These healthy beef tacos were born from a late evening where I had just come back from 2 weeks of travel, was swamped at my first day back at work, and decided my meal prep / planned evening dinner just wasn’t going to happen that night.
I looked in the fridge, decided to repurpose a few ingredients I had planned for other recipes, and made these DELICIOUS 10 minute healthy beef tacos with sautéed broccolini. It was so good as I was eating it, I knew I needed to post the recipe!
Ingredients and Substitutions – For the Taco
Ground Beef – I use a 90 / 10 ground beef, but you can use whichever leanness you prefer. After browning the beef for a few minutes, I use the excess beef fat to saute the broccolini. I don’t use ground beef very frequently, so using the beef fat to cook the veggies feels like a treat. Now, the title of this dish is healthy beef tacos. YES these can still be a nutritious, well-balanced meal (my definition of ‘healthy’) even when using the beef fat. Feel free to substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, or even rotisserie chicken as a substitute. To keep it vegetarian, feel free to use sautéed mushrooms, crumbled extra firm tofu, or tempeh.
Red Onion – An aromatic that adds a hint of gourmet flavor. This is optional and can be substituted with green onions, yellow onion, or just omitted. I cut these very thinly so they soften and develop a caramelized flavor within the 5 minutes it’s cooking (yes it’s possible with high heat and oil 🙂 ).
Red Bell Pepper – A vibrant vegetable that brings in a fajita vibe to the dish, and packs in more vitamin C and fiber. Feel free to substitute with corn, mushrooms, or yellow or green bell peppers!
Seasonings – The key seasonings I use for the meat are garlic powder, paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper. If you’d like to replace this with your favorite taco seasoning, feel free, but I find this simple 2-ingredient seasoning + salt + pepper do a great job.
Tortillas – Choose whichever tortillas you love. I love a flour tortilla (but also love the flour and corn hybrid ones from La Tortilla Factory).
Toppings – Sour cream, store bought salsa, hot sauce, whatever you can find in your fridge and feel like adding, GO FOR IT! I had mine plain and it was still delicious!
Ingredients and Substitutions – For the Greens
Broccolini – A well balanced meal for me must have greens. Broccolini is a delicious, hybrid between broccoli and Chinese broccoli (Gai lan). You can substitute spinach, broccoli, or chard for this. All of these substitutions also cook very quickly. Season with a pinch of salt, black pepper, and fresh minced garlic if you have the time and energy, and they’re SO GOOD.
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Healthy Beef Tacos
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Description
Super easy, healthy, beef tacos for one. Packed with veggies and paired with a side of charred broccolini, this is my go-to 10 minute meal for one.
Ingredients
- 1/4 red onion
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- Neutral oil
- Kosher salt
- Black Pepper
- 1/4 lb ground beef
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/2 bunch broccolini
- 1–2 soft taco shells (I like the La Tortilla Factory brand, and get the half flour half corn shells)
- Salsa (optional)
- Sour cream (optional)
Instructions
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Prep the vegetables – thinly slice the red onion and red bell pepper. Also wash and cut the broccolini into 2” long pieces. Feel free to keep the broccolini long if you prefer.
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In a cast iron or large pan, heat on medium high heat. Add one tablespoon of neutral oil, then add the red onion and bell pepper. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, then push to one corner of the pan.
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Add the ground beef to the remaining area of the pan. Season with several pinches of kosher salt (I always think 1 teaspoon of kosher salt per 1 lb of meat), garlic powder, and paprika. Let brown and begin to break up with a wooden spoon.
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Once the beef is slightly browned, about 2-3 minutes, also push this to a corner of the pan, then add the broccolini. If you prefer, you can cook the broccolini in a separate pan (or after the beef and it finishes). I find that for one person, everything fits in one pan 🙂 Stir the broccolini around so it’s nicely coated in the remaining beef fat, then let cook for 2-3 minutes.
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On another burner, char the tortilla. I lay this directly on my gas stove for 3-4 seconds per side.
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Assemble the tacos by placing a generous couple spoonfuls of cooked beef on the tortilla. Add a spoonful of the red peppers on top. Add the broccolini on the side, top with sour cream or salsa as desired, and enjoy!
Notes
This makes ~ 2 medium sized tacos, so split the filling accordingly.
See ingredients above for recommendations on substitutions.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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