Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, for 7-8 minutes until fully browned and no pink remains.
- Carefully drain excess fat from the skillet, leaving just a light coating in the pan.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add 2 Tbsp water and the full packet of Kinder's Original Taco Seasoning Mix to the beef. Stir to combine.
- Cook for 1-2 more minutes, stirring frequently, until the water is absorbed and the meat is evenly coated in seasoning.
- Warm your tortillas or shells while the beef finishes -- a quick 30 seconds per side in a dry skillet for flour tortillas, or 2-3 minutes in a 350 degrees F oven for hard shells.
- Spoon seasoned beef into tortillas and top with whatever you love. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Notes
- 80/20 is the right call — The fat carries the seasoning flavor better than leaner beef. You drain most of it off after browning anyway. Don't fight it.
- Don't skip the water — Two tablespoons activates the seasoning and coats every piece of beef evenly. Too little and you get dry patches. Two tablespoons is the number.
- Warm the tortillas — Cold, stiff tortillas crack and fall apart. Thirty seconds per side in a dry skillet is all it takes. This step is not optional.
- Set up the taco bar first — Get all your toppings into bowls before the beef hits the pan. The cook is fast and you want to be ready when it's done.
- Double the batch — Leftover seasoned beef is excellent over nachos, stuffed into peppers, or tossed on a quick taco salad the next day.
- Build the taco bar before you start cooking. Set out shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, hot sauce, fresh pico de gallo, and guacamole in small bowls. The beef is done in 15 minutes and you want everything ready when it is.
- For a fuller spread, serve alongside Mexican rice and refried beans. It rounds out the plate without much extra effort.
- Leftover seasoned beef is a weeknight asset. Spread tortilla chips on a sheet pan, pile on the beef and shredded cheese, and broil for 3–4 minutes until melted. Instant nachos. Or fold it into a quick taco salad — shredded lettuce, diced tomato, crushed chips, a hit of salsa.
- Cooked, seasoned beef keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store tortillas and toppings separately — they don't hold up the same way.
- To reheat, add a splash of water to a skillet over medium heat and stir occasionally until warmed through. The water keeps it from drying out. Microwave works too — 60 to 90 seconds, covered.
- Freeze cooked beef flat in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Do not refreeze.