Beef Taco Night (Printable)

A festive Tex-Mex dish combining seasoned beef, crisp veggies, cheese, and creamy avocado in warm tortillas.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef

01 - 1 lb lean ground beef

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 medium tomato, diced
05 - 1 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded

→ Spices & Seasonings

06 - 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
07 - 1 tsp chili powder
08 - ½ tsp smoked paprika
09 - ½ tsp dried oregano
10 - ½ tsp salt
11 - ¼ tsp black pepper

→ Sauces & Dairy

12 - 1 tbsp tomato paste
13 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
14 - ½ cup sour cream

→ Toppings & Extras

15 - 8 small corn or flour tortillas
16 - 1 small avocado, sliced
17 - 1 lime, cut into wedges
18 - Fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
19 - Jalapeño slices (optional)
20 - Salsa, to serve

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula, and cook until browned, approximately 5 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
02 - Add the finely chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until softened.
03 - Stir in tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute until aromatic.
04 - Add diced tomato and 2 tablespoons of water. Lower heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Heat tortillas in a dry skillet or microwave until pliable.
06 - Spoon the beef mixture onto each tortilla and top with shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, and jalapeños as desired.
07 - Serve immediately alongside lime wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Takes less than 35 minutes from start to finish, so weeknight dinners actually happen without stress.
  • Everyone builds their own taco, which means fewer complaints and more happy faces at the table.
  • The spice blend hits that perfect sweet spot—flavorful without being intimidating if you're new to cooking.
  • Somehow tastes even better as leftovers the next day when you're standing in front of the fridge at lunch.
02 -
  • Don't skip the tomato paste—it's only a tablespoon but it deepens the entire flavor in a way that feels almost magic, and I learned this after making bland tacos for longer than I'd like to admit.
  • Warming the tortillas actually matters because a cold tortilla is brittle and will crack, but a warm one wraps around fillings like it's supposed to, which is a small detail that changes everything.
  • Let people build their own plates instead of pre-assembling—everyone's ratio of toppings to meat is different, and you'll avoid the person who's too polite to ask for more cheese.
03 -
  • Brown the beef over medium rather than high heat—it takes a few extra minutes but the meat stays tender instead of getting tough and dense, which changes the whole bite.
  • Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving because every ground beef tastes slightly different, and what seems perfect in the skillet might need a pinch more salt or a dash more cumin once everything's combined.

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