‘Boxed’ beef tacos are your old-school tacos. The type that are shown on Old El Paso boxes in the Mexican aisle of your local supermarket. On a side note, how complicated has that section got?
Everyone knows that real Mexicans don’t eat these, but we love them in our family. I’m pretty sure we’re not alone. This is a typical Friday night meal for us. Kind of trashy, but not really. This meal includes pulses, salad, veg, healthy fats and herbs. Pretty balanced in my opinion.
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This is a typical Friday night meal for us. Kind of trashy, but not really.
I’m not about to suggest you make your own hard tacos or make your own refried beans. I use Old El Paso for these.
I do give guidance on bringing your own beef mince filling together (based on my chilli recipe) and whipping up a guacamole (so quick!). You will never convince me that a ready-made guacamole is any good. The rest of the fillings involve a bit of chopping and opening packets.
❓Why would you need this recipe for Beef Tacos?
- all natural ingredients (no packet seasoning). I don’t buy the taco kit, just the tacos and a can of refried beans. At the time of writing, these two ready-made products contain only natural ingredients.
- low FODMAP (caveats below) and gluten free if you follow either of these ways of eating.
- suggested quantities of ingredients to serve a family of four. Easy.
- instructions for the full meal, not just the mince part. Again, easy.
This meal can come together pretty quickly if you get the extras ready while the mince is simmering. Around 45 minutes in total.
‘Kid-friendly’ with this amount of spice. You can adjust the chilli amount in the mince or add Tabasco to your taco for more heat. That's what I do.
🥘 Ingredients
Hard Corn Tacos – I get the ‘original’ Old El Paso brand (not ‘jumbo’ or ‘stand and stuff’). I’ve ummed and ahhed about the ‘right’ number of tacos per person and settled on five (a total of 20 tacos). I understand that three each is a reasonable portion, but in our family that’s never enough. I’ve gone for it and allowed for five tacos each with this amount of filling. Annoyingly, I’ve only ever seen taco shells in packs of 12 or 18. The 18-taco pack is not found everywhere. You can buy two packs of 12 and have extras, or get the 18-taco pack for a few less. I have tried wrapping unused ones in foil for next time, but unfortunately they don't reheat well and taste a bit soft and stale.
Beef Mince/Ground Beef – don’t buy lean. I would never recommend buying lean. Fat = flavour.
Tomato Sauce/Ketchup – ‘sauce’ in Australia, ‘ketchup’ in the US/UK. The stuff you put on (hot) potato chips.
Cocoa – make sure it’s unsweetened.
Avocado – 1 or two, depending on size.
Refried Beans – I use the Old El Paso brand. The ingredients are natural. It looks and smells like cat food when you first open the can, but it tastes delicious.
Are beef tacos low FODMAP?
*Yes. With caveats. This is assuming you use this recipe and have no more than five tacos (a generous portion). You might need to hold back on the amount of avocado and refried beans a touch. I’ve put all the ingredients in the recipe into categories of FODMAPs below:
Naturally low FODMAP – tacos, beef, spices, oil, cocoa, herbs, lime juice, lettuce, lactose-free soured cream.
Low enough FODMAP – tomato (fresh, paste and sauce), capsicum/pepper.
Limit – both the guacamole and refried beans to around two teaspoons per taco. This is still enough to be worth including. This amount is assuming you’re eating five tacos. I spread guacamole on one side and refried beans on the other before filling the taco with everything else 😉
I’ve used the Monash app as my reference.
🔪 Instructions
Making the beef filling
(Photo 1) Preheat pan over high heat. Add the oil and mince.
(Photo 2) Flatten out the mince with a fork to distribute a thin layer over the base of the pan. Leave over high heat (without stirring) until browned and crispy (4-5 minutes). Lift a section and peek underneath if you want to check how browned it is.
(Photo 3) Flip as best as you can (it will break up) and brown the other side (another 2-3 minutes).
(Photo 4) Sprinkle spices over the mince and stir through until fragrant. Break up large chunks of beef as you go (a flat-ended wooden spatula is good for this).
