This taco bowl recipe utilizes classic Tex-Mex ingredients in an easy-to-eat form. I learned this quick and simple recipe in 8th grade home education class, so this recipe is suitable for beginners and experts alike. Including preparation and cooking time, this recipe is unlikely to take longer than 30 minutes for even the most novice of chefs.

Supplies

*Makes 6-8 moderately sized bowls*

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
2/3 cup water
1 packet El Paso Taco seasoning
8 oz. pico de gallo
12 oz. restaurant-style chips
8 oz. sour cream
1 lb. shredded Mexican-style cheese

Cooking Equipment

Medium or large pan (8"-10")
Spatula
Measuring cup

Step 1: Cook the Meat

Heat the pan to medium-high heat. Place the meat in the pan and cook for roughly 5-6 minutes, breaking up and flipping the meat constantly. Stop when the meat is in small bits and browned all the way through.

Tip: Do not increase the temperature to reduce cook time. A temperature that is too high results in the meat having a rubbery texture.

Step 2: Drain the Meat

When the meat is done cooking, drain the grease from the pan by using your spatula to spoon the grease into a bowl. Draining the grease makes the meal healthier and easier to reheat. It is essential you wait to discard the grease until cooled, as pouring hot grease down the drain can cause serious damage to your pipes.

Step 3: Add the Taco Seasoning

Pour the seasoning and 2/3 cup water into the pan with the meat. While stirring constantly, heat the mixture to boiling. Upon reaching boiling temperature, lower the temperature of the mixture to a simmer (medium-low heat). Continue to stir for 3-4 minutes to allow the mixture to thicken.

Note: If not using El Paso Original, Mild, or Hot and Spicy seasoning, follow the instructions on the back of its packet instead.

Step 4: Crush the Chips

Open the bag slightly to let the air out. Use your hands to crush the chips for 1-2 minutes. Try to crush them into roughly quarter-sized pieces. Lightly shake the bag occasionally to ensure even amounts of crushing.

Note: If you do not want to crush the whole bag, pour the desired chips into a bowl and crush using your hands or spatula.

Step 5: Place Chips in the Bowl

Pour chips into a bowl, creating a layer of crunch at the bottom of your bowl. Ideally, you'll have a chip-to-meat ratio of about 1.5:1. You can increase/decrease the number of chips according to personal preference.

Optional: Place a circular cookie cutter in the bowl first, then place the chips around it to form a ring of chips. For the rest of the steps, place the ingredients within the cookie cutter. The taste is not impacted, but it is a fun way to present the dish.

Step 6: Add the Meat

Add meat to the bowl. I typically add about 3-4 scoops of meat to my bowl, but again, it's all about your personal preference. If you need to make bowls for a large group of people, I'd recommend adding only 2-3 scoops to stretch how many bowls you can make.

Step 7: Add the Pico De Gallo

Add the pico to the bowl. This bowl is all about customization, so you can adjust the amount to your personal preference. I really enjoy pico de gallo, so I usually keep the pico-to-meat ratio a little bit under 1:1.

Step 8: Stir

Stir all the ingredients thoroughly. You can choose to skip this step, but I do not recommend it. Stirring spreads out the flavors so each bite will include a consistent amount of meat, chips, and pico de Gallo.

Note: If you placed the chips in a ring, skip this step to preserve presentation quality.

Step 9: Add the Rest of Ingredients

Add the rest of your ingredients. I chose to add cheese and sour cream for this bowl, but I've also provided a list of other popular topping options. If you are making this bowl exclusively for yourself, I would recommend stirring the bowl again to mix up all the flavors. This comes at the cost of presentation, so I'd recommend skipping this step if serving others.

Other possible ingredients:

Shredded Lettuce
Olives
PIckeled Red Onions
Jalapeño Slices

Step 10: Enjoy!

Thank you for using this Instructable! I hope you enjoyed your taco bowl and found the instructions easy to follow.

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Introduction: Taco Bowl - Easy Recipe