Cooking up a staple: Salsa Beef Tacos

Tacos are a staple around here. I learned to make them before I was married, and for several years made them at least once a week. Because they were easy. Back then, I used a kit, which likely wasted a little money and didn’t allow for much experimentation or adjustments to make them yummy for me. Recently, I realized that if I drop the premade taco sauce or powder, I could add a little extra of what I like, and leave out what I don’t.

Making your own tacos is as simple as figuring out which salsa is your favorite. My husband likes to make salsa from scratch, so if we have some of that stocked up I can make tacos with Steve’s Salsa (I’d include a recipe, but I don’t think he’s ever written one down.) When I don’t have Steve’s stocked in my fridge, I like to use Wegman’s Food You Feel Good About in Medium or Santa Fe. (Though I’d love suggestions on other salsas. What’s your favorite?)

Here’s the very simple recipe. It takes about 15 minutes to make, not including chopping time.

Ingredients

• 1/2 iceberg lettuce (cut to shreds)
• 3 roma tomatoes (cut into small pieces)
• 1 bag mexican shredded cheese
• 1 1/4 lbs ground beef
• 1 to 2 cups favorite salsa
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• olive oil
• 8-12 taco shells, warmed in oven

Start cooking:

Heat olive oil with medium heat. Add ground beef; stir and cook until brown. Drain oils and fat. Put beef back into skillet. Add 1 cup salsa, cumin and salt. Cook about 2-3 minutes, until cooked evenly, stirring.

Place shredded cheese on the bottom of the taco shell (this allows the cheese to melt below the meat). Spoon beef on top, then add pieces of lettuce, tomatoes and more salsa, as needed.

Star Power Rating: Considering Big is sick with a 101 fever and hadn’t eaten anything all day, I wasn’t surprised when he told me he didn’t want dinner, just toast. What did surprise me was that as soon as he sat down, he requested a taco, and proceded to eat the entire thing. 5 out of 5 stars. Its so much better without the powder seasoning!

Notes for next time: I always have extra everything leftover when I make tacos. So, lunch today I put some meat into a bowl, added extra salsa and cheese and enjoyed lunch. Had my husband not tossed the lettuce and tomatoes I would have enjoyed a yummy mexican salad. Instead, it was like a taco-style Chili.

© 2009, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.

About Julie Meyers Pron

Julie Meyers Pron has written 1195 post in this blog.

mom of 3 and wife, Julie is a former elementary school teacher and a Public Relations manager. She is the owner/editor of Julieverse and VlogMom, columnist for Rusty & Rosy, Home Made Simple and P&G Everyday, the Social Media and Child Development Specialist at PlayWow, and a team member of Splash Creative Media. Julie is a PTOer, volunteer, elementary educator and that's just the beginning of the list. A marketing strategist and freelance writer by trade, Julie attempts to carve out time to enjoy playing with her kids, cooking and exercise.

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