30 Minute Beef Taco Skillet
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A quick and easy dinner to throw together in 30 minutes, this Beef Taco Skillet will become a regular on Taco Tuesday. It gets even better, this skillet meal is made in one pan!
Our Taco Tuesdays are usually an easy night to make dinner for me. The hardest part is really chopping up the toppings and that’s not really hard. Making this 30 minute Beef Taco Skillet meal isn’t hard either and it gives a new way to serve tacos. One pan to cook it all in, I love that.
The recipe uses a homemade taco seasoning, which is a staple in my house. We actually love it more than the packaged variety. I’ve used it in this Turkey Tacos and my homemade Taco Mac. You can control the heat level and the salt. The seasoning is perfect for this beefy taco meal.
30 Minute Beef Taco Skillet
I’ve told you about the homemade taco seasoning, now let’s talk about the taco part of this dish. To serve this as a main meal, grab some corn or flour or corn and fill it with the beef mixture. Then, top with shredded lettuce, green onions, salsa, chopped tomatoes, chopped avocados, extra cheese, and some warm corn taco shells or large lettuce leaves for wrapping as a sandwich. You can even serve over rice or cauliflower rice. Mexican Street Corn would also be great to serve with this dish. A cheesy bean dip is also delicious to serve with this meal.
It’s also a great appetizer for parties, summer cookouts, or snacking while watching a movie. Top the taco mixture with diced tomatoes, green onion, avocado, and extra cheese right before serving. Serve right from the skillet alongside tortilla chips, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.
This recipe is also great for nachos. Simply add tortilla chips to a large plate, top with taco beef mixture, and then add your toppings.
Replace the ground beef with ground turkey or chicken if you want, it’s all good.
Do you meal prep? This is a fantastic recipe for meal prep. Prepare the beef taco mixture and then divide it into containers, add rice if desired. When you’re ready to eat, reheat in the microwave and add your toppings.
This easy beef taco skillet recipe is perfect for a busy night or as a hearty appetizer when dinner may be late.
Ingredients
Taco Seasoning:
- 2 T. chili powder
- 1 T. ground cumin
- 1 t. ground coriander
- 2 t. garlic powder
- 1 t. paprika
- 1 ½ t. fine sea salt
- 1 t. ground black pepper
- ½ t. ground white pepper
- ¼ – ½ t. cayenne pepper*
Other Ingredients
- 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
- ½ medium white onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1¼ lbs. ground beef (80% lean)
- 2 T. taco seasoning
- 1 10-oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes with green chilis, drained
- 4 oz. shredded Mexican cheese blend (+ extra for serving or topping)
How to Make This Beef Taco Skillet
Step 1
Prepare the taco seasoning by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Stir to combine and transfer to a mason jar or an airtight container. Set aside.
Step 2
Add olive oil to a 10-inch skillet set over medium heat. Add diced onion and garlic and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Stir to combine and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and develops some color, approximately 4-5 minutes.
Step 3
Add beef to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully drain excess fat from the skillet.
Step 4
Add taco seasoning and fire-roasted tomatoes and green chilis and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until tomatoes are heated through and the beef mixture is thoroughly coated in the taco seasoning, approximately 2-3 minutes. Taste, and add additional taco seasoning, if desired.
Step 5
Remove from heat. Top with shredded cheese and cover for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is completely melted. Serve immediately your favorite taco toppings.
Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
- Use ground turkey or chicken in place of the ground beef.
- Add sliced green bell peppers to the skillet.
- A can of black beans (drained and rinsed) would be great in this dish.
- Serve over rice or cauliflower rice.
- Use your favorite cheese. Cheddar cheese or even Pepper Jack goes great.
- Serve as a main meal or as an appetizer with tortilla chips and salsa.
- Make it into nachos.
- Create a taco salad with the beef taco mixture.
- A great recipe to meal prep.
- You can use a packaged taco seasoning mix in place of the homemade.
Printable Recipe Card
30 Minute Beef Taco Skillet
Ingredients
To make the taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Other ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin virgin olive oil
- ½ medium white onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 ¼ pounds ground beef (I used 80% lean)
- 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- 1 10 ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes with green chilis, drained (or a can of Rotel tomatoes)
- ½ cup Mexican-blend shredded cheese (and some extra for serving and toppings)
Instructions
- Prepare the taco seasoning by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Stir To combine and transfer to an airtight container. Set aside
- Add olive oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. Add diced onion and garlic and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Stir to combine and sauté, stirring occasionally,until the onion softens and develops some color, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Add beef to skillet and cook,stirring occasionally, until browned, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully drain excess fat from skillet.
- Add taco seasoning and fire-roasted tomatoes and green chilis and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until tomatoes are heated through andthe beef mixture is thoroughly coated in the taco seasoning, approximately 2-3minutes. Taste, and add additional taco seasoning, if desired.
- Remove from heat and top with shredded cheese. Cover for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.Serve immediately with desired accompaniments.
Notes
- Use ground turkey or chicken in place of the ground beef.
- Serve over rice or cauliflower rice.
- Use your favorite cheese.
- Serve as a main meal or as appetizer with tortilla chips and salsa.
- Make into nachos.
- Great recipe to meal prep.
- You can use a packaged taco seasoning mix in place of the homemade.
Nutritional Disclaimer
“Blogghetti” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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You had me at taco. I love any form of taco out there — even in a skillet like this! YUM!
You can’t go wrong with quick and easy tacos in a skillet! Yum!
This looks so good! I love that you make your own taco seasoning. No worry about ever being out!