GROUND BEEF TACO SKILLET
on Jul 22, 2024
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When I’m feeling Mexican but want minimal cleanup, I turn to my Ground Beef Taco Skillet. This one-pan skillet recipe is just as delicious as a full taco bar and even easier to put together.
While I love a taco bar, I don’t always love how many dishes I’m left with afterward! The little dishes and bowls of toppings are cute, but they make for a sink full of dirty dishes.
Recipe Tip
One trick that I often use on busy nights is to use onion and garlic powder instead of fresh onion and garlic. It’s two fewer things that you have to chop, meaning you can get dinner on the table even faster.
One-pan dinners like this are also pretty forgivable and customizable. Everything is cooked together in the same pan, so if you forget a step, don’t sweat. I’ve also included swaps below for you to consider for this taco-inspired meal and I use healthy pantry staples whenever possible. Jarred salsa, canned beans, and taco seasoning make for a “dump and go” kind of meal.
Filled with healthy protein and veggies, this beef taco skillet dinner is sure to make a regular appearance in your meal rotation. It’s a crowd-pleaser that’s easy enough for a weeknight but just as good for a fiesta party too. I’m 100% confident it will win over just about everyone! Cheers!
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Key Ingredients for This Taco Skillet Dinner
Taco night isn’t complicated — especially with this one pan dinner! Make sure you have these ingredients at the ready for the ultimate (easy) fiesta.
- Beef: Rich in protein, ground beef is a great staple for weeknight meals. It’s quick cooking and less intimidating than a higher-priced cut of beef. I always look for grass-fed and organic beef, and ideally regenerative, too. @forceofnaturemeats is a great brand that hits all three of these marks. You can find it at Whole Foods or buy it online. Ground turkey or chicken would work great here too.
- Red Onion: When cooked down, red onion has a milder and slightly sweeter flavor profile than white onion. If you don’t have red onion on hand, you can use onion powder instead.
- Garlic: Adding minced garlic while the meat has already been browning ensures you aren’t scorching or burning the garlic. For this too, use garlic powder instead if you want to keep the chopping to a minimum.
- Taco Seasoning: Adding instant Mexican flavor to any dish, taco seasoning is a time saver. It’s typically a blend of ground spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, oregano, and chiles. My favorite is from food blogger and recipe creator Gaby Dalkin and her spice brand @dalkinandco. But @sietefoods also sells taco seasoning packets that are non-GMO, gluten-free, and soy-free.
- Red Salsa: Using salsa as opposed to canned or diced tomatoes is another way to pack in a ton of flavor easily. I always have a few jars of salsa on hand, whether it’s for a chile like my Loaded Veggie Salsa Verde Chicken Chili or to serve as a quick app alongside guac and @sietefoods chips.
- Beans: Another hit of protein, black beans are quintessential to tacos. Be sure to drain and rinse to avoid adding any extra liquid or sodium.
- Corn: Nothing is better than an ear of juicy corn. To cut corn off the cob, simply place it upright on a cutting board and shave off the kernels. For the other 10 months of the year when corn isn’t in season, go ahead and use frozen corn.
- Toppings: The toppings are really the best part of taco assembly. For this skillet dish, I add a pile of shaved iceberg lettuce, crushed tortilla chips (@sietefoods is my absolute favorite brand), chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, taco sauce, and dairy-free sour cream.
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Pin ItGround Beef Taco Skillet Step-by-Step Instructions
Let’s get cooking! First, choose your cooking pan. This meal is best served right to the table so choose something that is large enough to hold everything and something you’d want to show off. I use either this large stainless steel skillet from Le Creuset or my Dutch oven.
To start, heat avocado oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook for about 5 minutes. You’ll want to break up the beef as it cooks into smaller pieces using a wooden spoon. Once cooked, remove some of the grease using a dry paper towel.
Then, add the diced red onion and garlic (or onion powder and garlic powder), taco seasoning, and salt and pepper to the skillet and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
Add in a squeeze of tomato paste to develop a richer flavor, followed by the jar of salsa, drained and rinsed black beans, and corn. Stir to combine and cook for 5 to 7 more minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro and the juice of a lime.
Serve with your favorite toppings. I love adding shaved iceberg lettuce, crushed tortilla chips, more cilantro, avocado slices, taco sauce, and dairy-free sour cream. ENJOY!
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GROUND BEEF TACO SKILLET
Ingredients
Taco Skillet:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- Salt and pepper to season
- ½ medium-sized red onion, diced (or 2 teaspoons onion powder)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or ⅓ teaspoon garlic powder)
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning (I used Dalkin&Co)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- (1) 15-20 ounce jar of red salsa
- (1) 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups corn (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
Toppings:
- Shaved iceberg lettuce
- Tortilla chips
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Sliced avocado
- Taco sauce (I use Siete Creamy Jalapeño Botana sauce, but go ahead and use your favorite)
Instructions
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat avocado oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces.
- Add the onion, garlic, taco seasoning, salt, and pepper to the skillet and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, salsa, black beans, and corn, stirring to combine, and cook for 5 to 7 more minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro and the juice of 1 lime.
- Serve with shaved iceberg lettuce, crushed tortilla chips, more cilantro, avocado slices, and your favorite taco sauce.
- ENJOY!
