Taco Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…
If you can’t tell already by the recurring theme in my recipe posts, I love Mexican food. I think it’s the variety of flavors and components all wrapped up (sometimes literally) in the same dish. ‘Taco Tuesday’ has become a catch phrase and the alliteration rolls off the tongue. So, my fellow foodies. Why not Taco Wednesday, or Thursday with ground beef tacos with avocado cilantro aioli?
I would argue one should enjoy tacos every day of the week. This recipe is a specific suggestion to prepare and serve ground beef tacos with avocado cilantro aioli on grilled flour tortillas. Use this beef base as the foundation for any way you like to top those daily tacos!
What You’ll Need to Make Ground Beef Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Aioli
- Ground Beef – For this recipe I use ground chuck 80% lean 20% fat. I tried to use mercado taco meat which is delicious and gorgeous, but I felt it was too lean and wasn’t creating the flavor and definitely not the texture I was going for, which is to be better than the bell (wink wink). So, find a good fat to lean ratio you like.
- Spices and Seasonings – There are quite a few in this, I know. Paprika brings the smoke. Onion powder, cumin, salt, and coriander are traditional. Chipotle chili powder provides the heat. You can also try a ground ancho chili instead which will be less heat and more smoked flavor. I like to use lemon pepper. Ground black pepper usually ends up in everything anyway and citrus trails in at the end of many ingredient lists. The lemon adds a punch of citrus spark.
- Vegetables – Color and crunch is what I want to create by adding sweet orange peppers and feisty red onions to the ground beef mix. I recommend dicing to a 1/2″ x 1/2″ size or slightly larger because they will cook down but won’t get lost in the beefy goodness. Raw shredded green cabbage on top adds a really nice contrast in color and texture with a delicate crunch. Keep these ribbons thin sliced.
- Tortillas – Street tacos are usually created with small shells, whether flour or corn. I really like both, but this time I’m using small 5-6″ flour tortillas that I toasted for just a few seconds over an open flame on the stove. The soft, chewy, and, if toasted, warm tortillas as so good with the crunch and will absorb some of the amazing taco juices.
What You’ll Need for the Aioli
- Garlic and Mayo – Aioli is made with garlic and oil. This sauce is made with garlic and mayo, which still has oil from the mayo… so, while technically not its purest form, I think of this sauce qualifies as an aioli.
- Avocado – Ripe avocados of course. The avocado should feel like the soft part of your hand at the base of your thumb if you make a fist.
- Cilantro – Fresh cilantro leaves, so good! I know cilantro can be polarizing and can taste like soap for some people, so you can leave it out of course. Fresh is best (yes, you can buy it dried, which I didn’t know).
- Limes – Fresh limes to zest and squeeze the juice. If you already have lime juice in a bottle at home or it’s what you can find, go with it and skip the zest.
Making Ground Beef Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Aioli
Really simple. First, chop the red onions and orange peppers into bite size pieces, again they will shrink a little, but not get lost. If they are going to be in the mix, you want to be able to taste them. Next, cook the veggies.
Then, add the beef and cook the mix for just a bit longer until all the pink is gone. Toss in the spices and seasonings.
I’ve had my small 3 cup food processor for a really long time, and I love it. It’s a kitchen tool I don’t use often, but when I do bring it out, it’s the best. You can make this aioli easily by hand too, but putting everything in a food processor, even a blender or an immersion blender makes the preparation fast.
Whatever route you choose, you merely need to chop the cilantro and garlic, zest and juice a lime and mix it all with mayo and sea salt. Done!
Assembling Your Ground Beef Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Aioli
I highly recommend warming up those lovely, soft flour tortillas before loading them up. They’ll be extra tasty and more pliable. Below shows the alternative options – load on the cabbage first. Then, top with ground beef and veggies. Drizzle the avocado cilantro aioli over top. Serve with extra lime wedges and cilantro leaves.
Tips, Tricks, & FAQs
- Blending in. Lots of tips are already included in the recipe. You can make the aioli by hand or with and immersion blender.
- Tasty toppers. Instead of cabbage, try match stick radishes or thin sliced red onion to top your tacos.
- Cheese on everything. So this is really good as is, but I think I put cheese on nearly everything, so why should this recipe be any different? Top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and Cotija cheese.
- Customize. Change the ratio of spices… less chipotle, more cumin to make the flavor fit your taste buds.
Ground Beef Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Aioli
Ground Beef Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Aioli is a triple threat of beefy goodness, crunchy cabbage with a creamy avocado cilantro sauce.
