Ground Beef Taco Skillet
The kids eat it mild. I add extra jalapenos to mine when they’re not looking. Everyone’s happy.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can black beans, drained 14oz
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14oz
- 1 cup corn kernels frozen or canned
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning store-bought or homemade — recipe below
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup shredded cheese cheddar or Mexican blend
- Salt and pepper
Quick Homemade Taco Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, salt and pepper
Toppings (Build-Your-Own Bar)
- Sour cream, salsa, avocado or guacamole, jalapenos, tortilla chips, shredded lettuce, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, hot sauce
Method
Cook the Beef
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion. Cook 6-7 minutes, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until browned and no pink remains. Drain excess fat if there’s a lot. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
Season and Simmer
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Add the taco seasoning and water. Stir to coat everything. Add the black beans, diced tomatoes, and corn. Stir, bring to a simmer, and cook 8-10 minutes until the liquid reduces and the mixture is thick and saucy — not soupy, not dry. You want it to hold together on a chip but still be scoopable.
Cheese and Serve
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Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top. Cover with a lid for 2 minutes until melted. Bring the whole skillet to the table — let everyone top their own portion. This is the genius of the build-your-own format: the picky eater gets just cheese and sour cream, the adventurous one loads up on jalapenos and hot sauce, and I get the satisfaction of watching everyone eat from the same pot without a single complaint.
Ground Beef Taco Skillet — One Pan, 20 Minutes, Zero Dishes
The kids eat it mild. I add extra jalapenos to mine when they’re not looking. Everyone’s happy.
Ground beef taco skillet is the dinner I make when I need to get food on the table in 20 minutes and make everyone in this house think I’m a competent adult. One pan, ground beef, seasoning, beans, cheese, and whatever toppings each person feels like adding. It’s a build-your-own taco situation without the hassle of actually filling taco shells while they crack in half and dump their contents onto the counter. I’ve declared war on taco shells. The skillet won.
This is also my stealth spice-training tool. When my kids were little, “seasoning” meant salt. Maybe pepper if we were feeling wild. I started adding tiny amounts of cumin, chilli powder, and garlic to this skillet — barely noticeable, just enough to get their palates used to something beyond bland. Over two years, I’ve gradually increased the heat level. They’re now comfortably eating what I’d call “medium” spice, which for a Polish family in America is significant progress. My oldest even tried my jalapeno-heavy portion last week and said “it’s actually fine.” Victory tastes like cumin and pride.
Why a Skillet Instead of Tacos
Tacos require shells, and shells require assembly, and assembly with four kids means a destroyed kitchen and at least one child wearing dinner instead of eating it. The skillet gives you the same flavours — seasoned beef, beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa — in a format you eat with a fork or scoop with tortilla chips. Less mess, same satisfaction, and nobody cries because their taco fell apart. It’s the lazy parent’s taco night and I’m not ashamed.
Ingredients
- • 1 pound ground beef
- • 1 small onion, diced
- • 2 cloves garlic, minced
- • 1 can (14oz) black beans, drained
- • 1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes
- • 1 cup corn kernels (frozen or canned)
- • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (store-bought or homemade — recipe below)
- • 1/2 cup water
- • 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend)
- • Salt and pepper
Quick Homemade Taco Seasoning
- • 1 tablespoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, salt and pepper
Toppings (Build-Your-Own Bar)
- • Sour cream, salsa, avocado or guacamole, jalapenos, tortilla chips, shredded lettuce, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, hot sauce
How to Make It
Cook the Beef
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion. Cook 6-7 minutes, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until browned and no pink remains. Drain excess fat if there’s a lot. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
Season and Simmer
Add the taco seasoning and water. Stir to coat everything. Add the black beans, diced tomatoes, and corn. Stir, bring to a simmer, and cook 8-10 minutes until the liquid reduces and the mixture is thick and saucy — not soupy, not dry. You want it to hold together on a chip but still be scoopable.
Cheese and Serve
Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top. Cover with a lid for 2 minutes until melted. Bring the whole skillet to the table — let everyone top their own portion. This is the genius of the build-your-own format: the picky eater gets just cheese and sour cream, the adventurous one loads up on jalapenos and hot sauce, and I get the satisfaction of watching everyone eat from the same pot without a single complaint.
The Spice-Training Strategy
If you’re raising kids who think black pepper is “too spicy,” this skillet is your tool. Start with half the taco seasoning and no cayenne. Let them get used to cumin and chilli powder, which add flavour without real heat. After a month, go to full seasoning with a pinch of cayenne. Two months: standard heat. Three months: add a diced jalapeno to the pan. By six months, they’re dipping chips in salsa voluntarily and you can weep with joy.
This worked with three of my four kids. The fourth still eyes anything red with suspicion, but she eats this skillet happily as long as I don’t mention the word “spicy.” Parenting is about choosing your battles, and this one was won through stealth seasoning.
Tips
💡 Pro Tips
✓ Homemade seasoning > packets. Store-bought taco seasoning packets are fine, but they’re full of sodium and fillers. The homemade mix takes 30 seconds and tastes cleaner.
✓ Don’t skip the water. The water dissolves the seasoning and creates a sauce that coats the beef. Without it, the spices sit on top like dust instead of integrating.
✓ Drain the beef if fatty. Too much grease makes the skillet oily and heavy. A quick drain keeps the flavours clear.
✓ Let the liquid reduce. The mixture should be thick and saucy, not watery. If it’s too loose, cook another 2-3 minutes uncovered.
Variations
• With rice: Stir in 1 cup cooked rice to make it a complete meal in one pan. Burrito bowl energy.
• With sweet potato: Dice a sweet potato small, add with the onion, and cook 8 minutes before the beef. Adds sweetness and makes it heartier.
• Turkey version: Ground turkey instead of beef. Leaner, lighter, needs a bit more seasoning to compensate for less fat.
• Polish-Mexican fusion: Top with sauerkraut instead of lettuce and use Polish mustard alongside the salsa. Sounds insane. Tastes incredible. This is what Polish Mom is all about.
How to Store
Keeps 4-5 days in the fridge and reheats perfectly. Great meal prep — portion into containers and grab for lunch. Freezes well for 3 months without the cheese (add fresh cheese when reheating).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this actually kid-friendly?
It’s the most kid-friendly dinner in our rotation after mac and cheese. The build-your-own format gives kids control (they love that), the cheese melts into everything (universal kid bait), and the spice level is adjustable. Start mild, go from there.
Can I use chicken instead of beef?
Ground chicken or turkey both work. They’re leaner, so add a tablespoon of oil when cooking and season a bit more aggressively. The skillet is forgiving — it adapts to whatever protein you throw at it.