(Photo 5 & 6) Add tomato paste.
(Photo 7) Stir the tomato sauce and salt through some water. Pour this over the mince and stir though. Deglaze the pan, scraping any cooked-on mince from the bottom. Sift over cocoa powder. Simmer gently (uncovered) for around 20 minutes, until the mixture reduces slightly. You can get your accompaniments ready while this is simmering.
(Photo 8) Add chopped capsicum. Cook for a further 10 minutes over low heat until softened. Crank up the heat if the mixture looks a bit sloppy or add a touch more water if getting too dry.
Making the Guacamole
Use a spoon to scoop out the fleshy halves of the avocado and remove the stone. Place the halves cut side down on a chopping board. Use a fork to roughly mash. Roughly chop the coriander. Combine the avo and coriander in a bowl with the lime juice and salt.
There’s no right or wrong way to filling your taco. Just accept it’s going to be messy!
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- large frying pan
Ingredients
Beef Filling
- Tablespoon olive oil
- 500 g beef mince/ground beef
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons tomato sauce (ketchup)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 400 ml/g water
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
- medium green capsicum/pepper
Guacamole
- 1-2 avocados (note)
- big handful coriander leaves (approx. 10g)
- 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon salt
All The Rest
- 20 taco shells (note)
- approx. ¼ of a whole iceberg lettuce
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 425g can refried beans (note)
- 200 g sour cream (note)
Optional Garnishes
- Tabasco sauce
- jalapenos
Instructions
- Preheat Oven - use temperature suggested on the taco box.
- Brown Mince - preheat pan over high heat. Add the oil. Add the mince and flatten it out with a fork to distribute a thin layer over the base of the pan. Leave over high heat (without stirring) until browned and crispy (4-5 minutes). Lift a section and take a peek underneath if you want to check how browned it is. Then flip as best as you can (it will break up) and brown the other side (another 2-3 minutes).Tablespoon olive oil500 g beef mince/ground beef
- Add spices – sprinkle cumin, coriander and chilli powders over the mince and stir through until fragrant. Break up large chunks of beef as you go (a flat-ended wooden spatula is good for this).½ teaspoon ground cumin½ teaspoon ground coriander⅛ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- Tomato Paste - stir through and cook through for about a minute, stirring often.2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- Add Liquid – stir the tomato sauce and salt through the water. Pour this over the mince and stir though. Deglaze the pan, scraping any cooked-on mince from the bottom.2 Tablespoons tomato sauce½ teaspoon salt400 ml/g water
- Cocoa Powder - sift over. Simmer gently (uncovered) for around 20 minutes, until the mixture reduces slightly. We want the meat mix to be tender and juicy, but not too wet to fill a taco shell with. You can get your accompaniments ready while this is simmering.2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
- Capsicum/Pepper – deseed and cut into small dice. Stir through the mince and pop the lid on the pan. Cook for a further 10 minutes over low heat until softened. Crank up the heat if the mixture looks a bit sloppy or add a touch more water if getting too dry.medium green capsicum/pepper
Guacamole
- Make Guacamole – cut the avo in half. Use a spoon to scoop out the fleshy halves and remove the stone. Place the halves cut side down on a chopping board. Use a fork to roughly mash. Roughly chop the coriander. Combine the avo and coriander in a bowl with the lime juice and salt.1-2 avocadosbig handful coriander leaves1 lime½ teaspoon salt
- Lettuce & Tomatoes – slice the tomatoes and cut into small cubes. Transfer to a bowl. Shred the lettuce and place in a separate bowl.approx. ¼ of a whole iceberg lettuce2 medium tomatoes
- Refried Beans – simply microwave briefly until hot. Make sure you cover the bowl – they tend to pop and splutter!425g can refried beans
- Taco Shells – cook as per the instructions in the packet, usually around 5 minutes.20 taco shells
- Sour Cream - put in a small bowl.200 g sour cream
- Optional - shake over Tabasco sauce or sprinkle over jalapenos for more heat.Tabasco saucejalapenos
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