Recipe Content: Ground Beef Tacos

The Recipe

Seasoned ground beef, browned with onion and garlic, simmered in taco seasoning until it's juicy (not dry), then piled into warm shells with all the classic toppings. A simple, weeknight version of taco night.

At a Glance

Makes: 8 tacos (serves about 4, at 2 tacos each)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes (for a 7:00pm dinner, start around 6:30pm)
Skill level: Easy
Serve: Warm

Scaling

To serve 8 people (16 tacos), double everything: 2 lb ground beef, 2 small onions, 4 cloves garlic, 2 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 cup water, 6 Tbsp taco seasoning, and 16 shells.

Before You Start

If the beef is frozen, thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
Measure out the taco seasoning (store-bought or homemade).
Using hard shells? Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Equipment

Large skillet
Spatula
Knife and cutting board
Measuring cups and spoons
Spoon for draining fat
Oven, microwave, or a second skillet for warming shells

Ingredients

For the taco meat

1 lb ground beef (85/15 blend)
1 small yellow or white onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
½ cup water or broth
3 Tbsp taco seasoning, store-bought or homemade

For serving

8 taco shells or small tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Diced tomatoes or pico de gallo
Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
Guacamole or sliced avocado
Optional: lime wedges, hot sauce, sour cream, cilantro, jalapeños

Instructions

Brown the beef. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, until mostly browned, about 4 minutes.
Add onion and garlic. Stir in the onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until soft and the beef is cooked through. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Drain. Spoon off most of the grease, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan for flavor.
Season. Stir in the taco seasoning and tomato paste. Cook 1 minute, until the beef is evenly coated.
Simmer. Add the water, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered 3 to 4 minutes. It's ready when it looks juicy and lightly saucy: not dry, but no pool of liquid in the pan.
Warm the shells. Soft tortillas: 30 seconds per side in a dry skillet over medium heat, then cover with a towel. Or wrap a stack in damp paper towels and microwave 30 to 45 seconds. Hard shells: 4 to 6 minutes in the 325°F oven.
Build. Fill each shell with meat and add your toppings.

Leftovers

Fridge: Store cooled taco meat in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: Warm the meat in a skillet with a splash of water, stirring, until it reaches 165°F.
Store toppings separately so the lettuce and shells stay crisp.

Dietary Notes

About 224 calories per taco.
Contains dairy (cheese, sour cream). Skip them to make it dairy-free.
Corn tortillas are usually gluten-free, but check the seasoning label.

Recipe adapted from Natasha's Kitchen (Natasha Kravchuk).

Imagery

Every evaluator asked for images of the cooking process and the finished dish.

Bowls of taco toppings: cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, salsa, onion, olives, lettuce, and a pan of taco meat — Ingredients and toppings laid out

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: BOSTON66, jeffreyw, Famartin, and Robert Loescher (CC BY / CC BY-SA).

What Changed After Peer Evaluation

No serving size or cook time. Added yield, prep and cook times, a start time for a 7pm dinner, and scaling for 8 people.
Unclear prep steps. Added a "Before You Start" list and an equipment list.
No leftover info. Added fridge, freezer, and reheating instructions.
No imagery. Added four photos, including a cooking-process shot and finished-dish shots.
Text too small to read. The final design will use larger body type and more spacing, and I'll set the instructions apart from the rest of the page.

Recipe Website References

Smitten Kitchen

Every post opens with one big, warm photo and a title that reads more like a text from a friend than a headline. I clicked through three recipes before I even meant to. The serif type and casual writing give it real personality, which is what I want mine to have instead of feeling like a spec sheet.

Pinch of Yum

The homepage is packed with recipes but doesn't feel overwhelming, mostly because everything's broken into big photo cards with short, friendly titles. I also like how easy "Start Here" makes it to jump in without digging around. That's the kind of simple navigation I want for my own page.

Food52

This one feels more like a food magazine than a recipe site. There's a "Must Reads" list mixed right in with the actual recipes, and the headlines read like articles. I want to borrow that idea of giving the recipe a little story instead of just dropping straight into ingredients.

Non-Recipe Website References

Stripe

Stripe crams in a lot of information but never feels busy, since it leans hard on whitespace and a really clear type hierarchy: one headline, then short supporting lines. I want that same restraint for my instructions so they don't turn into a wall of text.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp somehow feels both casual and buttoned-up at the same time. There's a bold, friendly headline up top, then everything below is broken into short, easy-to-scan sections. That balance of personality and clarity is close to the tone I'm going for.

Kinfolk

Kinfolk barely uses any text. It's almost all big, quiet photography on a plain background. It's a good reference for the mood I want for the photos on my page: simple, warm, not overstyled.