Ground Beef and Bean Tacos
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Ground beef and bean tacos are simple, flavorful, and satisfying. They take just about 20 minutes and are seasoned with everyday pantry spices. Serve for a quick weeknight dinner with lettuce, tomato, salsa, and your other favorite taco toppings.
Adding a humble can of beans is a simple way to stretch out ground meat, tucking in fiber and extra protein besides. I love that these tacos with black beans and ground beef are super easy to make and have the classic Tex-Mex flavors everyone loves. Think taco night with just that tiny something extra.
I deliberately wrote this recipe to use basic spices — chili powder, paprika, cumin, etc. — for a day when you don’t have or want to make your own taco seasoning. Sometimes dinner just needs to get done!
Ingredient Notes
Variations and Mix-Ins
To freestyle a bit, add more of one spice or another, such as more chili powder or a pinch of chipotle chili powder for heat. You also can mix in finely chopped extra veggies, like carrots, zucchini, or bell pepper, to cook alongside the ground beef.
How To Make Beef and Bean Tacos
This is an overview. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Brown and season the beef. I find that even lean ground beef renders enough fat that you don’t need any cooking oil or spray. Season generously with the spices and break the meat up into small crumbles. Begin to pull out and prep toppings as the meat cooks.
Stir in salsa and black beans. Once the meat is well browned, stir in the drained and rinsed beans along with a heaping 1/4 cup of your favorite salsa.
Keep over low heat until ready to serve. Reduce the heat so the beef and bean mixture stays warm but does not dry out as you finish preparing the toppings and tortillas or taco shells.
Pro Tip
Char your tortillas! If you’re serving soft tacos, use your gas range to lightly char the edges of each shell. Just hold each tortilla over the open flame for 5-10 seconds on each side, until it develops bubbles in the center and blackened spots around the rim. This makes both store-bought and homemade flour tortillas truly irresistible!
What To Serve with Tacos
Tacos definitely constitute a full meal around here, but if I am feeling ambitious or serving guests, I’ll usually round out plates with an everyday Mexican salad, cilantro lime rice, or a special batch of chipotle street corn dip, homemade guacamole, or blender salsa to go with chips.
Ground Beef and Bean Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef see note
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 3 teaspoons paprika sweet or smoked
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons dried minced onion see note
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup salsa
- tortillas, shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, etc. for serving
Instructions
- Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the beef and begin to break apart with a spatula.1 pound lean ground beef
- Stir in the spices and salt. Continue to cook for 5-6 minutes, until the beef is browned and cooked through. Prepare your tortillas and toppings while the meat cooks.1 Tablespoon chili powder, 3 teaspoons paprika, 3 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 and 1/4 teaspoons dried minced onion, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Once the meat is well browned, reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the black beans and salsa. Sample and adjust seasoning to taste, then reduce heat all the way to low to keep warm while you finish preparing the toppings.1 (15 ounce) can black beans, 1/4 cup salsa
- Spoon filling into tortillas and top as desired. Enjoy!tortillas, shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, etc.
Notes
- Spice substitute: If you have taco seasoning that you like, you can substitute 2 heaping Tablespoons of it for the spices listed in the recipe here. Be sure to add salt to taste, if your seasoning does not already include very much.
- Onion substitute: If you prefer, use about 1/4 cup of chopped onion in place of the dried minced onion. Cook this in the first step along with the beef, then proceed with the other spices as directed.
- Ground beef: If you’re using ground beef with a higher fat content, you may want to dab or drain some of the excess fat out of the pan after it browns. In this case, wait to add the spices and salt until after draining the fat, so you don’t lose the flavor.
- Yield: This recipe yields 5-6 servings of 3 tacos, as long as you don’t stuff them super full.Â
Nutrition Estimate
More Easy Ground Beef Recipes
If you enjoy these tacos, you may also like my Instant Pot ground beef tacos, casual ground beef and veggie skillet enchiladas, or this layered enchilada casserole.
Some of our other favorite ways to use ground meat include chili garlic beef and shells, Korean ground beef bowls or lettuce cups, and these sweet and sticky Asian-inspired meatballs.
You can also FOLLOW me on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK for more great recipes and ideas!
One of our favorites, especially for stretching out a pound of ground beef to feed some extra mouths! Hope you love it, too!