15-Minute Ground Beef Tacos
Juicy seasoned beef piled into warm tortillas with your favourite toppings. A weeknight dinner the whole family can build their own way. The filling is a home-kitchen take on the tacos sold from street stalls across northern Mexico, where the meat is seasoned simply and served almost as soon as it hits the pan. It is a genuine 15-minute dinner, and the leftover filling is arguably better the next day.
Prep time15 min
Cook time15 min
Total time30 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
- 500g ground beef
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup tomato passata
- 8 small corn or flour tortillas
- Lettuce, tomato, cheese and salsa, to serve
Instructions
- 1Put the ground beef into a large pan over high heat and press it into an even layer. Leave it untouched for 2 minutes so a brown crust can form underneath.
- 2Break the meat up with a spoon and carry on cooking for 3-4 minutes, until no pink remains anywhere in the pan.
- 3Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and the raw edge goes out of the smell.
- 4Stir in the cumin, paprika, chili powder and salt and cook for 30 seconds. Spices need that moment of direct heat to bloom before liquid arrives.
- 5Add the passata and a splash of water, scraping the bottom of the pan as you go to lift anything stuck there.
- 6Simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until thick and glossy. If the pan looks dry before then, add another splash of water rather than more passata.
- 7Warm the tortillas in a dry pan for 20-30 seconds a side, or wrap the stack in a damp towel and microwave for 30 seconds.
- 8Spoon the beef into the tortillas and top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and salsa. Take the pan to the table and let everyone build their own.
Tips
- Don't stir the beef too much at first — letting it sear gives more flavour.
- Toast the tortillas lightly so they don't tear.
- Leftover beef filling keeps well and reheats in minutes.
- Look for mince with roughly 10-15% fat. Enough fat keeps the filling juicy and savoury; too much and the tortillas turn greasy.
- No passata in the cupboard? A tablespoon of tomato paste loosened with 3 tablespoons of water does the same job.
