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This Taco Meat Recipe has a secret ingredient that makes it healthier and more delicious than any other recipe you’ll find, and picky eaters won’t know!

Tacos make their way onto our weekly dinner menu one way or another.

the best Taco Meat Recipe with a secret healthy ingredient
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Why this recipe works:

Growing up and well into my adult life, I’ve always made taco meat by combining ground beef with store bought taco seasoning. The results were acceptable, but in no way amazing.

Now that my cooking skills are better than ever and my taste buds demand only the best, I only make my homemade taco meat with my own taco seasoning along with ground mushrooms and onions. This method is so good, it will blow your mind.

The mushrooms and onions not only add flavor and moisture, but they’re a great way to sneak in vegetables that no one will be able to taste (or pick out)!

Ingredients needed:

If you’re looking to make an authentic taco meat recipe that tastes really good, but is also filled with vegetables that you really can’t taste or pick out, then you’ve found the right recipe!

  • Ground beef – I always try to buy grassfed ground beef. It is super lean and you never have to drain off any excess fat. You can also use ground turkey if you prefer, but that’s not my preference.
  • Mushrooms – I use just standard button mushrooms or baby bellas. I know it sounds weird to put mushrooms in taco meat, but read on and you’ll see why.
  • Red onion – I find the flavor of red onion is perfect for this recipe. You can use a yellow onion if that’s all that’s available, but red offers the best flavor.
  • Taco seasoning – you can use store bought or make your own.
easy Taco Meat Recipe

How to make this recipe:

This recipe is so incredibly simple and turns out perfect every single time.

  1. The first step is to run the mushrooms and onion through the food processor until the mixture resembles ground beef. The food processor is highly recommended for this step as hand chopping won’t work as well.
  2. The next step is to cook the ground beef, mushroom and onion mixture, and taco seasoning all together in a large skillet. Just continue to stir and break up any chunks of meat so that it’s evenly cooked. Cook until the meat starts to brown and crumble.
  3. Once the meat is fully cooked, be sure to taste it and add additional taco meat seasoning, if needed.

You know what my taco meat is really good in? My yummy warm 7-layer dip or my taco soup! Especially with a side of Mexican Street Corn Salad.

Recipe tips:

  • You can add the taco seasoning to the meat at any point. Some people prefer to add it at the beginning to the raw meat and others prefer to add it at the end when the meat is cooked. I have found it doesn’t matter either way.
  • Adding ground mushrooms to your ground beef definitely increases the amount of taco meat you get, so if you generally need more than one pound of beef to feed your family, this recipe may work really well.
the best Taco Meat Recipe

Make homemade taco seasoning

Why use store bought when you can make your own? Control the heat and customize the amount of salt to create the perfect balance.

how to make homemade Taco Seasoning
5 from 5 votes

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Easy to make with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry!
View Recipe

Other great ground beef recipes:

Love easy ground beef recipes? Then you’ll definitely want to make these:

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Taco Meat Recipe

Prep5 minutes
Cook15 minutes
Servings 4
This Taco Meat Recipe has a secret ingredient that makes it healthier and more delicious than any other recipe you'll find, and picky eaters won't know!

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound ground beef grassfed recommended
  • 1 small red onion quartered
  • 8 ounces mushrooms dirt brushed off and ends trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning see recipe notes for link to make your own
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and I’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great recipe ideas from me every week!
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Instructions 

  • Process onion and mushrooms through food processor until they resemble ground beef.
  • Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef, onions, mushrooms, and taco seasoning. Break up meat and stir occasionally. Cook until moisture is gone and ground beef begins to brown, about 10-15 minutes.
  • Serve taco meat in hard or soft shells, in a burrito, on scrambled eggs, or on your taco salad.

Notes

Make your own homemade taco seasoning: https://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/homemade-taco-seasoning-recipe/

Nutrition

Calories: 314kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 181mg, Potassium: 527mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 115IU, Vitamin C: 3.8mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 2.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave me a comment below

Hi! I’m Krissy.

I love to create the BEST versions of your favorite recipes. If you love to cook, love to eat, or just have a deep appreciation for good food, you're in the right place! Stick around... I have hundreds of recipes for you to make.

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10 Comments

  1. I do this with mushrooms for Spaghetti, as my daughter likes the taste of mushrooms, but not the texture. This way we all taste them, but she doesn’t have to sit there picking them out.

    I never thought of doing it for tacos..brilliant!

  2. 5 stars
    I really enjoyed this. I had weight loss surgery nearly a year ago and I really struggle with ground meat. I was looking for a way to make taco meat and not have it so dry and this worked. Thank you kindly for sharing.

  3. Really? Just “taco seasoning*? I think we can do better than that in 2019… Let’s make our OWN seasoning with *spices*.

  4. 5 stars
    Love the mushrooms in this. I’m a sucker for mushrooms so that was the kicker for me. So good!

  5. 5 stars
    Thanks to this recipe, I am excited to make tacos again for the second time this week! This was amazing and easy too! Delicious!