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Totally Tasty Taco Bar
An easy dinner idea that is great for a crowd. Lay out the ingredients and let your eaters choose their own taco adventure with all of the Mexican Toppings.
Ingredients
Taco Seasoning Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or less for sensitive palates)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Taco Meat Ingredients
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 small white onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 3–4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 pounds lean ground beef (sub: ground turkey)
- 1 cup beef or chicken broth
Additional Taco Bar Ingredients (pick and choose from the ideas below)
- 12–16 taco shells (soft or hard), warmed according to package directions
- 1–2 cups chopped lettuce
- 1–2 cups diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup diced red onion (or Pickled Red Onions)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (sub: Mexican blend or Cotija cheese)
- 1–2 avocados, diced (or Guacamole)
- 1 cup salsa (recommend: Mateo’s medium salsa)
- Cilantro Lime Aioli (put in a squeeze bottle from the dollar store)
- Sour cream (sub: plain Greek yogurt)
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Lime wedges
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and warmed (sub: pinto beans)
- Cilantro Lime Rice
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Make Seasoning: In a small bowl, stir together taco seasoning ingredients. Set aside.
- Saute Onion: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Saute the diced onion, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in 3-4 minced garlic cloves and cook for 30 to 60 seconds more.
- Cook Ground Meat: Add the ground beef and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until no longer pink, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula as it browns. Drain off excess grease.
- Season & Simmer: Sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons of taco seasoning over the meat and stir until coated. Add in 1 cup of chicken/beef/vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the mixture has reduced some, about 5 minutes.
- Serve: Transfer cooked ground meat to a serving bowl and set out with other Mexican toppings in various shapes/sizes of bowls in an assembly line to make your homemade taco bar! Keep soft tortillas warm by wrapping in a clean dish towel.
Freeze For Later: Cook the meat as directed, then let the mixture cool completely. Place it in a freezer bag, seal and freeze. In separate bags, freeze about 2 cups of shredded cheese and soft tortillas along with the meat, to complete your kit.
Prepare For Later: Let all ingredients thaw in the refrigerator. Serve as directed.
Notes/Tips
- Use your time wisely. While the meat is cooking, chop up lettuce and prep other toppings. Or take a store short-cut and buy pre-prepped toppings like shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, diced onion, and sliced olives.
- In addition to ground beef taco meat, consider offering other meat filling choices like Cilantro Lime Chicken, Crispy Carnitas, Shredded Beef Tacos, and/or Southwest Chicken.
- When you make taco meat, double the batch and freeze for later.
- Hosting a group? Have attendees help bring toppings for the Taco Bar!
- Consider providing a variety of salsas. Some like mild while others like it HOT!
- Where We Get Our Beef: We get our beef from ButcherBox. The beef is grass-fed and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, chicken, and wild salmon–and have used it for years ourselves.
- Gluten-Free Version: This is an easy meal to make gluten-free. Just omit using wheat flour tortillas and use soft or hard shell corn tortillas instead.
Find it online: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/totally-tasty-taco-bar/