Description
These Crispy Ground Beef Tacos are a delicious and easy-to-make recipe that the whole family will love. Crispy fried corn tortillas are filled with seasoned ground beef and topped with your favorite toppings for a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Taco Shells:
- Canola oil, for frying
- 8 (5 to 6-inch) white or yellow corn tortillas
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to season the tortilla shells
For the Ground Beef Filling:
- 1 pound (85/15) ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
Optional Toppings:
- Shredded cheese
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced tomatoes
- Salsa
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Fry the tortillas: Pour the canola oil into a large, deep skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch. Heat over medium heat. Line a sheet pan with paper towels and set aside. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, carefully place the tortilla in the hot oil and cook until lightly brown on one side but still soft, about 30 seconds. Using tongs, fold the tortilla in half to form the shape of a taco shell. Fry, holding with tongs to keep the tortilla’s shape, until lightly golden, 15 to 20 seconds per side.
- Drain and salt the taco shells: Transfer the taco shell to the prepared sheet pan. Sprinkle evenly with salt and turn the shell to face open-side down to drain. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Discard the oil from the skillet, and carefully wipe clean.
- Cook the beef, onion, garlic, and spices: Heat the cleaned skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to crumble the meat, until browned and no pink remains, 5 to 6 minutes. Push the beef to one side of the pan and tilt it to allow the fat to pool on the opposite side. Spoon off and discard the fat.
- Add the tomato sauce: Stir in tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and thickened to coat the ground beef, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Serve with toppings: Fill each taco shell with about 1/3 cup of the ground beef mixture. Top with your desired toppings. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If the tortilla closes up while frying, gently pry it open using the tongs to make a shell.
- Leftover ground beef can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the shells in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 640mg
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 21g
- Cholesterol: 60mg
