Taco Bell Tacos

Name: Taco Bell Tacos
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12 tacos, 12 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 1/3 lbs lean ground chuck; 1 1/2 tablespoons masa corn flour; 4 1/2 teaspoons chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1/4 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt; 1/4 teaspoon sugar; 1 teaspoon instant minced onion; 1/2 teaspoon beef bouillon; 12 taco shells; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 1/2 head shredded lettuce; 2 roma tomatoes, diced

Submitted by heatherhopecs

"I love the "fake"-ish meat in Taco Bell tacos... I'm hoping this recipe will come close to achieving that thick, greasy, salty meat I love!"

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photo by Probably This

Ready In:: 50mins
Ingredients:: 16
Yields:: 12 tacos
Serves:: 12

ingredients

1 ¹⁄₃ lbs lean ground chuck
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons masa corn flour
4 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons chili powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon onion powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon garlic powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon seasoning salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon paprika
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cumin
¹⁄₂ teaspoon garlic salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon instant minced onion
¹⁄₂ teaspoon beef bouillon
12 taco shells
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¹⁄₂ head shredded lettuce
2 roma tomatoes, diced

directions

Meat Directions.
Mix together all ingredient except the meat.
Stir the spice mixture well making sure that all spices have been blended well.
Crumble ground beef and brown stirring well.
Remove from heat, rinse with hot water and drain water and grease from beef.
Return beef to the pan and add spice mix.
Add 3/4 – 1 cup water to ground beef and seasoning and simmer on medium low temperature for 20 minutes.
Simmer until most of moisture has cooked away.
Remove from heat when moisture in meat as dissipated but meat is not dry.
Assembling the taco.
You can refresh the taco shells by placing them in a baking dish into a hot oven, 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes.
To assemble tacos add a couple of tablespoons of ground meat, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream if desired.

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Reviews

This is my go-to recipe for taco night. It is even better the next day as leftovers. It does taste similar to Taco Bell's, but my husband says it's better. I always just use a pound of meat with the spice mixure and it turns out fine.

lilcritta2
Really like the taste of this meat. The masa gives the meat that fast food flavor. Family really enjoyed. Thanks for posting.

javonsnanna
I've made this a few times, absolutely LOVE it! I keep forgetting to get masa corn flour (now on my shopping list, thanks to Alexa), but it turns out well without it.

Connie2
We love the flavor of this meat mixture. It’s not exactly like Taco bell, but the texture sure is. *I cut the water back to just under a 1/2 cup and simmer about 10 minutes, perfect!
ColoradoCooking
Great recipe. I am a big fan of Taco Bell - I know their tacos well, and this meat preparation is a great match taste-wise. Taco Bell meat is usually more of a fine puree texture almost (not necessarily a plus), whereas this recipe has a more course texture of ground beef, which was more than fine. Because the recipe description suggested the preparation was "thick, greasy, salty," I cut the seasoning salt and garlic salt in half. Did not want salty-tasting meat. The result was great - and it may not have mattered either way. I may just use the full salt amount next time and judge any difference. Also, rinsing the meat as suggested is great for cutting down the grease (never did that before), and I used lean ground meat to begin with. I also used masa corn flour, but I'm thinking (but not sure) that it could be substituted with regular flour for those not wanting to buy a bag of masa just for 1.5 tablespoons. I loved this recipe and will use it again.

Joseph G.