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Big Batch Taco Bar with Ground Beef Recipe Your Family Will Crave

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This big batch taco bar with ground beef is a juicy, flavorful, and easy recipe perfect for feeding a crowd. It allows everyone to customize their own tacos, making dinner fun and stress-free.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon oregano (dried Mexican oregano preferred)
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
  • ½ cup beef broth or water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Taco shells and tortillas (hard shells and soft corn or flour tortillas)
  • Shredded cheese (sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack)
  • Fresh veggies (chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, onions, sliced jalapeños)
  • Salsa and sauces (mild tomato salsa, spicy chipotle mayo)
  • Extras (sour cream, guacamole, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, pickled jalapeños)

Instructions

  1. Prepare your toppings and sides (10 minutes): Chop lettuce, dice tomatoes and onions, slice jalapeños, shred cheese, and arrange all extras in bowls.
  2. Heat the skillet and sauté onions (3 minutes): Warm olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
  3. Add garlic and cook briefly (30 seconds): Stir in minced garlic and cook until fragrant without burning.
  4. Brown the ground beef (8-10 minutes): Crumble ground beef into the pan. Stir frequently to break up clumps, cooking until no pink remains and beef is browned but still juicy.
  5. Mix in seasonings and tomato paste (2 minutes): Sprinkle chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper over the beef. Stir in tomato paste thoroughly.
  6. Simmer with broth (10 minutes): Pour in beef broth or water, stir, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered until most liquid evaporates but meat stays moist.
  7. Warm taco shells and tortillas (5 minutes): Heat taco shells and tortillas according to package instructions or preference.
  8. Set up your taco bar: Arrange meat, shells, tortillas, toppings, and sauces buffet-style for everyone to build their own tacos.

Notes

[‘Use 80/20 ground beef for best flavor and juiciness; 90/10 can be used but may be drier.’, ‘Sauté onions first to mellow sharpness and add depth.’, ‘Simmer with beef broth for juicier meat; water can be used in a pinch.’, ‘Warm hard taco shells separately to keep them crispy.’, ‘Warm soft tortillas wrapped in foil to keep them pliable.’, ‘Leftover taco meat reheats well with a splash of broth or water to maintain moisture.’, ‘Adjust seasoning gradually and taste-test to suit spice tolerance.’, ‘Double or triple recipe for larger parties and set up multiple serving stations.’]

Nutrition

Keywords: taco bar, ground beef tacos, family dinner, easy taco recipe, crowd-pleaser, taco night, homemade taco meat

Find it online: https://daintydine.com/big-batch-taco-bar-with-ground-beef-recipe-your-family-will-crave/