20 Minute Ground Beef Tacos

A quick and easy weeknight meal, only 20 minutes to have these fantastic ground beef tacos on the table! Plus, the prepared taco meat freezes beautifully!

Is there anything better then ground beef tacos that are on the table in 20 minutes?  Probably not.  I know it’s definitely one of our favourites – one of those meals that we make very, very regularly.  And will never tire of.

I love these ground beef tacos because they’re so fast and easy to make, but also because you can make a giant batch of the meat and freeze it in portions so an even faster meal is waiting for you in the freezer.  When all you have to do is defrost your ready made taco meat and chop up the toppings, supper is literally minutes away.

This meat is pretty versatile too – we’ve used it in hard ground beef tacos as shown here, but also in soft tacos, taco salad and nachos.  It’s taco meat – it’s fantastic no matter how you serve it!

So, since it’s 30 Minute Thursday, and Cinco de Mayo today, I really needed to share our favourite ground beef tacos with you.  I’ve been making this recipe for years and absolutely love it.  Fast, easy, simple, and full of flavour – we love this taco meat and I’m sure you will too!

Don’t forget to scroll down to below the recipe for a list of more 30 minute meals from my blogging friends.  You can also find previous 30 Minute Thursday posts here with plenty more 30 minute meal inspiration to help with those busy evenings.

Yield: serves 6-8

20 Minute Ground Beef Tacos

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A quick and easy weeknight meal, only 20 minutes to have these fantastic ground beef tacos on the table! Plus, the prepared taco meat freezes beautifully!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 - 398 mL (13.5 fl.oz.) can tomato sauce
• taco fixings - taco shells, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, olives, peppers

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the chopped onion and saute for 1-2 minutes until softened.
3. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up and stirring until it is cooked through, about 5-6 minutes, and then drain the grease.
4. Stir in the garlic, jalapeno pepper (if using), chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and cook for another 30 seconds.
5. Add the tomato sauce, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Serve with whatever taco fixings your family likes.

Notes

I typically don’t add the jalapeno pepper to my taco meat as my kids find it too spicy, but I prefer it with the added heat. Without the seeds it really doesn’t make it too spicy - unless your family dislikes spicy food as much as my kids do! The prepared taco meat also freezes very well if you want to double or triple the recipe and then freeze it in smaller portions in ziplock bags.

Source: Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Swiss Diamond Nonstick Sauteuse, 4.5-Quart
• 
  Old El Paso Taco shells
• 
  The Pampered Chef Garlic Press
• 
  Measuring Cups/Spoons

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1/8 recipe
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 419Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 810mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 35g

Nutrition Information is estimated based on ingredients used and may not be exact.

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