Chef notes
Mexican food is my very favorite cuisine. I love absolutely everything about it, which is why I always enjoy putting together taco nights. You don't need to work all day to put this festive and flavorful meal together.
Swap option: Substitute ground turkey for the beef. If you don't want to make your own taco spice, you can always use those little packets you find in the store.
Ingredients
- 10 corn, flour or hard-shelled tortillas
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- 5 tablespoons taco seasoning (recipe below)
- 1 cup jarred salsa (I like medium heat)
- 1/4 cup jalapeño juice (from jarred jalapeños)
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped or shredded
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1 (2.5-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
- 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
Preparation
1.Preheat your oven to 350 F if you'd like to warm your tortillas before serving.
2.In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. This takes about 10-15 minutes. Do not stir continuously so the meat has time to brown.
3.Stir in 5 tablespoons of taco seasoning.
4.Add in 1 cup of salsa and 1/4 cup of jalapeño juice. Stir meat mixture, combining thoroughly. Add in a little water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6.As the meat cooks, arrange shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, cheese, black olives and sour cream on a separate serving platter.
7.On a cookie sheet, layer your tortillas between two clean, damp kitchen towels and place in the oven for approximately 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
8.Once the juices have cooked down, transfer beef to a serving dish, build your own tacos and enjoy!