Taco Skillet

Looking to change up taco night? This Taco Skillet is easily made in one pan and is on the table in 30 minutes. It’s a dinner the whole family will love.

Wondering what to serve alongside this Taco Skillet? Try this Mexican Grilled Corn on the Cob or this Refried Beans recipe.

There are times when you want to challenge yourself in the kitchen – cooking with techniques and ingredients that you’ve never used before. But then there are times when you just want something familiar and comforting.

This recipe is for those kind of nights.

Familiar flavors that combine together to make something easy, fast and delicious for dinner! And bonus – it’s all made in one skillet, and is done in 30 minutes!

Taco Skillet Ingredients

• Olive Oil: This is to cook your onion and pepper in – I typically use olive oil, but you can use the oil that you usually use.
• Onion: You can use a yellow or white onion.
• Poblano Chile: A poblano Chile will give you great flavor with a tiny bit of heat. If you don’t want any heat at all, you can add a green bell pepper instead.
• Chili Powder: This is for flavor.
• Smoked Paprika: You can always use regular paprika, but I love the smokiness that comes from the smoked paprika.
• Salt: Never underestimate what properly salting your food can do!
• Ground Beef: I like to use a leaner ground beef so that I don’t have to worry about draining off any fat, but if you do use a ground beef with a higher fat content, simply drain the fat as needed.
• Tomato: I like to use a fresh tomato, but if you don’t have one on hand, you could sub in canned diced tomatoes. You will want to make sure and drain them well, and then just add about a quarter of the can of tomatoes.
• Tortilla Chips: Just make sure to use tortilla chips that you like.
• Shredded Cheese: I always suggest using freshly grated cheese so that it melts well. Pre-grated cheese is coated with a powder to keep it from clumping together, and this makes it so it doesn’t melt as well, either.

How to Make a Taco Skillet

STEP 1: Sauté the onion and pepper in some olive oil until soft.

STEP 2: Add in the spices and cook until they are fragrant. This will bring out their flavor. Make sure to keep stirring so that the spices don’t burn.

STEP 3: Add your ground beef and cook until no longer pink.

STEP 4: Stir in the tomatoes and let the mixture cook for another minute.

STEP 5: Add your crushed chips. They don’t need to be pulverized, but you want them small enough to be able to eat easily.

STEP 6: Turn the heat off and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Place a lid on the skillet until the cheese has melted.

Tips and Substitutions

• Sub in vegetable oil or butter for the olive oil.
• I love the poblano in this recipe because it gives flavor without a lot of heat (great for the kids) but you could also add in a jalapeno if you want more heat. Or for an even more mellow flavor, use a bell pepper.
• Swap in ground turkey to make it a little healthier.
• No need to make an exact measurement for the tortilla chips. I just use a few handfuls and roughly crush them as I add them in.
• If this Taco Skillet sits, the chips will get a bit soggy. If you aren’t serving this right away, you can skip adding the tortilla chips and let each person just add the meat mixture on top of chips.
• Serve with your favorite taco toppings. I like avocados, sour cream and cilantro. You could also add hot sauce, tomatoes, lime wedges, or guacamole.

More Ways to Change Up Taco Night

Taco Skillet

5 from 2 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

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Looking to change up taco night? This Taco Skillet is easily made in one pan and is on the table in 30 minutes. It’s a dinner the whole family will love.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion diced
• ▢ 1 poblano chile seeded and diced
• ▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 pound ground beef
• ▢ 1 tomato chopped
• ▢ 2 cups roughly crushed tortilla chips
• ▢ 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢ Toppings such as diced tomatoes, lime wedges, cilantro, sour cream, etc (optional)

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
• Add the onion and pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Chile powder, smoked paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring the whole time.
• Add the ground beef and continue to cook, breaking up the ground beef as it cooks. Cook until cooked through and no longer pink.
• Stir in the tomato and cook for an additional minute. Stir the tortilla chips into the mixture.
• Turn the heat off and top with the cheese. Immediately place a lid on the skillet and let it sit for a minute or two until the cheese is melted.
• Serve topped with your favorite taco toppings.

Recipe Notes:

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide. Nutrition information does not include toppings.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/4 of recipe, Calories: 469kcal (23%), Carbohydrates: 15g (5%), Protein: 33g (66%), Fat: 32g (49%), Saturated Fat: 12g (75%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 104mg (35%), Sodium: 497mg (22%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 3g (3%)

Keywords: 30 minute meal, easy dinner, taco skillet