Jul

Easy Beef Tacos

Easy beef tacos with cheese, lettuce and tomato on a flour tortilla

This is a standard meal in our house - quick, delicious and flexible.

Flexible: Everything but the beef, seasoning and water is optional, and you can substitute steak, chicken, pork or beans for the beef. Quick: While the ground beef is browning, I prepare toppings and place on the table for everyone to add their own. Total time from opening the fridge to placing plates on the table — about a half an hour at most. Delicious Delicious Delicious: I have had this simple meal at least 1,542 times and it is still so good I think about it the next day - something about the combination of the spicy and juicy meat, the fresh cheese, the crunchy lettuce and the tortilla wrapping it all together is pretty perfect.

1 lb. of meat makes enough for about 8-10 tacos.

Ground Beef - 1- 1 1/2 ilbs.
Onion - 1 small, chopped
Bell Pepper - 1, chopped
Garlic - 1 clove, minced
Mexican Seasoning Mix - 3 Tblsp.
Water - 3/4 cup
Lime - Juice from 1/2 lime
Salsa - 2 Tblsp.
Tortilla Shells - 8-12, flour or corn.

Toppings:

Cheese - 1 cup, shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack (or any Mexican cheese)
Lettuce - 1 cup. shredded (I use iceberg for the crunch, but any lettuce is good)
Tomatoes - sliced in halves or diced
Avocadoes - 1 or 2, sliced, or guacamole
Salsa - 1 cup

Brown ground beef with onions, bell peppers and garlic on medium heat.
Drain grease.
Mix seasoning with 3/4 cup water in a cup or bowl. Add to the beef mixture and blend well.
If it seems dry, add salsa and/or a bit more water.
Add lime juice.
Bring to a simmer and lower heat, cooking until sauce thickens - about 10 minutes.
Prepare toppings and arrange on table.
Prepare tortilla shells:

Corn: Corn tortillas are delicious but not as flexible as flour. To make them less brittle, cook with oil. Spread a small amount of corn oil in a frying pan, heat for a minute or two and add tortilla shell. Cook for a minute or two to heat and flip over, cooking for another minute or two to heat. Do not overcook as they will get hard quickly after removing from the heat.

Flour: All you have to do it heat the tortillas up a bit and this can be done by cooking in a pan (with or without oil), or cooking in the microwave for 5-10 seconds each (you can do about 4 at a time). Another option is to cook directly over an open flame - just plop a single tortilla on a medium flame of your stove for 10 seconds and flip over for another 10 seconds. Guests get nervous when I do this, but it’s kind of fun and no pan to clean up.

9. Fill tortilla shells with about 3-5 Tblsp. of meat mixture and serve, allowing guests to top their own tacos (kids love this.)