Budget Eat Repeat

Taco seasoning is a very versatile pantry staple. I use mine for tacos, black beans, fajitas, and roasting chickpeas and pumpkin seeds for snacks. Since I usually have all the seasonings needed on hand, I find myself making my own over buying a seasoning packet from the store. There’s more love in it AND you don’t have to worry about wasting a whole packet if you only need to use a tablespoon or so at a time.

So, are you ready to learn TWO secret taco seasoning ingredients that’ll really up the flavor and overall texture of your tacos? Here we go:

1. Cocoa powder: No, it doesn’t make your taco taste like chocolate. No, it doesn’t make your tacos sweet. But it does add another layer of flavor, thereby by increasing the depth and scarfability of your taco experience. Cocoa powder is no stranger to Mexican Cuisine, ever heard of Mole? I’ve also used cocoa powder very successfully in my favorite turkey and veggie chili recipe. People who try cocoa powder in savory dishes go crazy over it, so don’t knock it til you try it!
2. Tomato paste: Not exactly a seasoning, and no I don’t mix it directly in with my seasoning blend (except for photographic purposes as I did below), but when added in with the meat, tomato paste contributes a light and tangy sauciness to that which would otherwise be bland and dry. Have you ever had dry taco meat? Talk about gag. I use tomato paste instead of sauce because you can control the water content (ergo the “sauciness) of the meat better. I’ve found using tomato sauce makes the meat a little soupy, where if I use tomato paste and add water a tablespoon at a time, I can reach my desired consistency and stop there. If you’re only using 1 pound of meat, start with half a 6 oz can of tomato paste and go from there. I use a full can to season 1.5-2 lbs of ground meat.

It’s also good to note that I use ground turkey in my tacos instead of ground beef. It’s cheaper, leaner, and makes meal prep in the freezer a bit easier. Because it’s leaner you don’t have to worry about cooking the meat to drain the fat off before adding the other ingredients. You can combine it raw and freeze it, then when it comes time to use the pre-made taco meat, you can take it directly out of the freezer and use it like you would any other plain frozen ground meat, you just don’t have to season it.

The turkey I buy from Costco comes in a four pack but none of the individual packages of ground turkey are labeled with how heavy they are. I know they’re for sure more than one pound, but not quite two pounds. So my recipe calls for 1.5-2 lbs of ground turkey, but you don’t need to be exact about that measurement, this recipe yields a rounded 1/4 cup of seasoning. That, along with the tomato paste, will likely cover 1.5-2 lbs of meat liberally. If you’re only using 1 lb of meat, I would use 2-2.5 tbsp of seasoning and half a can of tomato paste.