This is a crunchy taco’s dream meat, and there’s a story behind it. Earlier this year, the boys decided they wanted to do a food challenge with tacos. I thought that would be ordinary, but they had a plan, and a tasty plan it was.

They wanted bacon and cheese sauce added to the taco meat. This is pretty genius, quite a surprise and we loved it!

I put the cheese sauce as an option here in my recipe. We used a cheese sauce we already had from Tillamook. You can use a queso or skip this part. It’s great both ways. I plan to come back and give you a keto friendly queso sauce!

Ground Taco Meat with Bacon

I love a good old fashioned, crunchy ground beef taco, but not when its tasteless. The meat needs to be good. We add bacon (ever since that contest), and cook the meat in the bacon grease!

What is taco meat made of?

I like to use grass feed ground beef, but you can choose any kind of ground meat, because the seasonings will probably drive the flavor. Most people prefer to start with a higher fat ground beef 80% lean, but we use the bacon fat.

How is taco meat seasoned?

I recently learned a lot of taco seasoning mixes have sugar, so I made my own taco seasoning mix. It consists of paprika, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, sea salt.

If you’re okay with the sugar, Trader Joe’s makes a nice taco seasoning mix, but it’s spicy, so use a little at a time.

How much taco meat do I make per taco? 

Estimate 2. 5 ounces per taco or 5 ounces per person. I’ll start with one pound of ground beef per four people. There’s no such thing as having too much, as taco meat freezes well.

How do you brown taco meat?

Taco meat needs to be browned in a frying pan with enough room for proper browning, not steamed. I’ve seen people try to put raw ground meat into crock pots or insta pots. Putting already cooked taco meat into a crock pot to keep heated is fine, flavor is released in browned meat.

Can you freeze taco meat?

Yes. Cool completely. Freeze in plastic bags.

How do you make ground beef tacos?

We make the taco meat with bacon and queso cheese or any cheese that is melty. You can skip the cheese, but we find that using about 1/4 cup per pound ground meat adds that extra something and is the reason it won the blind taco taste test.

We serve an array of toppings, including cheese, authentic guacamole, sour cream, black olives, shredded lettuce, homemade pico de gallo.

Should I use Corn Tortillas, Flour Tortillas, or Grain Free Tortillas?

If I’m eating grains, I like crunchy taco shells for ground meat tacos. Many like flour tortillas, and for those who want a grain free keto tortilla, I have you covered with three amazing choices.

More Mexican Related Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Taco Seasoning Mix Recipe

Guacamole

Pico de Gallo

Grain Free Tortillas

Easy Carnitas in Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven

Grain Free Spinach Tortillas

Keto Crunchy Taco Cups (recipe on the way)

The Best FRESH CITRUS Margarita Recipe

Print

Beef Taco Meat made with Bacon

Make the best meat for ground beef tacos or ground beef taco salads.

Course Entree

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 4 pieces bacon
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 to 4 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup water
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1/2 cup cheese sauce optional
• 
  Cheese Sauce
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

• In a pan large enough to hold the beef, fry bacon until crisp.
• Remove bacon to a plate. Add in beef.
• Sprinkle ground beef with 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning mix.
• Brown beef. Once browned, add in remaining taco seasoning mix.
• Add water.
• Continue cooking on low for 15 minutes.
• Stir in cheese sauce if you are using. Make sure cheese is completely incorporated.
• Crumble bacon into the meat.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Upon tasting, you might want to add in more taco seasoning.

The post Keto Ground Beef Taco Meat appeared first on Spinach Tiger.