Make these Healthy Beef Tacos with Hidden Vegetables for Dinner

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This healthy taco recipe is made with lean ground beef tossed with homemade taco seasoning and shredded fresh vegetables. They are an easy-to-make healthier version of homemade taco meat that the whole family will love

Serve these healthy tacos for taco Tuesday or any night with your favorite taco toppings; they are not only quick but also full of flavor.

This recipe was originally posted in 2019, it's been updated for content and photos.

three tacos on a plate with lettuce tomatoes and shredded cheese

This healthy taco filling has a lot of versatility! It may be good for regular tacos, but it's also delicious in our sheet pan nacho recipe.

Recipe Highlights

This recipe is a great way to sneak extra vegetables into your day.
Tacos made with homemade seasoning blend, allow you to control the salt and heat in your tacos.
Tacos are quick and easy to make; dinner will be on the table fast!

A picture of ingredients for healthy taco meat: ground beef, shredded carrots and squash, taco seasoning and olive oil

Here is What You Will Need to Make this Healthy Taco Recipe

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This is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make this recipe, scroll down for a printable recipe card with exact measurements and instructions.

This is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make this recipe, scroll down to see ingredient notes and substitutions as well as a printable recipe card with exact measurements and complete cooking instructions.

Healthy Beef Taco Ingredients

lean ground beef
olive oil
shredded carrots
shredded zucchini
taco seasoning blend, here is my recipe for homemade taco seasoning
taco shells
your favorite taco toppings (chopped green or red onion, avocados, grated cheddar cheese, etc)

Tools Needed to Make This Tasty Taco Recipe

Skillet
Box grater to shred the vegetables

How to Make Homemade Beef Tacos

Get the ingredients ready - shred the carrots, zucchini, and cheese using a box grater or food processor; set them aside. Mix the seasoning blend together and set it aside.

Step 1. Heat olive oil in a pan at medium-high heat. Once the pan and oil are hot hot, add the ground beef to the pan and cook it until it turns brown.

cooked-ground-beef-with-taco-seasoning-on-top

Step 2. Stir in the seasoning blend and reduce the heat to medium heat.

an overhead view of browned beef in a skillet with shredded carrots and onions on top

Step 3. Add the shredded carrots and zucchini.

cooked-taco-meat-in-skillet-with-shredded-vegetables

Step 4. Stir in the water, and reduce the heat to low; simmer for a few minutes.

an-overhead-view-of-the-finished-taco-meat-with-vegetables

Step 5. Serve your healthy taco filling in your favorite taco shell.

Total Estimated Time to Make This Recipe: 30 to 40 Minutes

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Ground Beef: The best meat to use is ground round, chuck, or sirloin.

Ground beef substitutes - Any type of ground meat will work in this recipe. Try lean ground turkey, chicken, or pork.

Shredded carrots & zucchini substitutes: Most types of chopped-up vegetables are suitable to add to the taco meat filling in this recipe. Try using mushrooms, cauliflower rice, broccoli rice, bell peppers, butternut squash or beets.

Don't peel the zucchini! The zucchini skin is mild tasting and it's where most of the nutrients are. If you don't like the skin, you can remove it.

Homemade seasoning blend can be substituted with a premade blend like this taco seasoning

looking down at three tacos on a plate with lettuce and lime

Storing and Using Leftover Taco Filling

Store leftover taco meat in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months.

Thaw the leftover taco meat overnight in the refrigerator.

Re-heat the taco meat on top of the stove or in the microwave.

What to do with leftover taco meat - add leftover taco meat to salads, rice and beans, wraps, tortillas, or quesadillas.

three tacos on plate with lime and lettuce

Serving Suggestions & Variations

Serve healthy tacos with any of your favorite taco toppings such as chopped fresh cilantro, olives, pickled onions, fresh garden salsa, salsa verde, homemade guacamole shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese.

Taco salad - fill up a bowl with romaine lettuce, onions, tomatoes, shredded cheese, healthy taco meat, avocados and top it with a crumbled taco shell or tortilla chips, fresh salsa and Greek yogurt.

Nachos - add tortilla chips to a baking tray and cover them with taco meat, sprinkle on cheese and sliced jalapenos. Place the mixture into the oven at 350 until the cheese melts. Top the melted cheese with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, and salsa.

Use less meat - Reduce the meat to ½ pound and add ½ to ¾ cup of cooked black beans to the meat when the vegetables are added.

Your Healthy Taco Questions Answered

Here are the most commonly asked questions about these healthy beef tacos. If your question isn't answered below, leave me a comment and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

What type of taco shells are better to use, hard or soft?

We prefer our tacos in hard shells, but they also taste great as soft tacos in soft corn tortillas or flour tortillas.

Is there a healthier alternative for taco shells?

Try using romaine or bibb lettuce leaves to hold your taco meat.

Are Homemade Tacos Healthy?

Homemade is always healthier because you can control the ingredients. Homemade tacos contain less salt, and they have vegetables in them, so these tacos are much better for you than fast food tacos.

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Healthy Beef Tacos Recipe

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Tacos with ground beef and shredded vegetables make these a healthier choice!

Ingredients

¾ pound lean ground beef
2 medium carrots shredded
1 small zucchini shredded
8 soft or hard taco shells
Homemade Taco Seasoning
¼ cup water
your favorite taco fixings such as
onions, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, cabbage, beans, cheese, avocado

Instructions

use a box grater to shred the carrots and zucchini and set the shredded veggies aside and measure the taco seasoning.
brown the beef in a pan over medium to high heat
once the beef is cooked through, drain any excess fat from the meat and return it to the skillet on the stove and reduce 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

Recipe Variations

Change up the meat - You can subsititue the ground beef with any type of ground meat such as chicken, turkey or pork.

Use less meat - Reduce the meat to ½ pound and add ½ to ¾ cup of cooked black beans to the meat when the vegetables are added.

Change up the hidden vegetables - Replace the zucchini and carrots with shredded or small diced butternut squash, cauliflower or broccoli rice.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 2 tacos
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 477Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 625mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 10gSugar: 10gProtein: 34g

Nutrition information is provided by 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.