Easy Tacos with Ground Beef |Tacos With A Twist
Craving tacos? Then we have you with our tacos with ground beef! We’ve added our secret weapon ingredient that will surprise and delight your taste buds! This recipe incorporates kimchi for an extra kick and so much flavor.
Instead of going to a taco bar, try making this at home. It is the perfect weeknight meal. We promise your whole family will love these tacos. Try this recipe for your next taco night!
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What ground beef is best for tacos?
For ground beef tacos, it is often popular to use lean ground beef. We like to use sirloin. If you choose to use fattier beef then you will need to drain the excess grease when you cook it up.
Lean ground beef doesn’t have to be dry, it can be flavorful and juicy if cooked the right way.
The most important part of having a good ground beef is making sure it is seasoned ground beef. A good seasoning blend is so important in having your tacos come out flavorful and delicious.
How much taco meat do you need per person?
Using traditional 6″ tortillas or traditional-sized hard taco shells, you should have approximately 2-4 tablespoons per taco.
How can make the tacos low carb?
If you are looking for a low carb alternative you can use this recipe in a lettuce wrap instead of flour or corn tortillas. We recommend using romaine or butter lettuce for these ground beef tacos because they hold up better and typically have larger leaves.
Luckily, the meat is already low-carb so all you have to do is toss it in a lettuce wrap or on a bed of shredded lettuce for a salad!
How To Make Tacos With Ground Beef
Tacos Ingredients
For these ground beef tacos you will need:
Ground beef- we like to use sirloin
DatilGator Taco Lime Seasoning or homemade taco seasoning
Chopped Onion
Flour tortillas or corn tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Kimchi
Shredded cheese
Chopped tomatoes
To make these ground beef tacos with a twist, first grab a large skillet, pour a tablespoon of olive oil in it and heat it over medium heat. Chop up your onions and add them to the skillet, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.
When the onions are translucent, add ground beef. Make sure to season the beef well with DatilGator Taco Lime seasoning or seasoning of your choice (salt, black pepper, taco seasoning). Stir the seasoned beef until it is well cooked and no longer pink.
Optional: Some people like to add tomato sauce or tomato paste to their ground beef to give it extra flavor.
Drain the excess grease from the skillet, pour the beef mixture into a bowl and set aside.
Assembling Your Tacos
Grab your flour or corn tortillas and lay down a scoop of the seasoned ground beef mixture in the tortilla or taco shells.
Then add a little bit of kimchi (homemade or store bought), the shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and shredded cheese!
If you have leftover ingredients like the ground beef filling just store it in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days. You can reuse the taco meat for a taco salad or another taco night!
Substitutions for ground beef
This recipe works best with ground beef but if you aren’t a fan of red meat, there are alternatives! Ground turkey and ground chicken both work well in this recipe and are great substitutes if you want a leaner taco meat.
If you prefer fish, choose a white fish for the filling. You could even use shrimp or scallops, just be sure to use enough taco seasoning blend to amp up the flavor.
How to make homemade taco seasoning?
Homemade taco seasoning is always better than the taco seasoning packets because you can control how much or how little you want of each ingredient. If you love garlic powder or onion powder feel free to be a bit more heavy handed with those ingredients.
Don’t like chili powder as much? Add less!
This seasoning recipe is great because you can make large batches to store for later, simply triple the recipe!
Add 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika , a dash of crushed red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon oregano. Store within a sealed container for 3-6 weeks.
Use two tablespoons per 1lb of ground beef in tacos for cooking. It can also be used on soups, fajitas, taco salads or dry rubs for chicken meat. It tastes great compared to taco spice packets and can be easily used and stored.
How to Make Homemade Kimchi For Ground Beef Tacos
To make this delicious kimchi, first cut the cabbage leaves into 2 inch long pieces. Spread 1/4 of the leaves into a large, non-metallic bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 of the salt. Repeat layering until all of the cabbage has been salted.
Let stand at room temperature for at least 2-3 hours, until a lot of liquid has been pulled from the leaves and the cabbage is tender. Rinse the cabbage in 2 or 3 changes of water. Drain the cabbage well, and return it to the mixing bowl.
Sprinkle the cabbage with the minced garlic, green onions, MSG, and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with additional salt and toss until evenly combined. Pack the mixture into a gallon-sized glass jar. Cover the jar with wax paper and a loose fitting lid so the seal is not airtight.
