Crunchy beef tacos
Seasoned beef in crunchy shells with all the toppings, and a homemade spice mix that beats the packet.
- 25 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $3.22 a serving
- 470 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 lb lean ground beef (90/10)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 8 taco shells
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- ½ cup pico de gallo
- ¼ cup sour cream (optional)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ cup water
Each serving has about 470 calories, 32 g protein, 21 g carbs and 28 g fat, and costs about $3.22 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No lean ground beef? Ground beef works.
- No shredded lettuce? Iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or mexican blend cheese or monterey jack cheese works.
- No pico de gallo? Salsa works.
- No sour cream? Plain greek yogurt works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 350°F for warming the taco shells.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Stir the chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and salt together in a small bowl.
Heat the oil in a large over medium-high, add the beef, and press it into a flat layer. Leave it 3 minutes, until underneath.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min
Dolly’s tip: The flat layer and the wait are the whole trick. Stirring right away keeps it gray.Break it into small with a wooden spoon and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, until no pink is left.
Crumble. Crumbling means breaking food into small, rough bits with your fingers or a spoon, like feta or ground meat in the pan. Small bits spread through the dish, so there’s some in every bite.
How you’ll know: The pieces are small and uneven, about pea-size, with no big clumps left.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Turn the heat to medium, sprinkle in the spice mix and tomato paste, and stir 1 minute, until the meat is coated and smells toasty.
Medium heat
Pour in the water and let it bubble 3 to 4 minutes, stirring now and then, until it into a saucy coating.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
While it bubbles, set the taco shells on a and warm them in the oven for 5 minutes.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Timer: 5 min
Fill each shell with beef, then lettuce, cheese and pico. Add sour cream and a squeeze of lime if you like.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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