Martha Stewart Beef Tacos

Martha Stewart beef tacos are seasoned ground beef simmered with diced tomatoes, chili powder, and cumin, spooned into warm corn tortillas with your choice of toppings, all done in 25 minutes.

This recipe sits on marthastewart.com under the title “Beef Tacos,” built as a no-fuss weeknight dinner around pantry staples. She keeps the filling to one skillet and one can of tomatoes, and the toppings are entirely up to whoever is at the table, making it one of her most flexible dinners.

Simmering the tomatoes into the meat until the liquid cooks down is what holds these tacos together. Pull the filling off heat too early and the juice runs straight through the tortilla, leaving you with a soggy shell that falls apart before the first bite.

Martha Stewart Beef Tacos

Recipe by medshi8Course: Beef, DinnerCuisine: American, MexicanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

380

kcal

Ground beef cooks down with onion, jalapeno, garlic, and warm spices, then simmers with canned tomatoes until thick and saucy. Pile the filling into charred corn tortillas and let everyone build their own with cilantro, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 1 jalapeno chile, minced

• Coarse salt and ground pepper

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 lb (450g) ground beef

• 1 can (14 1/2 oz / 410g) diced tomatoes, with juice

• Assembly

• 8 (6 inch) corn tortillas

• Optional Toppings

• Fresh cilantro

• Shredded iceberg lettuce

• Diced or pickled jalapenos

• Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

• Sour cream

• Pico de gallo

• Guacamole

Directions

• Cook the aromatics. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and jalapeno, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Toast the spices and brown the beef. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin to the skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
• Simmer with tomatoes. Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juice. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Warm the tortillas. While the filling simmers, heat each tortilla in a dry skillet over medium heat or directly over a gas burner, about 30 seconds per side, until pliable and lightly charred.
• Serve at the table. Spoon the beef filling into warm tortillas and let everyone add their own toppings.

Notes

• Ground turkey or chicken can stand in for the beef.
• To reduce the heat, remove the jalapeno seeds and ribs before mincing, or leave out the chile entirely.

FAQs

Why simmer the tomatoes until the mixture thickens?

Canned tomatoes release a lot of liquid, and if the filling stays wet it soaks through the corn tortilla before anyone takes a bite. Cooking it down for the full 10 to 12 minutes concentrates the flavor and gives the meat a thick, saucy texture that holds inside the shell.

Without that simmer, the filling tastes more like meat floating in tomato broth than a proper taco filling. The reduced liquid also means the spices coat every piece of beef instead of drifting in juice.

Why warm the tortillas in a dry skillet or over flame?

Cold corn tortillas crack the second you try to fold them, and a microwave makes them rubbery. A dry skillet or open gas burner heats them fast enough to turn pliable without drying them out.

Thirty seconds per side is the window. Much longer and the tortilla goes stiff and brittle, which is worse than cold. Stack the warmed ones inside a clean kitchen towel so they hold their heat while you finish the rest.

Why add the spices before the beef goes in?

Blooming the chili powder and cumin in the hot oil with the garlic releases their essential oils, which deepens the flavor across the entire pan. Dumping dry spices onto already-browned meat just dusts the surface without letting the heat unlock anything.

That one minute of stirring the spices through the aromatics is enough to season the oil itself. When the beef hits the pan next, it cooks in spiced fat, so the flavor builds from the inside out instead of sitting on top.

Can you swap ground beef for another protein?

Her recipe notes that ground turkey or chicken both work as direct substitutes. The method stays the same, though leaner meats release less fat, so the filling can feel slightly drier without the rendered beef grease binding everything together.

If you go with turkey or chicken, add a tablespoon of extra oil before browning to compensate for the missing fat. For a completely different chicken dinner with the same weeknight speed, her cashew chicken also finishes in 30 minutes.

How long does the beef filling keep?

The filling stores well for 3 to 4 days sealed in the fridge and freezes for up to 3 months. The tomato base actually improves overnight as the spices settle deeper into the meat.

Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen it. Keep tortillas and toppings separate until serving, since stored tortillas turn gummy once wet. Her deviled eggs are another make-ahead option that comes together right before the table is set.