Any night can be taco night when you keep your freezer stocked with seasoned and cooked ground beef! This make-ahead ground beef recipe is the easiest way to get ahead of dinner, and we’re not just saying that. It requires only 2 ingredients: ground beef and Old El Paso™ taco seasoning. With those simple ingredients and a clever method from the Betty Crocker Test Kitchens, you can cook up 16 servings or enough meat for about 3 meals in just 30 short minutes. So, whether you’re preparing to send the kids back to school or just making the most of a ground beef sale—this sanity-saving recipe is one you don’t want to miss!
Make-Ahead Mexican Ground Beef
- Prep Time 30 min
- Total 30 min
- Servings 16
- Ingredients 2
Ingredients
- 3 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
- 2 packets (1 oz) Old El Paso™ Original Taco Seasoning Mix

Make With
Old El Paso
Instructions
-
Step1In 5-quart Dutch oven or 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain.
-
Step2Reduce heat to medium. Stir in taco seasoning mix. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until flavors are blended. Cool 5 minutes.
-
Step3Line 15x10x1-inch pan with foil. Spoon beef onto foil and break apart as necessary.
-
Step4Smooth meat into an even layer across pan.
-
Step5Freeze about 1 hour, stirring once, until firm.
-
Step6Divide mixture into quart-sized resealable freezer plastic bags with about 2 cups in each. (One lb ground beef yields about 2 cups, cooked and drained.) Seal bags, label and freeze up to 2 months.
Nutrition
160
Calories
10g
Total Fat
15g
Protein
2g
Total Carbohydrate
0g
Sugars
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories
- 160
- Calories from Fat
- 90
- Total Fat
- 10g
- 15%
- Saturated Fat
- 3 1/2g
- 18%
- Trans Fat
- 1/2g
- Cholesterol
- 55mg
- 18%
- Sodium
- 290mg
- 12%
- Potassium
- 200mg
- 6%
- Total Carbohydrate
- 2g
- 1%
- Dietary Fiber
- 0g
- 0%
- Sugars
- 0g
- Protein
- 15g
% Daily Value*:
- Vitamin A
- 4%
- 4%
- Vitamin C
- 0%
- 0%
- Calcium
- 4%
- 4%
- Iron
- 10%
- 10%
Exchanges:
0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 0 Fat;Carbohydrate Choice
0Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens
{{tipItemHeadingFormat.replace('{0}',props.index + 1)}}
© 2025 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved