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taco bar with all the toppings lined up

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.

Yield: 6-8 servings (12-16 tacos, depending on size of shells) 1x
Prep: 20Cook: 25Total: 45 minutes
Units:
Scale:

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 

  • 12 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 small white onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 34 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)

  • 1216 taco shells (soft or hard)
  • 12 cups chopped lettuce
  • 12 cups diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup diced red onion
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 12 avocados, diced
  • 1 cup salsa
  • Cilantro leaves, diced
  • Lime wedges
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and warmed

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Instructions

Make It Now:

  1. In a small bowl, stir together taco seasoning ingredients. Set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Transfer cooked ground meat to a serving bowl and set out with other Mexican toppings in an assembly line to make your homemade taco bar!

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

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.

In addition to ground beef, Cilantro Lime Chicken or Crispy Carnitas would be a great addition to the Taco Bar.

© Author: Polly Conner
Cuisine: Mexican Method: Stovetop