By Cody drove up from Sapulpa Friday night for the weekend. First overnight visit since Brayden was born. He had asked Mama to cover his Saturday-night dinner shift at the cafe so he could spend two full days with us in Tulsa. Mama gave the green light without hesitation. Brayden is fifteen weeks old.
Saturday night was taco night. Cody had voted for tacos in the Thursday text-chain — he said he wanted a meal that did not require him to sit at a table for long because he wanted to be on the floor with Brayden as much as possible. Tacos were the right answer. Tacos are the meal that can be eaten standing at the kitchen counter while bouncing a fifteen-week-old infant on your shoulder.
The seasoned taco meat is the from-scratch seasoning instead of the packet — chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, a pinch of cayenne. The proportions are scaled to one pound of ground beef and the seasoning blend stores in a small jar in the spice cabinet for the next round. The from-scratch version costs about a third of the packet version and the flavor is brighter.
The meat browns in a hot skillet. The fat drains. The seasoning goes in with a quarter cup of water and simmers until the water reduces and the meat takes on the brick-red color that says taco-night to me before any other signal. We set out the warm tortillas, the cheese, the shredded lettuce, the diced tomato, the sour cream, the hot sauce. Cody built three. Dustin built two. I built two. Brayden chewed on a teething ring on the floor between us.
Seasoned Taco Meat
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2/3 cup water or low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Instructions
- Brown the meat. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until no pink remains, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Add aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Season. Sprinkle in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir well to coat the meat evenly in the spices.
- Simmer. Add the water or broth and tomato paste. Stir to combine, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the meat is saucy but not watery.
- Taste and serve. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve in taco shells or warm tortillas with your choice of toppings—shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, or whatever you have on hand.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 320mg