Tacos are one of my favorite weeknight meals, especially on Taco Tuesday! With a quick homemade taco seasoning, these Easy Tacos will be your next go-to for taco night, whatever night of the week!
Tacos really are a thing of beauty. They’re not only fun to make and eat but they’re also relatively affordable and great for feeding a crowd! Not to mention as a dietitian I think they’re a perfect gateway for a complete meal: your tortilla of choice, protein of choice, veggie for a topping, and all the sauces to bring it together. Perfection and endless combinations if you ask me. I even entered a contest once to me ‘Director of Taco Relations’, that’s how much I love tacos (see pics below). Enter these Easy (weeknight) Tacos!
Almost to the finish line for my masters classes, but even still there’s no time to cook every night. It’s a struggle we all face, wanting to eat healthier but don’t always have the time. Think of this as a ‘heat and eat’ meal and call it a day. Prepare the taco filling and a few toppings ahead of time. The night you’re eating the only thing you need to do is ‘warm’ the tortillas and maybe whip up a quick condiment that tastes better fresh. Tacos are completely customizable, dress them up with lettuce, salsa, guacamole, shredded cabbage, or pickled onions and you’ve got yourself the perfect meal! These easy tacos are the ‘recipe’ for whatever protein, plant or animal, filling you choose for a quick and simple throw together meal!
Ingredients: Easy Weeknight Tacos
- Ground Beef (Animal or Plant): The pictures here are with actual beef, however, the protein filling you choose could also be a ground plant protein or even ground chicken or turkey for that matter. I do recommend opting for a leaner ground option (93%) whichever you choose. See below for how I added more flavor to these easy tacos!
- Pinto Beans: Any bean will work here. Opting for pinto beans as they sometimes are not front and center. Every bean has protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals which help promote bowel regularity, manage blood sugars, reduce your risk for cancer and other chronic disease. Not to mention their affordability and versatility. Choose ‘low-sodium’ or ‘no-added salt’.
- Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: This adds some smokiness and a little bit of ‘heat’. Feel free to add plain diced tomatoes if you prefer. Adding in a veggie anyway I can! These come in ‘no-added salt’ now!
- Taco Seasoning: Always have this in my spice drawer. Simple to make and have on hand, ready to use! The amount in the recipe is how you need for one pound of ground protein. I decreased and used only 1/8 of a teaspoon this time around as the tortillas and cheese have quite a bit of added sodium. It can easily be left out as well.
- Toppings: Pico de Gallo, Pickled Onions, Guacamole. Remember the combinations are endless. Add more toppings or use less toppings and let the veggies shine through. Did I mention how tacos might be favorite meal??
- Tortillas: Soft vs hard shell, which do you prefer? Admittedly it depends on my mood. And even for soft tortillas, corn vs flour, also depends on my mood.
How To Make Easy Tacos
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the ground protein (beef, chicken, turkey, plant protein) and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Drain any fat. You could also add in a red pepper and onion here for more veggies if you like. This version I added the fire roasted tomatoes instead of a red pepper.
- Add the taco seasoning (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, & salt if using) and 1/2 cup water. Stir to combine and continue cooking over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened, about 3-5 minutes. You can always add up to a 1/2 cup more water if needed. Add the can of pinto beans and fire-roasted tomatoes at this time as well.
- Serve warm over tortillas with lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, guacamole, Greek yogurt (in place of sour cream) and your other desired toppings.
Taco Toppings
Taco Tips & Tricks
What’s your favorite go-to taco combination? If tacos are for dinner it instantly puts me in a good mood. Shrimp Tacos are quite possibly my favorite because of the mango salsa. However, with mangos not in season right now, I’ve had to rotate my go-to taco combo! Blackened Fish Tacos are another great option for another seafood variation. Roasted Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos are a great vegetarian option, best enjoyed in the fall and winter. It’s almost fall ya’ll!
If you’re using a traditional 6-inch tortilla or traditional size hard taco shell, use 2-3 tablespoons of taco meat per taco. Depending on how much you load up the tacos with filling, one pound of protein could serve between 8 and 12 people. Recipe written for just 4 servings, 2 tacos/person (equals 8). (and the pictures are a half batch as I was preparing this for someone to taste test)!
You can make the protein mixture up ahead of time and freeze the filling. First allow the taco filling to cool down completely, then place in freezer-safe storage containers for up to 3 months.
As you reheat the filling, in a pan or microwave, add a few tablespoons of water to ensure it doesn’t get too dry and also has some sauce for flavor.
Easy Tacos
Tacos are one of my favorite weeknight meals, especially on Taco Tuesday! With a quick homemade taco seasoning, these Easy Tacos will be your next go-to for taco night, whatever night of the week!
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground protein of choice (93% beef, chicken, turkey, plant alternative)
- 1–15.5 ounce can no-added salt pinto beans
- 1–15.5 ounce can no-added salt fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, *optional
- 8 tortillas, corn or flour
- Toppings: Shredded 2% cheese, Easy Homemade Salsa, Chunky Guacamole, shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the ground protein (beef, chicken, turkey, plant protein) and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Drain any fat. You could also add in a red pepper and onion here for more veggies if you like. This version I added the fire roasted tomatoes instead of a red pepper.
- Add the taco seasoning (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, & salt if using) and 1/2 cup water. Stir to combine and continue cooking over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened, about 3-5 minutes. You can always add up to a 1/2 cup more water if needed. Add the can of pinto beans and fire-roasted tomatoes at this time as well.
- Serve warm over tortillas with lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, guacamole, Greek yogurt (in place of sour cream) and your other desired toppings.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Dinner
1 thought on “Easy Tacos”
Tacos ANY day of the week for me!!