Soft Beef Tacos

Soft Beef Tacos – These are our favorite easy weeknight ground beef tacos. Packed with flavor and done in 30 minutes!

Overhead photo of Soft Beef Tacos topped with loaded refried bean sauce

Do you add taco seasoning before or after cooking ground beef?

You add the seasoning after the ground beef is cooked and drained the ground beef. This makes sure you don’t lose any seasoning when you drain the meat!

How much taco seasoning should I use for 1 pound of beef?

About 2 Tablespoons of seasoning in total for 1 lb of meat! This is also the same amount as 1 packet of taco seasoning if you want to make this recipe easier. But make sure you check the spice level of the taco seasoning you are getting. Some of them (specifically the Trader Joe’s one) are very spicy!

Do you need to add water to taco meat?

You need some sort of liquid to make sure the meat mixture is moist. Some people use water, but I love using tomato sauce for extra flavor!

Loaded refried bean sauce for the ground beef tacos

What to serve with these soft beef tacos?

These tacos are great on their own. Or just served with some chips on the side that you can dunk in the extra refried bean sauce!

But you could also serve the ground beef over roasted sweet potatoes instead of in taco shells.

How to freeze the tacos:

You can freeze the cooked taco meat mixture and refried beans.

To freeze, place the cooked ground beef and refrid beans in separate airtight containers. Transfer to the freezer.

When you’re ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight or microwave for a few minutes to release the meat and beans from the containers and reheat in two separate skillets.

Soft Beef Tacos

These are our favorite easy weeknight ground beef tacos. Packed with flavor and done in 30 minutes!
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Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8 tacos

Ingredients

For the refried bean mixture:

  • 1 (16 oz) can refried beans
  • 1 medium tomato diced
  • 1 cup Chunky Salsa
  • 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1/3 cup taco sauce
  • 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles, drained
  • 1 lime juiced

For the taco meat:

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons chili Powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles

Toppings:

  • 8 soft corn or flour tortillas
  • sour cream
  • cheese
  • lettuce
  • salsa
  • cilantro

Instructions

For the refried bean mixture:

  • In a medium saucepan, combine refried beans, tomatoes, salsa, cheddar cheese, taco sauce, and chilies. Stir over medium heat until thoroughly combined, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the juice of 1 lime. Simmer and cover until ready to serve.

For the meat:

  • Brown ground beef and onion until beef is no longer pink and onion is translucent. Drain excess fat and return to the stove on low heat. Add the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt, oregano, garlic powder, and green chiles. Stir and simmer for 2 minutes.
  • Heat taco shells according to package directions.

Assemble tacos:

  • Spoon meat filling into taco shells. Top with bean mixture, lettuce, cheese, fresh cilantro, and/or sour cream.