Healthy Beef tacos are flavored with homemade taco seasoning along with fresh ingredients to make a healthier version of tacos.
Make your tacos healthier with this taco filling. It is made with lean ground grass-fed beef mixed with shredded vegetables and seasoned with a homemade spice blend for the best-tasting beef tacos you have ever tasted.
Recipe Highlights
- This taco recipe is a great way to sneak extra vegetables into your day.
- Tacos are easy to make and versatile, perfect for a quick and delicious dinner that everyone will love.
Here is What You Will Need
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This is an overview of the ingredients and instructions that you will need to make this recipe. Scroll down a bit further for ingredient substitutions, and complete cooking instructions without photos which are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Ingredients
- Lean Ground Beef
- Olive Oil
- Shredded Carrots
- Shredded Zucchini
- Taco Seasoning Blend (chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder & sea salt)
- Hard Taco Shells or Soft Taco Shells
- Any combination of taco fixings such as avocado, shredded cheese, chopped lettuce, onions, olives, taco sauce and guacamole.
Equipment
Here’s How to Make Healthy Taco Filling
Get the ingredients ready – shred the carrots, zucchini and cheese using a box grater or food processor and set them aside. Mix the seasoning blend together and set it aside.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium to high heat and brown the meat. Add the vegetables once the meat is just about cooked through.
Reduce the heat and add some water and cook for 10 minutes longer.
Stuff the taco shells with the taco meat and top them with your favorite taco fixings.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Lean ground beef such as ground round, chuck or sirloin is the best cut of beef.
Ground beef substitutes – Ground chicken, turkey or pork will also work in this recpe.
Shredded carrots & zucchini substitutes – Most types of chopped up vegetables are suitable to add to the ground meat in this recipe. Try using musrhooms, cauliflower rice, broccoli rice, butternut squash or beets.
Homemade seasoning blend can be substituted with a premade blend like this taco seasoning
Total Estimated Time to Make This Recipe: 30 to 40 Minutes
Leftover Storage Tips
Store leftover taco meat can be stored in the refrigerator 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.
Serving Suggestions & Variations
Taco salad – fill up a bowl with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, shredded cheese, taco meat, avocados and top it with a crumbled taco shell, 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, onions, 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.
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Healthy Beef Tacos
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
- Taco Seasoning (ingredients are below) or 2 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning blend.
SEASONING:
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ 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 to high heat
- while the meat is cooking mix the taco seasonings together in a small bowl
- once the beef is cooked through, drain the 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 tacosAmount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
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.