I love tacos. How can you not? They’re small, eaten by hand, and infinitely customizable. When I was growing up, I thought tacos weren’t very exciting. My parents would use some kind of pre-made taco seasoning in a packet, and the resulting tacos were just what you’d expect: bland and bland, with a side of bland. On moving to California, I learned that tacos didn’t have to be like that. I set out to make great tacos at home, and came to this. It takes more time than I expected after all those years of quick-but-tasteless tacos, but it’s not a lot of effort, and the end product is definitely worth the wait.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 4-5 white mushrooms, diced (optional)
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 1/2 onion, chopped finely (reserve other half for another use, or chop it finely for serving)
- 1/2 bell pepper, chopped finely (reserve other half for another use, or chop it finely for serving)
- shredded cheese (for serving)
- chopped tomato (for serving)
- sour cream (for serving)
- guacamole (for serving)
- tortillas or taco shells (for serving)
Directions
Place ground beef, mushrooms, and spices in medium saucepan. Cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer meat for an hour, breaking up meat into small pieces with a potato masher — the final product should not be lumpy. Add water during the hour if needed. Add the onion and bell pepper to the saucepan, and simmer for another half hour.
Optionally, to lower the fat content, pour into strainer, reserving liquid. Let liquid cool and skim fat off. Stir 1 teaspoon cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water. In a small saucepan, bring liquid to a boil, then pour in cornstarch. Let simmer for five minutes, then fold into meat.
Serve with tortillas, cheese, and all of the other yumminess.