A Classic Beef Taco Recipe
While there are many different types of taco combinations to make (like shrimp or pork carnitas), nothing can truly beat the classic combination of a beef taco. This beef taco recipe is the exact type of thing you would imagine when planning for Taco Tuesday, or better yet when you make a quick order over at Taco Bell.
Making the classic beef taco at home is much easier than you think. The trick is to use a good amount of seasoning, mixed with water, in order to make a taco sauce. That sauce is what makes the meat taste delectable and will have you eating taco after taco after taco.
To make the sauce, you simply mix in 2 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning or buy a taco seasoning packet at the store. You mix it in after draining the fat from the beef, as well as adding the water. A sauce will form as you continue to mix it into the meat.
Now for some homemade seasonings, creating a thick sauce can be a bit more difficult than using a seasoning packet. That's because the homemade seasoning doesn't have a thickener in it (like the packet does). You can add in a cornstarch slurry by mixing a 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch with the water before pouring it into the skillet.
Here's how to make that classic beef taco right at home!
Beef Taco Recipe
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
hard taco shells
taco cheese
pico de gallo
shredded lettuce
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven for taco shells, based on packaging instructions.
- Cook the ground beef in a skillet, draining the excess fat into a can. Do not pour the fat down the drain, it is bad for your sink.
- Sprinkle on two tablespoons of taco seasoning with the water. Cook until the sauce has thickened and mixed through the meat.
- Warm up the hard shell tortillas in the oven.
- Serve the taco meat on warmed shells with taco cheese, shredded lettuce, and pico de gallo.
