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Taco Night Bowls (Meat and Beans)

Serves 4-6 · Dinner · Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min

Batch
0/0 done

Ground beef and beans in a homemade taco seasoning — no packet — served over shredded lettuce and cabbage. The kids can have theirs with chips or torn tortillas.

Ingredients
  • 900 g ground beef
  • 1 can (about 425 g) pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 15 g chili powder
  • 5 g ground cumin
  • 3 g smoked paprika
  • 2 g dried oregano
  • 8 g sea salt
  • 30 g tomato paste
  • 180 g water
  • Half a head of lettuce and a quarter head of cabbage, shredded
  • Tomato, avocado, cilantro, and lime or lemon wedges, to top
  • Tortilla chips or tortillas, for the kids

Click an ingredient once it's in the bowl.

Method
  1. Brown the beef with the onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks.
  2. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, and salt and stir 1 minute — heating dried spices in the fat wakes them up.
  3. Stir in the tomato paste, beans, and water. Simmer 8-10 minutes until it thickens into a spoonable taco filling.
  4. Build bowls on the shredded lettuce and cabbage; top with tomato, avocado, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
  5. Kids' version: same filling with chips or torn tortillas.
Notes
  • The seasoning is the whole point — five jars from the spice rack instead of a packet with fillers.
  • Make the full batch even for fewer people: leftover filling is tomorrow's taco salad lunch.