Recipes
Published on January 22, 2019

Homemade Seasoned Tacos RECIPE

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Once upon a time, in college, all I had left in my fridge was ground beef, and in the pantry: tomato paste and corn tortillas. So, I made taco meat with tomato paste and a TON of pepper/salt and other seasonings that I had on hand. It turned out pretty killer and over the course of the past decade it has been evolving. For those who have asked me to write some sort of recipe for the (unusual) way that I create my taco meat at home, this is for you. Although I transform this recipe in to other things from time to time or switch up the ingredients– this is the basic gist of what I do. Nothin’ fancy, but a staple in my household because it’s pretty simple to make and everyone enjoys it. (P.S. sometimes the day after left-overs are even better!)

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS/

  • 3 lbs. ground beef
  • salt/pepper (use your eye and add accordingly by taste)
  • cumin (about 1 tbsp.)
  • onion powder (about 1 tbsp.)
  • smoked paprika (about 1 tbsp.)
  • chili powder (about 1 tbsp.)
  • garlic powder (about 1 tbsp.)
  • celery salt (about 1 tbsp.)
  • 1 lemon’s juice
  • 2 cans of tomato paste
  • hot sauce (your preference + level of heat)
  • 1 large onion
  • grass-fed butter (about a large spoonful)

DIRECTIONS/

  1. Heat up stainless steel pot on Medium. Add butter, let melt.
  2. Chop onion and add to butter, add a pinch or so of salt to sweat the onion.
  3. Once onions are clear, add the ground beef and use cooking utensil to mash up and break-up any large chunks (to what extent is your own preference).
  4. Once meat is broken apart evenly, add in salt/pepper, then cumin, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, celery salt. Mix evenly.
  5. Let cook for about 5-6 minutes, then add the 2 cans of tomato paste, lemon juice, and hot sauce, mix and disperse evenly until no chunks of any ingredients are visible.
  6. Leave on heat until meat is cooked through. (Sometimes I’ll add a little butter at the end and turn up the heat to make some crispy pieces – but that can turn disastrous quick, so proceed with caution, lol.)
  7. Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings, or in a burrito, taco salad – your choice.
  8. Enjoy!

x. Heather