Old School Beef Taco recipe

Name: Old School Beef Taco recipe
Cuisine: American, Mexican, Latin American
Ingredients: 10 to 12 crispy taco shells (("stand and stuff) OR soft tortillas of choice (Note 1)); 1 tbsp oil; 2 garlic cloves (, minced); 1 onion (, finely chopped); 500 g / 1 lb beef (, ground / mince (Note 2)); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1/4 cup / 65ml water; 1 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano; 2 tsp EACH cumin powder, paprika; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ((adjust spiciness to taste, can skip)); 1 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; Shredded cheese ((Note 3)); Shredded iceberg lettuce; 2 tomatoes (, chopped); 1/2 red or white onion (, chopped); Sour cream; Taco sauce ((optional)); Other: coriander/cilantro (, jalapeño, hot sauce / chilli sauce, pickled chillies, salsa sauce, pico de gallo)

Instructions

Recipe video above. Beef tacos - the old school way! A juicy beef filling stuffed in crispy taco shells. For the real old school experience, go with shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato and sour cream! I like to BAKE my shells with the taco meat and cheese for molten goodness, but this is optional. If you skip it, just bake the empty shells per packet directions. SCALE UP the seasonings and add vegetables to make the filling stretch further!

Updated at: Wed, 05 Nov 2025 22:34:12 GMT