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Easy beef tacos recipe with seasoned ground beef in warm corn tortillas topped with onion, cilantro, and lime on a rustic table

Easy Beef Tacos (20 Minutes)

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 210

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground beef (80/20) 450g
  • 1 tbsp olive oil ​
  • 1 ​ small yellow onion finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp chili powder ​
  • 2 tsp ground cumin ​
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika ​
  • 1 tsp dried oregano ​
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper ​
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne optional
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce ​
  • 12 ​ small corn tortillas ​
Toppings:
  • ​ ​ diced onion ​
  • ​ ​ chopped fresh cilantro ​
  • ​ ​ lime wedges ​
  • ​ ​ crumbled cotija ​
  • ​ ​ sour cream ​
  • ​ ​ ​ ​

Method
 

  1. Warm tortillas: wrap stack in damp paper towel, microwave 45–60 seconds (or warm 20–30 seconds per side in a dry skillet); keep wrapped in a kitchen towel.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high; add beef in an even layer, brown undisturbed 2–3 minutes, then break up and cook 4–5 minutes until no pink remains.
  3. Push beef to edges; add onion, cook 2–3 minutes until soft, then garlic, 30 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Sprinkle chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne over beef; stir and cook 1 minute until spices smell toasted.
  5. Stir in tomato sauce, scraping up browned bits; simmer on medium-low 3–4 minutes until sauce thickens and clings to meat. Taste and adjust salt.
  6. Drain excess fat; spoon ~2 tbsp beef into each warm tortilla, add toppings, and serve immediately.