Back to School with Taco Night!

Wow! Did that summer fly by or what?! I don’t know about you, but for me every year seems to go by faster than the last one. Somebody needs to come up with a word to describe this feeling! 😅  With another trove of fun summer memories in the bag the kids are making their way back to school. Back to school is always an exciting time for our family. It’s a change in our family rhythms and a sign of the harvest season to come. Backyard gardens are flush with the season’s produce, the fall season is just weeks away, and who’s excited for sweet corn?  🙌🏼  To help ease our family back into the first week of school, I like to break out a few new recipes. It's Friday and it's taco night! Check out my family's special crock pot taco meat recipe below along with our secret sauce addition. Enjoy!

Meal: Taco Night

Recipe: Taco Meat (ground beef or ground turkey)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1-2 hours on Low crock pot setting

Serve With: Your favorite hard shell or soft shell taco and toppings

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lb. ground beef (85% lean)

1 fresh, medium onion, chopped

1 fresh, poblano pepper, chopped (*optional: this will add a medium heat to the beef)

2 tsp chili powder (or more to spicy preference)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 tsp black pepper

1⁄2 cup water (more as needed to keep the beef mixture moist)

1 tbsp agave
 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add ground beef to skillet and brown on medium high setting
   
   
2. Add chopped onion to the skillet while browning beef
   
   
3. Add chopped poblano pepper to the skillet while browning beef
   
   
4. Strain fat from the browned ground beef before adding to crock pot on Low setting
   
   
5. Add all seasoning ingredients to crock pot (chili powder, basil, oregano, cumin, garlic salt, black pepper)
   
   
6. Stir beef and dry ingredients together in crock pot using our favorite crock pot accessory Spoon Spot!
   
   
7. Add 1/2 cup of water to crock pot (the adventurous souls may also use 1/4 cup tequila and 1/4 cup water mixture)
   
   
8. Add 1 tbsp agave nectar to crock pot
   
   
9. Stir and cover crock pot with lid.
   
   
10. Let sit for 1-2 hours on Low heat (check periodically and adjust heat as necessary). I recommend letting the meat cook for at least 1 hour on Low heat in the crock pot before serving. You won't regret the flavor. ;)

 

And if you feel so inclined, below is a secret sauce addition to my family's taco night.

Secret Sauce: Spicy Ranch

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup milk

1 Hidden Valley ranch packet

1 tbsp Crazy Gringa Serrano Chili sauce*

Mix in bowl and stir

*If you have not tried the hot sauces by Crazy Gringa, we highly recommend that you do! You will be back for more!

Here's a promo code for 10% off your next Spoon Spot order: TACO10
Offer expires 8-27-2021

Is #TGIF still a thing?