Easy Beef Tacos

I didn’t really have a craving for tacos, but I had a craving for something other than chicken. This seemed like a good solution! AND it didn’t seem like it would take that long. Usually when I see the words “Easy” or “Quick” in a cookbook, my first thought is “Pft, yeah right.” My second thought is “I totally want to make that now.” This time, it worked in my favor. The salsa had a kick, but not too much; the beef was filling and low in fat; and to top it all off with a dollop of sour cream? Delish. Very pleased with this recipe, and how it turned out, and how little time and effort it took. I may make it every day!

Shopping List:
1Pound extra lean ground beef (I used 96/4 – meat/fat)
1 ¼ Cups salsa (I went with the lowest in sodium I could find)
10 Packaged taco shells
Reduced fat shredded cheddar (I used cheddar jack, it has the same nutritional value)
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes

Heat oven to 325 for taco shells. Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a medium skillet (no need to add seasoning!). Pour in colander to drain off all fat. Return to skillet and stir in salsa. Bring to a boil (I did a slight boil, because I was afraid of the splatter factor); reduce heat to medium or medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed (about 10-15 minutes).

Meanwhile (as oven should be heated) place taco shells on a cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes. *Side-note: I stirred the meat occasionally to get the juices covering all the meat, because the salsa I used wasn’t super liquidy. It got more liquidy after I stirred it a few times. Spoon some of the meat mixture into each taco shell. Top each with some of the cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. (As you may have picked up, I HATE TOMATOES so that’s why my tacos pictured above are tomato free)
Makes 10 tacos

Nutrition Facts (Per Taco, including shell)
Cal – 172 Fat – 9 Pro – 13 Fiber – 2 Carb – 12 Sodium – 202

Difficulty – Easy Peasey! (Seriously, it’s pretty much no skill required except for heat and stir)
Yumminess - * * * * (They were pretty delicious, but I could have used spicier salsa)
Healthy-ness – Relatively low fat per taco, but having many more than that you’ll need to keep an eye on it; Low sodium bonus!

Total Time: Approximately 20 minutes (Did not include the intricate spooning-mean-into-tacos time)