How to Make Tacos

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Here is an easy dinner idea my whole family loves. I have this categorized under “Mexican food” but it is definitely not a Mexican taco. This is the All-American ground beef, cheese, lettuce and sour cream taco so many of us grew up on.  We eat this at least once a month for “Taco Tuesdays.” These tacos are also a favorite when eating with cousins at Bear Lake. Here I’m showing how to make dinner less crazy by sort of pre-assembling half of the taco. This makes it easy to eat tacos with a large group.  Enjoy!

American Style Tacos

Ingredients for the Ground Beef:

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional, for a spicy flavor)
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper (optional, for a smoky chili flavor)

Other Taco fillings and toppings

  • Stand ‘n Stuff™ Taco Shells, 10-count
  • Refried beans, black or pinto
  • shredded cheddar/Monterrey jack cheese
  • shredded lettuce
  • tomatoes, diced, seeds removed
  • sour cream
  • sliced olives (optional)
  • cubed avocado (optional)
  • canned picante sauce or salsa
  • hot sauce

Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add diced onion and minced garlic and cook until translucent.  Add the lean ground beef and brown in the onions and garlic.  I often use thawed pre-cooked ground beef that I have prepared previously.  See this post for more information.  Add 1/4 cup water, chili powder, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper powder, and chipotle powder to season the beef.  The water will prevent the ground beef from drying out as the flavors blend.  Meanwhile, warm the refried beans.  We use homemade refried beans from either black or pinto beans.  For traditional refried beans refer to this post.  For refried beans from black beans refer to this post.

Gently coat the bottom of the taco shell with warm refried beans.  I absolutely love Stand ‘n Stuff™ Taco Shells because they allow me to prepare several tacos all at once and create much less mess as they are made to stand up.  Brilliant!  Place warm ground beef on top of the refried beans.  Cover the ground beef with shredded cheese.  Place in a 300 F oven for 5-10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.  Timing is key with this meal.  Assemble just before serving for the best results.

Allow each guest to add hot sauce and the rest of the toppings to their liking; have small bowls of sour cream, picante sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, jalapenos & avocado ready to go. Enjoy!

Keep reading for more taco variations and more pictures

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This is how I assemble tacos for a large group.  Gently fill the Stand ‘n Stuff™ Taco Shells with warm beans, meat and cheese.  Melt at 300 F for 5-10 minutes, serve immediately.

For lower fat tacos drain and rinse fat from ground beef before seasoning with salt and spices.  Ground beef can be replaced with ground turkey.  The same ground beef filling is excellent for taco salada, tostadas or nachos supreme.