After three weeks of more or less constant rain we finally have some sunshine here in Germany. Right when school is about to start again in our state. As the weather was so bad, we decided to make some warming food last week and came up with this delicious ground beef tacos. They are a bit of work, but just the smell of the mixture of meat with spices made my teenager storm out of his room. If you have ever been a parent of a teenager you know this is a little wonder.
Luckily I found gluten-free taco shells on Amazon, as the shops here in the German countryside didn’t have any. But we also tried small tortilla wraps, like you see in the photo, and they were delicious as well. But they tend to break when you fill them – a typical problem with gluten-free pastries. So we decided to stay with the harder taco shells!
The recipe is not difficult to make, but it takes some time. And once you have the ground beef in the pan, you should stay at the stove and keep on stirring. You should also mix the tomato paste with the spices before starting to cook, as it makes the process much easier. And if you want it hotter, simply increase the amount of chili powder!
Cheddar cheese normally is lactose free, but you should always check the label. This recipe should also work with vegan alternatives!
You might be surprised to find sugar in the recipe. I normally try to avoid sugar in my diet, but here I use it rather as a spice and not for sweetening it. Of course, you can replace the sugar for acorn syrup or any other sweetener. You can also freeze any leftovers or reheat them the next day.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Gluten-free Ground Beef Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 Onion
- 1 clove Garlic
- 500 g Lean Ground Beef approximately 1.1 pounds
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- ½ teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Paprika Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 400 g Canned Crushed Tomatoes approximately 14 ounces
- 100 g Corn approximately 3.5 ounces
- 100 g Kidney Beans approximately 3.5 ounces
- 12 small Taco Shells gluten-free if needed
- 4 leaves Iceberg Lettuce shredded
- 190 g Grated Cheddar Cheese approximately 6.7 ounces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Heat oil in a large pan.
- Sauté the onion over low heat until soft but not brown.
- Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato paste, chili powder, paprika powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Sauté over medium heat for 3–4 minutes.
- Increase the heat to high, add the meat, and brown it.
- Add the canned tomatoes, including the sauce; the pan should be hot enough for most of the liquid to evaporate.
- Stir the mixture constantly for 5–10 minutes. If the meat sticks, add a little bit of water.
- Warm the taco shells in the oven for 5 minutes or 1 minute in the microwave.
- Place the meat, taco shells, iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, and tomato salsa on the table, allowing everyone to fill their own taco shells.
Notes
