Quick Beef Tacos
I also love them for entertaining as well for the same reason.
This is my go-to for Friday night dinner because Fridays are a work day for me and so I don’t have much time to cook. Plus my Irishman is usually home late and the boys are tired from a big day at preschool / family daycare.
Yay for tacos!
Ingredients
- 500 g (1lb) minced (ground) beef
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon smoked Paprika
- 6-8 tortillas
- sour cream or smashed avocado to serve
- baby cos lettuce, romaine leaves or coriander (cilantro), to serve
Instructions
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Heat a large frying pan on a medium high heat. Add a good glug of oil and cook beef, stirring to break it up until well browned.
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Add tomato paste, smoked paprika and 4 tablespoons water. Simmer for a few minutes to bring all the flavours together. Taste and season generously with salt.
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Warm tortillas according to the packet directions. I generally splash them with a little water and warm in a dry frying pan on a medium high heat for a minute or so on each side and then wrap them in foil and a clean tea towel to keep them warm.
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Serve warm tortillas and cooked beef in the middle of the table with the lettuce and sour cream or avocado for everyone to help themselves.
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: A cold Dos Eqquis beer or a glass of spicy Shiraz.
Variations & Substitutions
low carb - use these zucchini tortillas or cabbage leaves or lettuce leaves.
more flavour - soften an onion before adding the beef or add a few cloves of crushed garlic with the beef. And think about trying the smoky and hot option! And serve with lime wedges.
no smoked paprika - use ground cumin and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper instead. Or your favourite taco seasoning spice blend.
smoky & hot! - replace paprika with 100g (3.5oz) chipotle chillies in adobo sauce. Or serve with your favourte smoky hot sauce.
different tomato - use a can of tomatoes or 1.5cups tomato passata and skip the water. You'll need to simmer a little longer to reduce the sauce.
vegetarian - replace beef with cooked lentils, chickpeas or beans (I love black beans). Or use roast veggies instead like sweet potato or cauliflower.
more substantial (carb lovers) - more tortillas!
more substantial (low carb) - use more zucchini tortillas or live dangerously avocado AND the sour cream. Roast cashews or peanuts are good too.
gluten-free - use corn tortillas or my zucchini tortillas or cabbage leaves or lettuce leaves.
Low FODMAP - use corn tortillas and sour cream instead of the avocado.
different meat - fab with pork, chicken, turkey. For fish tacos I like this recipe better.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook the beef as per the recipe but keep it separate from the tortillas / salad / sour cream / avocado. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, warm beef in a pan with a little oil. Then warm the tortillas and continue as per the recipe.
Have fun in the kitchen!
With love,
Jules x
I love Tacos! I will definitely prepare this!
Awesome Eva!