This easy weeknight taco meat recipe is BIG on flavor! Adding a can of drained and rinsed black beans helps stretch the meat further and, in turn, your budget, as well.

So when I shared how we survived spring soccer season, I completely spaced on one of our very favorite quick and easy, budget-friendly meals… Tacos, of course!

My kids will eat tacos any day of the week, be it Taco Tuesday (on a Wednesday…) or Fiesta Friday. In fact, sometimes I think that my teenage boys would eat their weight in tacos if I let them — which could get kind of expensive, you know? Especially since I prefer to purchase organic ground beef whenever possible.

Typically I stock up on organic ground beef at Costco. You get three 1.5-lb. packages for $19.99, so that works out to about $4.44 per pound, which is by far the best price I’ve found.

Still more than conventional ground beef, for sure, but I’ve found that when I stretch it by adding a can of drained and rinsed black beans, it evens things out. Especially given the Kirkland organic black beans are only $0.82 per can!

Another budget-stretcher? I make my own homemade organic taco meat seasoning. I’m still using the same recipe that I shared years ago when I first started blogging — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! It’s every bit as good as those packets you can buy in stores, minus all of the icky additives.

I order most of my organic spices from Amazon. The Simply Organic brand is my most trusted favorite, and the prices are much better than my local grocery stores, especially if it ships as an add-on item or is available with Subscribe & Save.

In addition to plain ole’ traditional tacos (hard or soft), we use this easy taco meat recipe on tostadas, in walking tacos, on taco salads, in enchiladas, you name it! And it freezes well, so you can use it in your favorite freezer meal recipes that call for seasoned ground beef.

Easy Weeknight Taco Meat Recipe

Yield: 4 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This simple organic taco meat recipe is BIG on flavor! Adding a can of drained and rinsed black beans helps stretch the meat further and, in turn, your budget, as well.

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Ingredients

• 1-lb. organic ground beef
• 2 tablespoons homemade all-purpose taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (15-oz.) can organic black beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, crumble and brown the ground beef over medium heat.
2. Sprinkle the organic taco meat seasoning over the top and pour in water, mix well.
3. Stir in black beans and heat through.

Notes

I've written this recipe based on a standard 1-lb. package of ground beef. If you're using the larger 1.5-lb. Costco package I mentioned in the post, use 3 tablespoons of taco meat seasoning and 1/3 cup of water. I still use just one can of beans.

Dishes That Use This Organic Taco Meat Recipe

This taco meat recipe is wonderfully versatile! Here are a few examples of how we use it on a regular basis:

• Walking Tacos
• Easy Beef Enchiladas

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