What if I told you that you could add 2 cups of vegetables to dinner tonight and your family wouldn’t even know it? Do I have your attention? Good! This Hidden Veggie Beef Taco Meat recipe will have even your pickiest eaters raving.
Use it on tacos, taco salad, burrito bowls, tostadas, taquitos and more! Corn tortillas, flour tortillas- no matter your preference, it works on just about anything! Going low carb? Lettuce wraps work with this taco meat too!
How do you sneak vegetables into taco meat?
How you sneak your vegetables in will depend on your picky eaters. I just use a fine dice. My husband asks few questions so long as it’s a tacos. If you need to get things smaller, I’d recommend a food processor. You can blend those veggies down so they are virtually undetectable.
For my hidden veggies, I use zucchini, yellow onion, and red bell pepper. The options are endless though. Cauliflower rice, sweet potatoes, frozen corn, mushrooms and carrots would all be good additions. The possibilities are endless here for the veggies.
Don’t be afraid to add beans too if you want to stretch your taco meat. Black beans are a great addition.
Seasonings for Hidden Veggie Beef Taco Meat Recipe
The spice blend I recommend includes chili powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, ground cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. It’s a very simple basic taco seasoning.
You could add whatever your favorite taco meat seasonings are. Tomato paste or tomato sauce is a great sub for the salsa if you don’t have it. Chipotle powder or green chiles would be nice for extra spice!
Substitutions for Taco Meat
If you don’t want to use ground beef you could use meat substitute, ground turkey, ground chicken, or if you want to, use less meat and cut the meat with beans like black beans! Truly any ground meat will do.
If you want that traditional ground beef taco taste, stick with the ground beef though. I promise you this is some of the best taco meat you’ll make and it’s so super simple.
These healthy tacos are so versatile so if you use it in your tacos, it will probably work here!
What to put on Hidden Veggie Tacos
Pico de gallo, lime juice, hot sauce, sour cream and gua
My Favorite Kitchen Tools for this Recipe
These are Amazon affiliate links. You get the same great price, but I get a small commission when you use them. Thank you for your support!
I love the alligator chopper for chopping veggies super fine. It makes it so quick!
I make this taco meat in a large non-stick skillet. This one is my favorite.
Leave a rating and review!
I am sure your whole family will love this taco meat recipe. It’s truly one of my favorite new recipes and I promise those veggie haters will be happy too! If you try it, please leave a star rating and review. It really helps others when they make the recipe. If you loved it, don’t forget to share on social media!
Now, get on with making some of these tacos and get those extra veggies in!
PIN FOR LATER!
Hidden Veggie Beef Taco Meat
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef 90% Lean or sub ground turkey
- 1 Bell Pepper any color; finely diced
- 1 small Zucchini finely diced or grated
- 1 small Onion finely diced
- 1 tbsp. Chili Powder
- 1 tsp. Cumin
- 1 tsp. Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Paprika
- 1.5 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Pepper
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup Salsa
Instructions
- Chop all the vegetables and heat a pan over medium heat. Drizzle about 2 tbsp. of olive oil in the pan and add the ground beef, salt and pepper. Brown the beef.1 lb. Lean Ground Beef, 1 Bell Pepper, 1 small Zucchini, 1 small Onion, 1.5 tsp. Salt, 1/2 tsp. Pepper
- Add in the chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, garlic powder and paprika then stir. Allow the spices to toast up with the meat for 1-2 minutes. Add in 1/4 cup of water and salsa and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.1 tbsp. Chili Powder, 1 tsp. Cumin, 1 tsp. Dried Oregano, 1 tsp. Garlic Powder, 1 tsp. Paprika, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup Salsa
- Stir the mixture occasionally. If it seems to dry out add a little more water 1 tbsp. at a time. Adjust salt and pepper before serving.1.5 tsp. Salt, 1/2 tsp. Pepper