I titled the post: “Simplest Chicken Tacos.” Are you laughing? My how things have changed. It didn’t happen overnight, but rather very gradually, one small change leading to another until I had slipped right down that slippery slope, landing at present-day taco night, where the taco shells are hard (and stand upright!) and purchased at the store along with the bag of grated “Mexican-style” cheese, the packet of taco seasoning, and the pound of ground beef. I often buy the salsa, too: you know the fresh salsa sold in the produce aisle? That’s the one! My prep list on taco night now amounts to dicing an onion, browning the meat, and slicing up a head of Romaine lettuce. I warm the taco shells in the toaster oven, dump the cheese and lettuce into bowls, and when the taco filling is cooked, which takes about 20 minutes total, the assembly line is ready. I had wanted to title this post: “Taco Night 2.0”, but that would have implied some sort of culinary advancement, which is not exactly what has happened here. But do you know what? The reception of my mostly effortless taco night has never been better. No one seems to miss the freshly ground meat, the hand-grated cheese, and the homemade taco seasoning. The tacos, in fact, have never disappeared faster. Friends, this is not easy to admit. If you’ve been reading for a while, you know I’m a proud DIY-er: I’ve made the case for buying chickens whole and cutting them up yourself (and then making stock with the carcass!); I extoll the virtues of cooking dried beans from scratch. I don’t think twice about making homemade ricotta, and I encourage you to do the same. I like to cook. I LOVE to cook! Foods made from scratch so often taste better. Plus there’s less waste; you get more bang for your buck. Knowing all this, if I confess to stocking packets of taco seasoning, bags of grated cheese, and tubs of salsa, what will come next? Endorsing a brand of bottled salad dressing? I think this is my fear. That slippery slope I mentioned earlier. The trouble is that sometimes all of this DIY pride (madness?) prevents me from actually getting dinner on the table. Since adopting a more semi-homemade approach to taco night, it happens more regularly. And no matter the day of the week, it always feels doable. I want to be better about this, and I’ve made strides over the years, namely accepting that canned beans work just fine, that boneless, skinless chicken thighs make souvlaki night a walk in the park, that Trader Joe’s pre-cooked lentils and bruschetta sauce unite into a most magical salad, and, most recently, that a packet of taco seasoning somehow makes taco night feel like a complete and utter breeze. Friends, have you ever let your high standards prevent you from getting to the task at hand? Are you ashamed of anything in your fridge or pantry? Please share. This is a safe space. While the spirit is moving me, here’s my full confession:
10 Items I Never Imagined Stocking
This confession stems from the most recent taco night, when I found myself staring at all of the outsourced components — numbers 1-5 below all make appearances on taco night.
How to Make Truly Simple Tacos
Step one, gather your ingredients: Dice an onion. Sauté the onion for about 4 minutes; then add the packet of taco seasoning and cook for 1 minute. Add the ground beef, and stir constantly until the meat is browned, 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and water. Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes or until… … much of the liquid has reduced down. Cut up a head of Romaine lettuce, and … … dump it into a bowl. Dump the cheese into a bowl, too, and place your taco shells on a sheet pan. Toast them in the oven or toaster oven for 1 to 2 minutes. Your assembly line is ready. Assemble away! I do this order: lettuce, meat, cheese, salsa. 4.9 from 54 reviews
Notes:
Taco Seasoning: I like the Whole Foods 365 brand, and if you have one you recommend, please share in the comments. Update: Three recommendations from commenters include The Spice House, Penzey’s, and Siete Foods. My experience with taco seasoning packets is that they tend to be saltier, so if you have a heavy hand (as I do) when seasoning meat and onions, etc., consider holding back a bit or omitting altogether. Ground Beef: I look for grassfed ground beef or humanely raised (for reasons I discuss here and here) and look for 20% fat. Tortillas: For soft tortillas we love the Vista Hermosa brand, which I find at Whole Foods, or Caramelo, which I mail order (and which takes weeks, so if you do it, buy a lot and store them in the freezer).
