Taco Seasoning Recipe

This Taco Seasoning Recipe is brought to you by special request this Tuesday. First, I want to tell you a little about WHY and HOW I got into making my own spice mixes.

The WHY part is because I started reading about Monosodium Glutamate or MSG, and how frequently it’s used in our foods.  Not only is it used to make rats fat for scientific studies, but it also makes humans crave more food…among other not so savory side effects.  After checking over my cabinets, I was STUNNED to discover that many of the spice blends I used were [mostly] MSG.  So I cleaned out my cabinets, stocked up on real herbs, and started working on my own blends.

You may have seen my chili mix recipe, or this delicious and versatile ranch dressing recipe, and maybe you’ve tried the amazing Greek dressing recipe and spice mix.  Really, these are the main four spice blends that I reach for on a daily and weekly basis in the kitchen.

So, let’s get to the HOW to do it…it’s SO easy!   This is what you’ll need:

Garlic powder, minced dried onion, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  And if you’re a Trim Healthy Mama like me, you’ll want to use glucomannan as your thickener.

You also want peppers to give your taco seasoning more personality.  This is where things get fun.  I have some very spice sensitive kiddos, and so I make only a mild taco seasoning blend.  But you can branch out and go as hot and wild as you like!  Here are some great pepper options for you to experiment with:

So far, I’ve experimented with two different ‘real’ whole dried chilis from the ethnic area of my grocery store with GREAT results.  They are very mild and flavorful.   I’ve tried the ancho and the guajillo with seeds, and had great results with both kinds.  The ancho is sort of sweet and smokey tasting, and the other is more of just a straight up mild peppery taste.

If you’re not in an adventurous mood, though, you can use plain old red pepper flakes or even boost the heat with some cayenne.  Remember, though…start with a mild mix, and then work your way up to where you like it.  It’s easy to add more spice, but hard to take out the heat if you’ve over done it.

And now I will share with you the REAL secret to an AMAZING taco seasoning recipe:

Smoked Paprika, baby.

I found this tiny jar at a local store, and when it’s gone, I’m buying it in bulk from my Amazon store.  It’s got a savory depth of flavor that’s just beyond words.  It’ll be featured in my taco seasoning recipe and my chili mix from here on out.

So, basically, measure and blend…voila.  I toss the spices and whole pepper into the blender or food processor and blend to break the pepper up into little pieces, and then add the minced onion last to give some nice texture to the final dish.

Isn’t it pretty!

I always make a jar-full.  And it makes dinner come together SO fast.  This is how easy it is:

Step 1: brown a pound of meat.

Step 2: add 2 Tablespoons of your homemade mix.

Step 3: add 1 Tablespoon of ketchup.  If you haven’t tried the Trim Healthy Mama ketchup recipe yet, you should…it’s SO good!

Step 4: add 1/2 cup of water and stir.

Dinner is served.I pile it on warm tortillas, and we have something between a giant soft taco and a burrito.

It’s one of our favorite and fastest summer meals!

If you’re in the mood for a good S dinner, then top with cheese, sour cream, and your favorite salsa and veggies.  If you want to keep it a Fuel Pull, then use 0% Greek Yogurt as a delicious sour cream sub, and just skip the cheese (or use a bit of lower fat cheese), and pile on the veggies and salsa.

This is my favorite brand of low carb tortilla.

Some of them have icky hydrogenated oils, and some unsavory ingredients, but this one is actually good and really tasty.So there you have it…a super easy Taco seasoning recipe and how to use it.  Your printable recipe is below.

Be sure to check out the AMAZING Trim Healthy Tuesday link up just below…I am LOVING reading and trying the recipes each week!

Taco Seasoning Recipe [FP]

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

This is a very versatile and tasty taco seasoning recipe that we've loved for years...makes a whole jar full of savory goodness, that cranks out nearly instant dinners. This recipe yields 2½ cups of taco seasoning, which is about 20 meals worth.

Author: Gwen

Recipe type: Condiments & Spice Blends

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup chili powder
• ½ cup ground cumin
• ½ cup salt
• 1 whole ancho or guajillo dried pepper (very mild)
• 1 Tbls. smoked paprika for flavor *OR* cayenne pepper for more heat (can add both)
• ¼ c. garlic powder
• 1 Tbls. oregano
• 1 Tbls. glucomannan or Xantham gum *OR* sub ¼ cup corn starch if you're not a Trim Healthy Mama
• 1 cup minced onion

Instructions

1. Place all herbs and spices *except minced dried onion* into a blender, and blend to chop up pepper.
2. Mix in minced onion.
3. Store in a covered jar.
4. A 1 or 2 Tbls scoop in the jar is really useful.
   To Make Taco Meat:
5. Brown 1 pound of ground beef, and drain.
6. Rinse in hot water to use for FP or E meals.
7. Add 2 Tablespoons of this taco seasoning recipe.
8. Add 1 Tablespoon of ketchup, and ½ cup water.
9. Stir and heat through.
10. Serve with your favorite fixings!

Notes

Want to experiment before making a whole jar full? Try this single serving recipe first:
1 Tbls. Minced onion
2 tsp chili powder
1½ tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika for flavor (optional)
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper (or crushed pepper of your choice) and/or ¼ tsp cayenne for heat
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp glucomannan or Xantham gum (or 1 tsp corn starch if you're not doing the THM plan)
pinch of oregano (1/8th tsp, crushed well)
Stir all spices into ground meat, and follow directions above for making taco meat.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 2T Fat: 0 Sugar: 0

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