tried yet and so easy since I have all the ingredients on hand at all times. My daughter is gluten free and we have tried a few seasonings but this recipe is completely delicious. I followed recipe exactly except doubled it. I thought the salt level was just right.

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        October 27, 2020 at 12:49 pm

        I absolutely love hearing that! Thank you so much for sharing! Happy I could help you find a delicious recipe you can safely enjoy!

        Reply
      • Lauren

        March 03, 2021 at 8:33 pm

        5 stars
        Hi,
        Great recipe! I see the calories listed but can you tell me the actual serving size? Thank you!

        Reply
        • Kristen Chidsey

          March 04, 2021 at 6:37 am

          This ends up to be about 3 ounces per serving--or just about 1/3 cup.

          Reply
          • Jen

            April 01, 2021 at 12:35 pm

            5 stars
            This is perfect taco meat! My hard to please teenager asked if it was different and said she liked it - that’s a huge compliment! 😁

            Reply
            • Kristen Chidsey

              April 01, 2021 at 3:49 pm

              Wahoo!! I love hearing when picky kids enjoy!!

    3. Jaclyn Riemer

      October 19, 2020 at 7:12 pm

      5 stars
      Added a couple of tablespoons beef OXO and it is wonderful!

      Reply
    4. John

      October 08, 2020 at 7:18 pm

      5 stars
      Best tacos I've ever had. This is definitely a keeper!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        October 09, 2020 at 7:03 am

        I am so glad you enjoyed!

        Reply
    5. Gerry

      September 29, 2020 at 3:47 pm

      5 stars
      Made with ground turkey. YUM!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        September 30, 2020 at 7:10 am

        So glad you enjoyed Gerry and thank you for taking the time to leave a review.

        Reply
    6. Michelle

      September 26, 2020 at 10:45 pm

      4 stars
      Too salty! I think with the tomato sauce. you could get away with using 1/2 teaspoon of salt instead of 1! Otherwise, it was really tasty!

      Reply
    7. Jeff Moody

      September 02, 2020 at 7:23 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is very good. It doesn't produce as much juice as in the picture but that really doesn't matter. I used one pound of ground beef and it was enough for nine hardshell tacos. Absolutely delicious.

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        September 03, 2020 at 7:02 am

        So glad you enjoyed Jeff!

        Reply
    8. Sarah B

      August 25, 2020 at 8:43 am

      5 stars
      We love the flavor in this meat. But I had to reduce the salt by half after the first batch.

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        August 25, 2020 at 9:22 am

        I am so glad you enjoyed and it is wonderful to make adjustments for your own taste--the best part about homemade cooking.

        Reply
    9. Susan Simmons

      July 20, 2020 at 8:54 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        July 21, 2020 at 6:42 am

        Hi Susan! So glad you enjoyed!

        Reply
    10. Ratsika

      July 03, 2020 at 9:52 pm

      What do you mean by 'tomato sauce'? Crushed tomatoes, ketchup, tomato paste?

      Thank you.

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        July 04, 2020 at 7:05 am

        Hi Ratsika. By tomato sauce, I am referring to a can labeled tomato sauce, which is like crushed tomatoes.

        Reply
        • Adam C

          January 20, 2021 at 2:02 pm

          5 stars
          I made this for nachos last night and it came out so good. Definitely will be my “go to” recipe for taco meat from now on!

          Reply
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