Healthy Beef tacos are flavored with homemade taco seasoning along with fresh ingredients to make healthier version of tacos.
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The Hidden Ingredients
For years I struggled with my kids to eat their vegetables. A very disheartening situation for a true veggie lover! I tried every way I could think of to get my kids to eat their vegetables, and no luck.
I didn’t want to trick them into eating something they didn’t like, but that seemed like the ONLY way I could get my kids to eat vegetables. I hoped that if they would at least get a taste of vegetables, they would become accustomed to the texture and flavor and maybe, just maybe they would eat them voluntarily.
I think it just might have worked!
One night while preparing tacos for dinner,I decided to grate up a carrot and toss it into the ground beef. Nobody noticed! The next time, I added two carrots and some shredded zucchini, and they still didn’t know! They thought the little bits of veggies in the meat were my secret spices.
Even though veggies are not a struggle anymore, I still make my tacos this way. We all love the way the vegetables add a unique and fresh flavor to the meat, and it’s a great way to cut back on the amount of meat.
All of The Ingredients Needed to Make Healthy Ground Beef Tacos
- lean ground beef such as ground round, chuck or sirloin
- shredded carrots – a box grater like this one works well for shredding the vegetables and cheese
- shredded zucchini
- chili powder
- ground cumin
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- sea salt
- cayenne pepper (optional)
- water
- taco shells – hard of soft corn tortillas whichever your preference is. We like Garden of Eatin’ Hard Shells and LaTortilla Factory corn tortillas for soft shells.
- taco fixings such as chopped onions, tomatoes, lettuce, grated cheese, avocados, taco sauce or salsa
Recipe Steps to Make Healthy Ground Beef Tacos
Please note that this a list of steps to give you an idea how to make this recipe. Full details are in the recipe card below.
- Shred the carrots and zucchini, set them aside
- Mix the seasonings together and set them aside
- Brown the meat
- Add the vegetables, and the seasoning mix
- Stir in the water and allow to cook for about 10 minutes
- Stuff the taco shells with meat, and top with your favorite taco toppings
Total Estimated Time to Make this Recipe: 25 – 35 minutes
Healthy Beef Tacos Recipe Variations
- Change up the Meat. Any type of ground meat can be used to make these healthy tacos. Our favorites are ground chicken or pork.
- Use Even Less Meat. Reduce the meat to 1/2 pound and add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cooked black beans to the meat when the vegetables are added.
- Make it a Salad. Fill up a bowl with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, shredded cheese, taco meat, avocados and top with a crumbled taco shell for a lower carb option.
You Might also Like These Recipes
- Breakfast Tacos
- Meatless Tacos in Lettuce Waps
Healthy Beef Tacos
Tacos with ground beef and shredded vegetables make these a healthier choice!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound lean ground beef
- 2 medium carrots shredded
- 1 small zucchini shredded
- 8 soft or hard taco shells
- SEASONING:
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup water
- your favorite taco fixings such as
- onions, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, cabbage, beans, cheese, avocado
Instructions
- brown the beef in a pan over medium heat
- while the meat is cooking mix the taco seasonings together in a small bowl
- once the beef is cooked through, drain off fat and return to stove and educe heat to low
- stir in the taco seasonings and the shredded vegetables
- Add the water and let simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed
- Fill taco shells with meat and top with your favorite fixings
Notes
Nutrition information is provided by Nutrifox, an online calculator and is meant to be used for informational purposes only. Even though I try to provide accurate information, these figures should still be considered as estimates.
Keywords: tacos, beef tacos
I know sometimes texture can be a problem. The taco shell crunch sounds like a great solution! Thanks for hosting, Anne!
That’s right Cindy! The crunch does help!
Tacos have been a hit since I was a kid too. My mom never added vegetables, but I always piled them on top of my tacos. This is a really fun idea.
Thanks Laura!
Love the addition of shredded carrots and zucchini! Great way to add some veggies!
Thanks!
Hi Anne, never thought to add veggies to taco meat, genius idea, will definitely try this one. Happy Sunday!
Tee hee hee, Anne. Love your cleverness…In Japanese the word is “kashikoii.” While reading your post a smile appeared on my face and I kept admiring how clever you are! Saving your recipe, of course. Appreciate too your hosting today’s event.
Yum! We eat tacos all the time at our house, these look great.
I don’t know about kids, but I do have a hard time getting my husband to eat vegetables. haha Pinning this one for Taco Tuesday coming up.
★★★★★
Sneaky, sneaky…. but seriously, I love that you snuck some carrots and zucchini in there. I’ve hidden some mushrooms in taco meat before, but I like the idea of hiding zucchini in there.
Thanks Liz! I had to do what I had to do to get them to eat their veggies!
I’m always looking to up our veggie intake! This is a great idea!