It was a ~*dark and stormy night.*~
…actually it was a dark and snowy night. Like, really snowy. The kind where you resign yourself to not leaving and get cozy with Netflix and hot cocoa.
But what about dinner?
Fear not! Sweet C’s Designs’ one-pot taco skillet is here!
This is a great recipe for people with a phobia of cooking rice. It seems weird, but sometimes it’s impossible to get right- it goes from soggy to crispy and hard in a flash. (Actually, it’s probably doesn’t happen that fast, but I just tend to lose track of things if it involves more than one pan). Here, the rice cooks right in the mix, so not only does it absorb the flavors of the rest of the dish but it gives the whole thing a sturdier consistency.
I did follow the McBride Rule of Substitutions on this one: Our opened beef stock was super old (like, of indeterminate age), which surprised me for some reason. A substitute, however, is diluting 1 tablespoon of soy sauce in a cup of water, and it worked just fine.
In a fit of crippling indecision, my roommates and I refused to choose between soft and hard shell tacos, probably because that’s like choosing a favorite parent. So with a streak of reclusive winter genius, we took the soft shells, sprinkled cheddar cheese on one side, popped them in the oven until the cheese melted, and then wrapped them around the hard shells loaded with taco filling. Yes, we made homemade cheesy gordita crunches. Suck it, Pinterest: necessity is the mother of invention, not burlap and lace, and sometimes you just need a Taco Bell staple in your life on a day when it’s snowing so hard you can’t see down the street.
One Pot Taco Skillet
Cheesy, breezy, beautiful TACO SHELL.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (pick your spice level!)
- 2 bell peppers, chopped (I prefer red or orange to add color)
- 1 C medium salsa
- 1 C white rice
- 1 C beef or chicken stock (see note)
- 3/4 C water
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 C shredded cheese (cheddar, taco, Mexican blend…or a mix of all of the above)
- Hard and/or soft taco shells (both if you want to make cheesy shells)
Topping options
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Lettuce
- (More) shredded cheese, because let’s be realistic
Instructions
- Over medium heat, use a large pan to brown the ground beef. Make sure it’s a pan large enough to contain all of the ingredients.
- When the beef is light brown, add in the onion and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and the beef is fully cooked.
- Pour in the tomatoes and chillies without draining.
- Add salsa, rice, water, and soy sauce/water mix and stir to combine.
- Add in the spices and cover.
- Turn heat down to low and simmer until the rice is soft and the liquid is mostly cooked off (you still want a little bit so that everything is moist)- this takes around 15-20 minutes. If you’re making the cheesy shells, start preheating your oven.
For the cheesy shells:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Sprinkle cheese in the center of the soft taco shells.
- Put them in the oven for about 5 minutes, or however long it takes the cheese to melt.
- Remove them from the oven and wrap the soft tacos around the hard taco shells.
- Enjoy the smug satisfaction that comes with eating a great taco.
Notes
Before I learned that Better Than Boullion existed, I never had stock on hand and would use 1 tbsp of soy sauce diluted in a cup of water. It made no difference. Huzzah!
For reference, here’s what the snow looked like the next day (it was much deeper around the neighborhood)…
Leave a Reply