Recipe: Healthier Taco Meat

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onsugarhill
onsugarhill Posts: 39 Member
in Recipes
As weight loss for me is a lifestyle change, I'm constantly working on ways to eat the same foods I've always eaten but make them healthier. I try to avoid diet foods and fake ingredients.

I was craving nachos yesterday, and I made some taco meat that was considerably healthier than I used to make it.

3 lb. ground beef (I used a combination of chuck, round, and sirloin.)
1 small onion, finely diced
4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
2 cans low sodium black beans
taco seasoning (I used the recipe here (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/taco-seasoning-i/), tripled it, and added extra cumin. I like my Mexican food spicy!)

Brown ground beef & drain in a colander.
Cook onions in the same pan using the little bit of grease left behind.
Return meat to pan and add taco seasoning.
Mix in the spices and cook for a few minutes to develop the flavor.
Add tomatoes and black beans, along with about 1 can of water.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes to blend the flavors, break down the tomatoes, and reduce the liquid to your preferred level.

With the ingredients and amounts I used, the nutrition was the following:

9 servings (260 grams each)

335 calories

12 g fat
19 g carbs
37 g protein

589 mg sodium

This recipe is really flexible - I think next time I'll add another can of beans and a pepper or two. You could also use ground turkey or chicken, though if I were to do so, I'd probably start by cooking the onion in a little olive oil and then add the meat, since it wouldn't need to drain.

Replies

  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,473 Member
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    yum! THANKS!
  • Cindy873
    Cindy873 Posts: 1,165
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    You can also cut quite a bit of sodium if you switch from canned black beans to dried. Looks tasty! :)
  • onsugarhill
    onsugarhill Posts: 39 Member
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    That's a very good point about dried beans! I've started using exclusively low sodium canned beans, but I don't have time on weeknights to make dried beans. I am planning on getting a pressure cooker soon and hope to switch to using all dried beans. :-)

    If you're watching sodium, you can also reduce the amount of salt you put in the taco seasoning. That's one of the reasons I like making it myself.
  • catfulford
    catfulford Posts: 62 Member
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    bump!
  • calibriintx
    calibriintx Posts: 1,741 Member
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    This post went in an entirely different direction than expected.
  • Magdaloonie
    Magdaloonie Posts: 146 Member
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    I make my own seasoning, too, and it's much better! I have found I prefer ground turkey or, best of all, leftover meat from a roasted chicken to beef or pork for my taco filling. I also use good corn tortillas and just lightly brown them on a dry pan for soft tacos. Much better calorie and fat-wise than flour tortillas or hard taco shells.
  • Cindy873
    Cindy873 Posts: 1,165
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    That's a very good point about dried beans! I've started using exclusively low sodium canned beans, but I don't have time on weeknights to make dried beans. I am planning on getting a pressure cooker soon and hope to switch to using all dried beans. :-)

    If you're watching sodium, you can also reduce the amount of salt you put in the taco seasoning. That's one of the reasons I like making it myself.

    I make large batches of black beans and black eyed peas on the weekends and freeze them. I use them daily and they are always on hand in the freezer.
  • HikeThatMountain
    HikeThatMountain Posts: 102
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    Sounds yummy, thanks for posting!!:flowerforyou:

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