Equipment
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- food processor, blender or immersion blender (optional)
- frying pan
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- lime squeezer or fork
- zesting tool
Ingredients
Avocado Cilantro Aioli
- 1 cup cilantro leaves (when fine chopped this reduces to 1/4 cup)
- 1 large garlic glove, mashed
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice (1-2 limes, depends on how juicy they are)
- 1 cup avocado (1/2 large avocado)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Season Mix for Beef
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- 2 teaspoons Onion Powder
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Chipotle Chili Powder
- 2 teaspoons Coriander
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Pepper
Taco Meat & Veggies
- 1 cup orange pepper (4 oz, ~1/2 large pepper)
- 1 cup red onion (4 oz, ~1/2 large onion)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs 80/20 ground chuck beef
Instructions
Avocado Cilantro Aioli
- Cilantro. Wash and remove cilantro leaves from the tough stems. Place 1 cup of cilantro in a food processor. (If doing this by hand, finely chop the leaves on a cutting board and add to a bowl.)1 cup cilantro leaves (when fine chopped this reduces to 1/4 cup)
- Garlic. Peel and place 1 clove of garlic into the food processor. (If you are doing this by hand thin slice the garlic clove, then use the flat side of the knife to mash and drag the garlic on the cutting board repeatedly to pulverize it.)1 large garlic glove, mashed
- Lime Zest. Zest the lime using a zesting tool. You'll want to get the peel, but not the white bitter part. Add the zest to the bowl with cilantro and garlic. (If you're in a pinch, some cheese graters have a super fine blade option that may work just as well as a zesting tool)1 teaspoon lime zest
- Lime Juice. Cut the lime in half (around the middle, not stem to stem). Juice 1-2 limes using a squeezer or hold the lime in your hand and rotate a fork in the flesh to release the juice. Add the juice to the cilantro mix.2 Tablespoons lime juice (1-2 limes, depends on how juicy they are)
- Chop, Chop. Pulse the food processor until the cilantro and garlic are finely chopped.
- Avocado. Cut 1 large avocado in half. Remove the flesh from the peel. To do this, palm the avocado, peel side in your hand. Run a spoon between the flesh and the peel, running it along the entire peel to loosen the flesh. Scoop out the green goodness and add it to the cilantro.1 cup avocado (1/2 large avocado)
- Mayo. Lastly, measure and add the mayonnaise and salt.1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Mix It Up. Blend to mix well. (If doing this by hand, be sure the avocado is mashed until smooth).
Ground Beef Mix
- Spices. Measure and combine all spices in a bowl.2 teaspoons Paprika, 2 teaspoons Onion Powder, 2 teaspoons Cumin, 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt, 1 teaspoon Ground Chipotle Chili Powder, 2 teaspoons Coriander, 2 teaspoons Lemon Pepper
- Onion. Peel and cut onion in half. Slice the onion into 1/2" slices. Then, cut slices into 1/2" squares. Set aside.1 cup red onion (4 oz, ~1/2 large onion)
- Pepper. Wash and remove stem and seeds from the pepper. Cut the pepper into 1/2" wide ribbons, then cut the ribbons into 1/2" wide pieces. Set aside.1 cup orange pepper (4 oz, ~1/2 large pepper)
- Pan. In a frying pan, add olive oil and cook over medium heat.1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Saute. Carefully add the peppers and onions. Stir frequently over medium heat for 5 minutes. The veggies should begin to soften.
- Ground Beef. Add the ground beef to the onions and peppers. Using a large spoon, break the meat up and stir. Continue to cook over medium heat. This should only take about 5 minutes to cook out all of the pink. Break up the meat until it is a crumbly texture.1 1/2 lbs 80/20 ground chuck beef
- Grease. Remove the meat-veggie mix from the heat. Carefully spoon out all but about 1/3 cup of the grease (if you want to spoon out all the grease, you can. I like to leave a little to keep the meat moist and leave a little added flavor). The leaner the meat, the less fat that will be rendered.
- Spice it up. Add the seasoning to the meat-veggie mix. Stir until the seasonings are well distributed and evenly combined. Cook for another minute.
Assembly!
- Cabbage. Thin slice green cabbage.
- Tortillas. Toast the tortillas over a pan or directly over a flame. I heat it over the gas burner for 10-15 seconds. (If you use this method, use a pair of thongs to keep moving the tortilla over the flame. this will create a more even toast, and I think it helps to keep the tortilla from sticking to your grates)
- Meat Mix. Add 1/3 cup of meat-veggie mix to each tortilla
- Toppers. Top with shredded cabbage and aioli mix.
- Enjoy! Serve with sliced limes and cilantro.
