Dos Margaritas Taco Meat
• 1 sweet or yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lbs ground beef or other protein
• 1 small can (~4 oz) diced green chilies, not drained
• 4 Tablespoons Dos Margaritas Fajita Grill Rub (or your favorite taco seasaoning)
• 3 Tablespoons Dos Margaritas Salsa (mild or hot)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
Brown all ingredients together in a large skillet, in the order given. Serve for taco night, in a taco salad, as a base for Mexican lasagna, stuffed in a chile relleno, or with eggs in breakfast tacos. Or try our granddaughter / niece Nora's favorite -- mix it into boxed mac n cheese for an indulgent treat!
The Story Behind the Recipe
Margarita #1 called me one night and said she had just made the best taco meat she’d ever made. She normally uses a seasoning packet and has to “mess with it” to make it taste right. Not so with our Dos Margaritas Fajita Grill Rub! There’s something about the cumin and chili powder marrying with the green chilies or some other magic -- we’re not quite sure but it is seriously easy and seriously good. So she made it again the next week and wrote down what she did so we could share it with y’all.
We originally used it for taco salads but it’s so good we keep finding ways to use it -- with marinara sauce in baked spaghetti; as a meat base in our tater tot egg brunch casserole; stuffed in a bell pepper with some other veggies and rice; you get the idea…. You will want to make a double or triple batch for sure.
Note that Margarita #1 used beef the first couple of times she made it but since we’ve tried many proteins and they all work. I love how versatile this recipe is, almost a method more than a specific formula. Feel free to try turkey or chicken, shrimp, or even tofu or some of the other veggie crumbles that are out there these days. Some of those are really good!
Once cooked this meat also freezes very well. In fact I like to divide it up into 5 oz portions (for beef) and freeze them individually in zip top bags. Then anytime I want to make a quick salad or stuff a pepper it’s ready to go. Plus, I don’t eat too much that way -- which I WILL DO if I don’t portion it out, it’s that good. J
