25-Minute Easy Seasoned Ground Beef for Tacos and Nachos

Seasoned ground beef is the thing I make most in my kitchen, mostly because it’s so easy. Tacos, quesadillas, or just spooned over fluffy white rice (my favorite weeknight dinner). It’s the perfect protein to have ready in the fridge.

I love that it works in pasta too. Stir it through spaghetti or a baked ziti, top it with cheese and let the whole thing melt. The only thing I’d add is a little oregano when it’s going in that direction, and maybe cut back on the cumin.

One pound covers a full sheet pan of nachos. Make more if the pan is a big one.

Why You’ll Love This Seasoned Ground Beef Recipe

One skillet and about twenty minutes
Pantry spices, easy to stock and use for dinner
The tomato sauce keeps it saucy, so nothing dries out
It’s the base for nachos, quesadillas, burritos, taco rice and more
Even better the next day

What You’ll Need

• Ground beef, 85/15 (90/10 works, you just lose a little flavor)
• Sweet onion (or swap in yellow onion)
• Tomato sauce, one 8oz can (or crushed tomatoes blitzed smooth)

Spices

• Roasted cumin powder (or regular ground cumin, roasted has more depth)
• Coriander powder (or skip it, though it’s what rounds the cumin out)
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder (or swap in two cloves of fresh garlic, minced)
• Smoked paprika (sweet paprika works, you lose the smoke)
• Salt
• White pepper (or black pepper, white keeps it looking cleaner)

Or skip measuring these out one by one and use my homemade taco seasoning, which you can batch ahead. Store-bought taco seasoning works too.

Instructions

I preheat a thick-bottomed skillet over medium heat first. The beef goes in and I break it down with a wooden spoon until it browns.

Then the onion sweats down, the spices go in, and the tomato sauce goes last.

A splash of water at the end, covered for a few minutes, is what brings it together. Check the recipe card below for full instructions and amounts.

What to Serve With This

Loaded Cheesy Beef Nachos is what I make with it most. Game day, every time.

Taco Rice stretches one pound into dinner for the whole table.

Cheesy Taco Rice Skillet for the version with everything melted on top.

Cilantro Lime Rice because the beef goes straight over it and that is dinner.

If You Like This, You’ll Love These

Here are a few others I’ve made and loved:

Cuban Beef Picadillo

Mini Crispy Baked Ground Beef Tacos

Sofrito Recipe

32 Cheap Family Dinners Your Family Will Love

If you make this seasoned ground beef, leave a comment. I love reading your comments and will try to get back to every single one.

Olga

Seasoned Ground Beef for Nachos, Tacos and Everything Else

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Seasoned ground beef with roasted cumin, smoked paprika and tomato sauce. One pan, and it covers a full sheet pan of nachos.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 lb ground beef 85/15
• 1/2 sweet onion finely diced
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/8 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt to taste
• White pepper to taste
• 1 can 8 oz tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp water

Equipment

• 1 Chef Knife
• 1 Wooden Cutting Board
• 1 Wooden Spoon
• 1 Large Pan

Method

 

1. Preheat a thick-bottomed pan over medium heat.
2. Add the ground beef and break it down with a wooden spoon, cooking until it browns.
3. Add the diced onion and let it sweat out a bit.
4. Add the roasted cumin, coriander, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and white pepper. Cook until slightly browned.
5. Pour in the tomato sauce, cover, and let it cook down well.
6. Add the water, cover again, and cook for a few more minutes.
7. Stir, then turn off the heat. About 10 minutes from the time the tomato sauce goes in.

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Let us know how it was!