Allow the cabbage to ferment at room temperature until it reaches the desired degree of sourness. We recommend 2 to 4 days. Take the wax paper off the jar, seal it tight, and place in refrigerator.
What To Serve With Ground Beef Tacos
Creating a taco bar is a great way to serve ground beef tacos – especially if you are looking for an easy entertaining option for Cinco de Mayo!. Decorate the table with all of the fixings- for this recipe we like to use lettuce, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped kimchi as our toppings but feel free to add other desired toppings.
Popular ground beef taco toppings include sour cream, cojita cheese, pico de gallo, iceberg lettuce, and red onions. If you like red onions, try them pickled! You can get pickled red onions at the store or try making them at home!
Don’t forget to serve your tacos with a side of tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa, black beans, and sour cream. It is the perfect snack for a taco party!
Pro tip: Use warm tortillas instead of serving the tortillas straight out of the package. This is takes the tacos to another level, especially with corn tortillas and taco shells. Simply pop them in the oven for a minute at 400 degrees!
Now for the drinks! We love to serve ground beef tacos with a delicious red wine, but other cocktails like a frozen margarita or a tasty mai tai pair beautifully with this dish, as well.
Tools You May Need To Make Tacos With Ground Beef
- Large skillet. This skillet is perfect for cooking your ground beef and onions or anything else you may want to make!
- Taco stand. What is a taco night without a stand to hold up all your delicious ground beef tacos? This stand is ideal for filling soft flour or corn tortillas with beef filling or other taco meat.
- Coravin 6 Wine System. If you’re a wine lover, you must have this incredible gadget. The tool allows you to aerate your wine in seconds and pour your wine without removing the cork. The Coravin preservation system allows you to keep your wine for months without having to worry about it going bad!
- Gallon Glass Jar. These jars are great storage for your homemade kimchi or pickled red onions.
Tacos With Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef we like ground sirloin
- 1 tsp DatilGator Taco Lime Seasoning to taste – it has a bit of a kick, so add 1 tsp and then taste test and add more if you like spice!
- ½ cup chopped onion
- Flour or corn tortillas
- Shredded lettuce
- Shredded cheese
- Chopped tomatoes
- Chopped kimchi
Homemade Kimchi
- 3 heads napa cabbage cored and cut into quarters lengthwise
- 3 heads garlic minced
- 1 bunch green onions cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 ½ tablespoons monosodium glutamate MSG
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or to taste
- ½ cup salt
Instructions
- Chop the onions
- Sauté the beef and onions together, drain and place in serving bowl
- Assemble the tacos with desired toppings
Kimchi Instructions- Cut the cabbage leaves into 2 inch long pieces. Spread 1/4 of the leaves into a large, non-metallic bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 of the salt. Repeat layering all of the cabbage has been salted.
- Let stand at room temperature for at least 2-3 hours, until a lot of liquid has been pulled from the leaves and the cabbage is tender. Rinse the cabbage in 2 or 3 changes of water. Drain the cabbage well, and return it to the mixing bowl.
- Sprinkle the cabbage with the minced garlic, green onions, MSG, and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with additional salt and toss until evenly combined. Pack the mixture into a gallon-sized glass jar. Cover the jar with wax paper and a loose fitting lid so the seal is not airtight.
- Allow the cabbage to ferment at room temperature until it reaches the desired degree of sourness. We recommend 2 to 4 days. Take the wax paper off the jar, seal it tight, and place in refrigerator.
This recipe is a fun twist on your classic ground beef tacos recipe. We love tacos with unexpected flavors and the addition of the kimchi definitely adds a special flare to this recipe.
Try this taco recipe out for your next taco Tuesday. If your family are taco fans we promise this basic recipe will be a hit!
More of Betsi’s Favorite Bites & Sips
In the mood for more Latin inspired delicious recipes? You won’t want to miss out on our pork enchilada casserole! It is the perfect family meal filled with pork, flour tortillas, and tons of shredded cheese!
Love that gooey cheese in a Macaroni & Cheese? Then you’ll swoon over the Instant Pot Loaded Mac & Cheese with Pulled Pork!
Oreo Macaroons are the perfect dessert to finish off any meal!
