Easiest and Best Ground Beef Tacos

Now that I’ve introduced you to the concept of Cozy Friday, you’re going to need an easy and delicious taco recipe to get you started. I’ve got you covered! This has been my go-to taco recipe for years and still holds a very special place in my recipe box for when we are craving some straight-up old school tacos.

Let’s face it, the world of tacos has grown exponentially since the 1970s when my mom made tacos for our family. EVERYONE ate ground beef tacos back then. That’s all there was. Nowadays the options for fillings are endless: Black bean and sweet potato, pork carnitas, lentils and roasted cauliflower, egg and chorizo, shredded chicken….I could go on and on. While I love venturing out into the brave new world of tacos, sometimes I just want that classic ground beef taco with ALL the fixings.

Part of the idea behind Cozy Friday is that you shouldn’t have to do a lot of work in the kitchen if you don’t want to. You’ve just finished a long stressful week of whatever it is that you do. You deserve a break, a chance to kick back, relax and celebrate that the weekend has officially begun. This is why we in the United States tend to go out on Friday nights. We want easy, festive and NO WORK WHATSOEVER. If you are in the no work whatsoever on Fridays camp, I highly recommend that you make the taco filling in advance (it reheats beautifully) so that you can truly enjoy your Cozy Friday in leisurely style. Let me know if you give these tacos a try in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you think!

Easiest and Best Ground Beef Tacos

A simple, delicious recipe for traditional ground beef tacos.

• Author: Kristi
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Cozy Friday
• Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian, Mexican

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For Taco Filling:

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 small onion, diced fine

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 pound ground beef, approximately 90% lean

½ cup chicken broth

½ cup smooth tomato sauce

1 teaspoon packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

 

To Serve:

Tortillas (flour or corn, soft or hard shell)

Shredded lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Shredded cheddar cheese

Avocado

Sour cream

Hot sauce

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.   Add onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic and spices.  Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add ground beef and saute until no longer pink and just cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.

3. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, brown sugar and vinegar.  Stir to combine and allow mixture to simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes.  Season to taste with additional salt if necessary. Serve with tortillas and toppings.

Notes

*Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Keywords: Cozy Friday, tacos, ground beef, easy, quick, simple