Ready in 30 minutes, leftovers can be reheated in about 4 minutes
Serves 4
Our own recipe
OMG tacos. We have a serious life lesson to impart: ANYTHING can be a taco. This is serious. Have some leftover chili? Make chili tacos. Did you make too much sausage/apple saute for breakfast? Make tacos. Do you love lasagna? Put it in a taco shell. Don’t be held back. This is not meant to be a specific recipe, but a general framework: have fun, make changes, experiment! The combination of salty meat with unsalted pickled vegetables with cheese with hot sauce is the key. Unless you don’t like hot sauce, of course.
Ingredients
1 lb ground meat (lamb, mutton, pork, or beef)
1 fistful of ground cumin (more or less to taste)
Hot pepper to taste (cayenne powder, red pepper flakes, or fresh chilies are all good)
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1 onion, chopped
Salt to taste
1 mouthful of water
1 cup stock (optional) or substitute tomato sauce (optional)
1 apple, chopped (definitely optional but oddly delicious)
8 soft taco shells (the 5”-ish inch, not the tiny street taco ones)
1/2 lb cheese (we normally use shredded cheddar)
Pickled vegetables (see Tips on Pork Belly Banh Mi recipe)
Hot sauce (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Preparation
- Heat oven to 350 F
- In medium fry pan, add meat, onion, spices, and apple if using. Brown over medium-high heat, constantly stirring until all meat is cooked and loose
- Add mouthful of water and stock or tomato sauce, if using. Vigorously simmer until liquid is almost gone, about 10-15 minutes
- Meanwhile, arrange taco shells on baking sheet and sprinkle with cheese if you prefer melted cheese. Otherwise, consider adding cheese sprinkle at the end
- Put baking sheet in oven until taco shells are thoroughly warmed but not crackers, 3 minutes
- Assemble tacos: add spiced meat/onion/apple mixture to taco shells, top with pickled vegetables and sour cream/hot sauce/cheese as desired. Serve immediately
Tips
Meat can be made ahead of time, stored for later, and heated up in 2-taco increments for a quick lunch or dinner. It’s so fast it makes sense even for a solo eater.
Last Modified: 2025-09-03