Smash Ground Beef Tacos
Taco-seasoned beef smashed directly onto corn tortillas, cooked until crispy-edged, and topped with your favorite taco toppings.
After trying and loving the egg roll smash tacos, I decided to use a few leftover hamburger patties from the fridge to make these smash ground beef tacos, and they turned out delicious. I served them gringo-style with shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, and lots of salsa and hot sauce. These crispy beef tacos were fun & easy to make and reminded me of the tacos my mom made when growing up, which made me nostalgic. My husband and I devoured these smashed beef tacos and thought they paired nicely with some tortilla chips and guacamole.
Smash Ground Beef Tacos
Ingredients:
- ⅛ tsp cumin
- ⅛ tsp chili powder
- ⅛ tsp paprika
- ⅛ tsp oregano
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp onion powder
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 7.5 oz ground beef, made into 3 thin ground beef patties (2.5-oz for each patty)
- 3 corn tortillas (or flour tortillas)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Toppings:
- 1 cup iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 compari tomatoes, seeded & diced
- ½ small red onion, diced
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, diced
Serving:
How to Make Smash Ground Beef Tacos:
Make the seasoning blend by combining the cumin, coriander, chili powder, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste in a small dish, and mix well.
Prepare the beef & tortilla by pressing each thin burger patty onto a corn tortilla, getting the beef as close to the edges as possible.
Season the smash tacos by sprinkling the seasoning blend over each taco to taste.
Cook the smash tacos by heating the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering and very hot.
Working in batches, place the tacos, meat-side down, in the hot pan without crowding them, and press down with a spatula, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip over and cook the tortilla side until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes.
Remove and sandwich them between the cups of an upside-down muffin pan to shape them into tacos and to drain excess grease. Side Note: You can also use a cooling rack or a taco rack instead, if you have them.
Finish the smash tacos by topping them with shredded lettuce, lots of cheese, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Serve immediately with salsa, hot sauce, and sour cream.
Equipment
- Muffin Pan (upside down), Cooling Rack, or Taco Tray
Ingredients
- ⅛ tsp cumin
- ⅛ tsp chili powder
- ⅛ tsp paprika
- ⅛ tsp oregano
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp onion powder
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 7.5 oz ground beef, made into 3 thin ground beef patties (2.5-oz for each patty)
- 3 corn tortillas or flour tortillas
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Toppings:
- 1 cup iceberg lettuce finely shredded
- ½ cup cheddar cheese grated
- 2 compari tomatoes seeded & diced
- ½ small red onion diced
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro diced
Serving:
- Salsa
- Hot sauce
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Make the seasoning blend by combining the cumin, coriander, chili powder, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste in a small dish, and mix well.
- Prepare the beef & tortilla by pressing each thin burger patty onto a corn tortilla, getting the beef as close to the edges as possible.
- Season the smash tacos by sprinkling the seasoning blend over each taco to taste.
- Cook the smash tacos by heating the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering and very hot.
- Working in batches, place the tacos, meat-side down, in the hot pan without crowding them, and press down with a spatula, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip over and cook the tortilla side until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes.
- Remove and sandwich them between the cups of an upside-down muffin pan to shape them into tacos and to drain excess grease. Side Note: You can also use a cooling rack or a taco rack instead, if you have them.
- Finish the smash tacos by topping them with shredded lettuce, lots of cheese, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.
- Serve immediately with salsa, hot sauce, and sour cream.
They look excellent! Haven’t never had a taco, but this version with ground meat sounds really wonderful.