Who says you can only have tacos on Tuesday? With this easy make-ahead Slow Cooker Taco Beef, tacos are on the table in a snap, any night of the week!
Slow Cooker Taco Beef
{Referral links are used in this post.}
Tacos are an easy weeknight meal, right? And who doesn’t have fun with a taco bar? But what if Taco Tuesday was even easier?!? That’s where this Slow Cooker Taco Beef comes in handy – make a big batch ahead, freeze it, and tacos are on the table in no time flat!
I love cooking ground beef in big batches and keeping it in the freezer for those rushed nights. And sometimes I’ll use that pre-cooked ground beef to make tacos (just heat it up on the stove and mix in the taco seasoning like normal). But sometimes I don’t even have that much time! So making taco beef ahead in the slow cooker takes out even that one (usually easy) step. And don’t we all want making dinner to be just that much easier? I know I do!
So pop your ground beef in your Crock-Pot, add some taco seasoning (you won’t need water), and let it cook! Now you’ve got tacos ready for dinner tonight, plenty of leftovers for tomorrow, and even some to freeze for later!
This is also a great way to make a big batch of taco beef for a party. Keep some warm in a slow cooker so everyone can help themselves all night long. I’m seeing my future… a mom to some kind of sporty boy (and definitely a very social boy), so I’m starting to stockpile recipes that are easy to cook in big batches – envisioning a few years spent feeding lots of hungry, active boys! This Simple Cilantro Rice is going to be another recipe that gets a lot of use in this house!
The trickiest part about cooking ground beef this way is knowing when it’s fully cooked. The easiest way to know is by using a meat thermometer. I like a probe-style thermometer like this one when I’m cooking anything in my slow cooker. Just insert the tip of the probe into the center of the meat and set the temperature alarm to 160 degrees F. Take the probe out when you stir the ground beef, then just put it back before you put the cover back on the slow cooker. The alarm will beep when the temperature reaches 160 degrees, and you know you’re done!
Enjoy!
Free Printable Ground Beef Buyer’s Guide
Have you ever gotten confused at the grocery store when you’re trying to pick out ground beef for tonight’s dinner? We can help! This Ground Beef Buyer’s Guide has everything you need to know about buying ground beef, plus you can download a free printable cheat sheet to keep handy in your kitchen or your purse!
Tools for Cooking with Ground Beef
Every kitchen needs a few basic tools… These are ones that I use all the time when I’m cooking with ground beef!
- 5-Quart Saute Pan
- Mix and Chop
- 6-Quart Slow Cooker
- Instant-Read Digital Thermometer
- Probe-Style Digital Thermometer
3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of This Recipe
- Why is Ground Beef Brown in the Middle?
- What is the Best Seasoning for Beef? – free printable!
- What’s in My Freezer? – free printable!
3 More Recipes to Try
Printable Recipe Card for Slow Cooker Taco Beef
Slow Cooker Taco Beef
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ground beef
- 3 packets taco seasoning or 12 Tablespoons of bulk taco seasoning
Instructions
- Put ground beef in a 6-quart slow cooker. Use a mix and chop or wooden spoon to break up the beef.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning over the beef. Mix the taco seasoning into the beef. Do not add water.
- Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally until the ground beef is fully cooked (160 degrees F in the center of the slow cooker with a meat thermometer).
- Drain if needed.
- Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an air-tight container, or freeze smaller portions in quart-size Ziploc freezer bags.
Note:
- To make more than 3 pounds of taco beef, add up to 3 more pounds of ground beef and 3 more packets (12 Tablespoons) of taco seasoning (1 packet or 4 Tablespoons per pound of beef).
- Cook, stirring occasionally until the meat is cooked to 160 degrees F.
Shared on:
So many wonderful meal ideas here! Thank you so much!