To me, anything in a tortilla is basically a taco, though I did take liberty with this recipe. Want to whip up 7-minute ground beef soft tacos like it’s nothin’? Follow along, use my recipe that I’ve included in this post. Or, alter the ingredients and create your own taco magic.
7-Minute Ground Beef Soft Tacos – 5 Steps to Success on Video
Ground Beef Soft Tacos Can Also Be Ground Turkey, Chicken or Pork Tacos
Hey, listen. These are tough times for some. If you don’t have beef, don’t sweat it. Ground anything will work for this soft taco recipe. For simplicity’s sake, I’m going to refer to ground beef throughout this recipe. But if you don’t have any available, use what you do have.
Ground pork
Ground pork, or even a ground pork and crumbled sausage mix, will work just as well. Make sure, if you use pork, to cook it all the way through. Drain the fat, and season to your liking.
Ground turkey
Ground turkey subs in as a leaner ground-meat alternative for our soft tacos. If you’re trying to limit saturated fat, the ground turkey option could be your taco go-to. Just be sure to read the package for fat content. If your ground turkey is higher in fat, it probably has turkey skin ground up in there. Consider that this may not be desirable, and go for the leanest ground turkey option you can find.
Crumbled sausage
Crumbled sausage. We’re getting off the beaten path here, yes. But my recipes always leave room for creativity and ad-libbed adjustments using whatever you have. So if all you have is a package of sausage, that could work for your soft taco dinner. It’ll be much higher in fat though. So in that case you might want to cut the sausage with rice and beans. You could also omit the cheese if limiting fat.
Seitan, or other vegan ground meat substitute
Seitan and other meat replacement foods typically consist of some blend of beans, like soy and other legumes. This will work for vegans out there who crave some taco time.
The best meat for your ground beef soft tacos
Okay, let’s assume that you’ve decided to go with beef for your delicious taco dinner. You want the best quality ground beef, so where to find that? Grass-fed beef contans the highest nutritional content, due to the animal’s living a low-stress lifestyle and being permitted to graze outdoors on grass, their proper diet in nature. This is compared to the meats processed by commonly known companies who distribute meat to grocery stores.
Ground beef soft tacos, 2 pan meal
You could make this a one-pan meal if you wanted to, but I like being able to melt the cheese in the oven. I don’t know if that technically makes these some type of quesadilla. But does it really matter? It’s a great dinner. You’re going to feel satisfied and happy after you eat these.
So, how to do the 2-pan taco thing?
- Precook your meat, seasonings and veggies/aromatics in a pan on the stove.
- Place on a soft-shell taco along with rice and cheese, then bake to melted.
How to do this as a one-pan meal?
Well, you could just skip the whole part where you’re melting the cheese on the tortilla. Instead, add rice to the beef and cook it to warm. Sprinkle cheese on top, right in the pan. Cover, and let melt. Then use a spatula to scoop the meat, veg, rice and cheese mixture onto a tortilla that you warm up in the toaster oven.
Make your own taco spice blend
Fun fact: those taco seasoning packets that you get in the store-bought taco kit can give you high blood pressure if you’re prone to it. The mystery powder is usually high in sodium due to having MSG. Great news, you can control the sodium. Make your own taco seasoning using the following ingredients:
- Paprika
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Cayenne
- Oregano
- Black pepper
- Salt (amount controlled by you)
Ground Beef Soft Tacos – Recipe
Okay, we’ve talked enough taco. Let’s get to the recipe!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp taco seasoning (can be a store-bought blend, or just sprinkle in some chili powder, paprika, oregano and chili powder)
- 1 medium can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups shredded cheese (or you can do sliced cheese, like I did – about half a block, in that case)
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
To make:
Add the ground beef and seasonings to a skillet and cook on medium high, stirring frequently until just cooked. If it’s very lean (90%+) ground beef, you can add a drizzle of olive oil. Add onion and pepper pieces. Stir in rice. Cook for several minutes more until onion is translucent. Turn off heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place four taco shells on a baking tray. Add a few scoops of the meat, rice and veggie mixture. Top each taco with a few slices of cheddar, or a few handfuls of shredded cheddar if that’s what you’re using.
Bake just a few minutes until the cheese melts. Top each with diced tomato and cilantro.
Serve warm. Makes 4 tacos.
