Name: Taco Seasoning
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 ounce
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon chili powder; 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; ½ teaspoon ground paprika; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder; ¼ teaspoon onion powder; ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

Katherine

11/01/2002

This is excellent. It definitely tastes like the packet I usually used (will use this from now on). We mixed 1 lb. of browned-and-drained ground beef, this seasoning mix, plus a mixture of 2 tsp. of cornstarch and 2/3 cup of cold water. Then, we left it on low until all of it was warm.

FoodSlave

06/03/2006

Of course, I tweaked it to up the garlic and onion to double. I'm a garlic/onion lover, and sometimes I substitute out those for the fresh version instead. I added 1 tsp of cornstarch (or 2 tsp of flour will work) to the mix which allows the spices to cling more readily to the meat as a thickened sauce. The spice mixture is great, but sometime was missing. I looked around at a few other recipes and found one mentioning a beef bullion cube. I have Better than Bullion paste (beef or chicken) and add a tsp while cooking the beef. What a difference! It really gives the meaty flavor that was lacking (hard to believe more meatiness is needed in a pound of ground beef, but it's true). Whichever recipe you use, try adding some meat stock paste or equivalent (but do consider the added salt from bullion if you like it not too salty). Also this recipe doesn't mention it, but adding a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water towards the end after browning the meat with the seasoning allows the flavor to really mingle and absorb as you heat and reduce the sauce down a bit (that's where the cornstatch cling really shines). The water addition is just the basic instruction from the old packets I used to buy and it's not a step I'd ever skip.

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FoodSlave

06/03/2006

Katherine

11/01/2002

DREGINEK

10/15/2002

This recipe was a life-saver!! After already mixing ingrediants for "seven layer taco dip," I realized that I was out of taco seasoning. Frantic, I ran to the computer and found this! YEAH!! I mixed it in with some cream cheese and sour cream to taste it first and it was great. Worked even better in the dip!! If I'd had known how easy this was, I would have been making my own taco seasoning for a while now!! The only thing I changed was reduced the chili powder to 1/2 TBLS. Very good and will make again!! Thanks Bill for posting this!

lyndoski

02/02/2003

Very quick. No reason to buy pre-packaged Taco Seasoning. I followed recipe except slightly decreased amt of red pepper flakes and omitted onion powder (didn't have any). I cooked 1 & 1/4 lb. low fat ground beef with fresh garlic; poured off fat. Added Taco seasoning + 1/2 c. fresh, chopped onions + 1 cup water. Brought to boil and simmered for about 15 min. Next time I would decrease water to 2/3 or 3/4 cup (I had a little too much liquid, but not a problem). Very good. DH loved these tacos!

mrsjohnnam1

07/15/2004

used regular salt. seems to be very good. 3 tbs. equals one packet.

KSCHAE

07/19/2010

This is absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will NEVER go back to buying pre-packaged taco seasoning!! I love that I can make this recipe organically and especially love the fact that it is MSG FREE!! I found that if you add approximately 2/3 cup water to 3 tablespoons seasoning per pound of meat it makes the best flavor. I also prefer to add 1 Tablespoon flour to the recipe as this allows the seasoning to "stick" to the meat.

JOSIE

02/15/2003

I love cooking and really like making things from scratch when I can. I like this recipe because you can adjust the salt to your liking...this is good for those who are trying to watch their sodium in-take. My husband didn't realize I had made taco seasoning until I told him. It tastes just like it came from a package. These are ingredients I always have in my cupboard, so I can whip this us anytime. Thanks Bill.

Double-Oven Lovin'

06/14/2007

I made super yummy enchiladas from this. Use this full recipe plus a can of tomato sauce and 2 cans of diced tomatoes w/green chilis (like Rotels) and throw it in a crock pot w/a few chicken breasts. After the chicken is cooked, shred it up and add about a third of the sauce to the chicken. Roll into flour tortillas with a bit of cheese (I used sharp cheddar). Put a little sauce in the bottom of a pan, place the enchiladas in the pan, cover with the rest of the sauce, then top with cheese and bake. So good.

Navy_Mommy

02/14/2003

I made this one night when I realized I didn't have any taco seasoning. This was great and couldn't have been easier. I did use a little bit of tomato sauce with the hamburger meat before putting in the spice. I am not sure how much I used, but there was some left over.