Easy Ground Beef Taco Meat
This easy taco meat recipe is made with ground beef, taco seasoning, and water for a simple, flavorful filling that’s perfect for tacos, nachos, burritos, taco salads, and more.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican, Mexican-Inspired, Tex-Mex
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning (see notes for individual seasonings)
- or 2 standard 1-ounce packets taco seasoning
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon or meat chopper, until browned and cooked through, about 7–10 minutes.
- Drain off excess grease if needed.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Sprinkle the taco seasoning evenly over the cooked beef.
- Pour in 1/2 cup water and stir well until all of the beef is coated.
- Simmer uncovered for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has cooked down and the meat is well coated with the seasoning.
- Remove from the heat and use immediately for tacos, nachos, burritos, quesadillas, taco salad, or your favorite Mexican-inspired recipes.
Notes
- To make 1 pound of taco meat: Use 1 pound ground beef, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, and 1/4 cup water.
- Homemade taco seasoning: Use 2 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning per pound of ground beef.
- No taco seasoning on hand? For this recipe, use:
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon each paprika garlic powder, onion powder, and salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- and 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano.
- For loaded nachos: You can stir cooked cilantro lime rice or Spanish rice into the finished taco meat before adding it to your nachos.
- Ground turkey or ground chicken can be substituted for the ground beef.
- For extra onion flavor, cook diced onion along with the ground beef.
Find it online: https://ourgratefulkitchen.com/ground-beef-taco-meat/