Taco night is always a hit at my house, but some nights I don’t want to deal with warming tortillas and setting out a dozen little bowls of toppings. This taco skillet puts everything we love about tacos into one pan; it’s on the table in 20 minutes, and everyone devours it.
Easy Taco Skillet
After years of making ground beef tacos for my family, I know the filling is the first thing to disappear. This skillet version adds black beans and corn right into the seasoned meat to stretch a pound further, and the tomatoes and green chilies add plenty of flavor without needing extra sauce. Everything is built right into the recipe for an easy taco night.
Ingredients
This starts with ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken). Onion and garlic build the flavor before taco seasoning and tomatoes with green chilies turn it into a saucy taco filling. Black beans and corn make the skillet hearty, and shredded cheese melts over everything at the end. Top it with sour cream, salsa, avocado, and cilantro or your favorite taco toppings.
How to Make a Taco Skillet
- Brown the meat.
Cook the ground meat with the onion and garlic until fully cooked, breaking it apart as it browns. If you’re using a fattier meat, drain off the excess grease. - Add the taco ingredients.
Stir in the taco seasoning and tomatoes with green chilies. Once simmering, add the black beans and corn and cook until everything is hot. - Make it cheesy.
Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the skillet. Cover and let it melt right on the stovetop, or pop an oven-safe skillet under the broiler for a couple of minutes for bubbly melted cheese. - Add the toppings and serve.
Finish with sour cream, salsa, avocado, cilantro, or whatever your family likes.
How to Serve a Taco Skillet
- With tortilla chips: Easy to scoop up like a hearty taco dip.
- In taco shells or tortillas: Spoon the mixture into soft tortillas or crunchy taco shells, then add toppings.
- Over rice: Turn it into taco bowls with white rice, Mexican rice, or cilantro lime rice.
- In a burrito: Wrap the filling in a large flour tortilla with extra cheese, salsa, or avocado.
- Over greens: Spoon it over chopped lettuce and add salsa and sour cream for an easy taco salad.
- Stuffed into a baked potato: Use it as a hearty topping for baked potatoes or sweet potatoes.
- As nachos: Spoon it over tortilla chips, add a little extra cheese, and broil until melted.
Laura’s Tips & Favorite Variations
Yes. Ground beef, turkey, chicken, or pork all work in this taco skillet. If you’re using very lean ground meat, add a little oil to the skillet before browning so the meat doesn’t stick or dry out.
Yes. Pinto beans are the easiest swap for black beans. You can also leave the beans out, although they help stretch the ground meat and make the skillet more filling.
Use hot Rotel instead of mild, add a chopped jalapeño with the onion, or use a spicy taco seasoning. You can also keep the skillet mild and serve hot sauce and sliced jalapeños on the side.
Yes. This recipe doesn’t have tortillas or rice, so it freezes great! Once it’s cooled, freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Easy Taco Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground meat, any
- ½ medium yellow onion, ½ cup chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 10- ounce cans tomatoes & green chilies, with liquid, like Rotel
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can corn, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- Toppings: sour cream, salsa, avocado, chopped cilantro.
Instructions
Cook:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meat with the chopped onion and garlic for about 7 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked. I typically don't drain the liquid when using lean ground meat; you can drain some or all of it out.
- Add the taco seasoning, canned tomatoes, and green chilies with their liquid, and stir. Bring the mixture to a simmer, add the black beans and corn, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring until it’s heated through.
Make it cheesy:
- Sprinkle the cheese over the skillet. Cover it with the lid, turn off the heat, and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Serve:
- Top the taco skillet with sour cream, salsa, sliced avocado, and chopped cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.
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Emma says
This taco skillet is perfection. Easy, delicious, and cheesy!!