The Best Ground Beef Tacos

This is going to sound ridiculous but I can't remember the last time I made ground beef tacos before running across this recipe!  I find those little packets of taco seasoning unappealing and just never bothered to think of better ways to go about making a good crunchy taco.  Luckily for me, someone else did!  Mel's Kitchen Cafe did an adaptation of a Joy of Cooking recipe that we found to be delicious!

The recipe is super easy and fast, two things a busy person/mom needs!  Plus the clever girl LOVED them.  The facts that they were crunchy and she could put whatever she wanted on the inside were huge hits.  She even ASKED for taco leftovers the next night!  Yahoo!

When Mr. Clever Mom came home from work and saw I had made tacos, he said "I see you went "Old School" on me!"  Maybe I did go old school, but I went there in an awesome way! 

I'll help you figure out whether or not you should make them:
Pros:  Happy family
          Delicious
          No need to turn on the oven in the hot summer
          Economical
          If you have a picky eater, they can make their taco just how they want it
          They are fun to eat!
          Easily gluten-free if that is an issue for you!

Cons:    um, wait a minute, I am still thinking.....
             you'll set a new yummy standard for fast, easy dinners??
             I don't know.  Maybe you readers can help me with the cons list?   


So whip up some of these tacos.  Here you go:
The Best Ground Beef Tacos
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
2 TB canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey, or chicken)
1-3 garlic cloves, minced (I used 1)
1 TB chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) can of tomato sauce
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced (I omitted this and used a pinch of cayenne instead, to cater to
the more sensitive palettes at my table)
Taco shells (I bought Mission brand and they were delicious)
Taco garnishes - sour cream, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, bell pepper, cilantro, avocado, etc.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.  Add the beef (or turkey or chicken) and cook,, breaking the meat up into small pieces, until cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Drain the fat from the pan if there is any.  (I used ground sirloin and there was no fat to drain!  Yippee!)

Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper.  Cook for about 30 seconds before adding tomato sauce and jalapeno.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve meat in taco shells (warmed as per package instructions) with desired toppings.
Printable Recipe

Now smile and do the happy dance because you just whipped up a great meal!