Beef and Bean Tacos

Dietary Needs:

Recipe Author:

From our What’s for Lunch? Cookbook

Servings

Makes 12 tacos

Total Time to Make

45 minutes

Ingredients

1 onion, diced or 2 tsp (10 ml) onion powder
1 clove garlic, minced or 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder

1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil

1 lb (454 g) lean ground beef

2 Tbsp (30 ml) chili powder

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt

1 (540 ml) can lentils, kidney beans, or black beans or 2 cups (500 ml) cooked beans, mashed with a bit of cooking liquid

½ cup prepared salsa, optional

12 small whole wheat or corn tortillas

Sides and toppings of your choice: corn, chopped raw or cooked peppers, shredded cabbage or lettuce, diced tomatoes, minced onion, salsa, sour cream, grated cheese, chopped pineapple, minced cilantro, hot sauce

Directions

Peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic. If using onion powder and garlic powder, skip to the next step.
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the ground beef, onions (or onion powder), garlic (or garlic powder), chili powder, and salt. Cook and stir until beef has browned, about 10-15 minutes.
Add the mashed beans and optional salsa. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture bubbles. Reduce heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has thickened. Meanwhile, prepare any toppings you’d like to serve and arrange on a tray or place in individual bowls.
Warm the tortillas in the microwave or toaster oven. Fill the tortillas with the beef mixture and serve with the toppings so everyone can make their tacos to their taste.
Promptly refrigerate leftovers. Leftover beef mixture can be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to three days or frozen for longer storage.

Bring the recipe into your home, classroom, or community

Hungry for something fun? Get cooking with our cookbook What’s for Lunch? Nova Scotia Recipes to Cook and Enjoy Together. Explore the recipes with your family at home! If you’re an educator, check out our Recipes for Learning resources that bring food literacy to life through engaging cooking videos and hands-on classroom activities.

Notes

Dried beans are budget-friendly but need extra prep. Soak overnight, then boil and simmer 1-2 hours until tender. Blow on a bean—if the skin peels, it’s ready!

If you have ground cumin, try sprinkling in a bit while the beef is cooking. Chili powder already contains cumin, but a little extra will give your tacos more punch.