Oven Baked Beef Tacos

For Cinco de Mayo this year I decided to try a new, easy taco recipe that I found on Erin Lives Whole, Oven Baked Beef Tacos.  These were super simple for a weeknight meal and the flavor of the ground beef with the spices was really delicious.  Topped with some salsa, homemade guac, and Greek yogurt, these were the perfect "festive" dinner to pop into the oven {and they also made great leftovers the next day}.  Perfect!

Oven Baked Beef Tacos

Ingredients

2 Tblsp olive or avocado oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 lb ground beef

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne 

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, diced

12 - 6 inch corn tortillas

1- 16oz can refried beans

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Guacamole, sour cream, and salsa for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil.  Add diced onion and cook about 3-4 minutes.  Add ground beef and cook through.

3. Add in seasonings {salt thru oregano}.  Stir well to combine.  Add in cilantro, mix together, and remove from heat.

4. Microwave tortillas for 15 seconds to soften {I did this half at a time}.

5. Lay 6 tortillas flat on 2 separate baking sheets, making 12 tacos total.  Coat both sides of tortillas with oil.

6. Add scoop of refried beans to half of each tortilla, then top with a scoop of meat mixture until evenly distributed among all tortillas.

7. Add cheese to opposite half of each tortilla.

8. Place tacos in oven for about 3 minutes to soften, then remove and fold in half, using the cheese as a glue to hold the tacos together.  Bake for another 8-10 minutes until crispy.

9. Serve with desired toppings.

Serves 4

adapted from erin lives whole

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Ground Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

I love a good stir fry but not always the prep work, so when I saw this Ground Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry on Skinnytaste where I could just use ground beef and not have to cut up a bunch of meat, I was sold.  This one was really simple to make for a weeknight dinner and one I know we'll make again when we want some yummy flavor and food on the plates quick.  Enjoy!

Ground Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp honey

4 cloves garlic, minced

1-1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 Tbsp sesame oil

1lb ground beef

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets & blanched

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

3 medium scallions, chopped

Cooked rice or cauliflower rice for serving

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, & cornstarch.  Set aside.

2. Add sesame oil to large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the beef & onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.

3. Pour in reserved sauce, stir to combine, and cook 1 minute.  Add broccoli and cook one more minute.

4. Serve over rice, topped with scallions and sesame seeds.

Serves 3-4

adapted from skinnytaste

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Greek Meatball Pitas with Feta

I love flipping through magazines after work and am routinely ripping recipes out of Real Simple almost monthly because the recipes always look yummy and, well, simple.  I stumbled upon this recipe for Greek Meatball Pitas with Feta in the January 2020 issue and since we tend to hit up our favorite local Greek spot at least every other week, I thought we'd try to replicate some of our faves at home.  They look fancy but were super simple to put together, and the spices in both the sauce and meatballs really gave them delicious flavor.  We had lots of leftovers which I think you could easily freeze or have for lunch the next day, and though it'll never be as good as our local spot, sometimes it's nice to just stay home and cook :)

Greek Meatball Pitas with Feta

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt

2 tsp fresh lemon juice {from 1 lemon}

3 Tblsp finely chopped fresh mint, divided

1 1/4 tsp salt, divided

1 small red onion

1.5 to 2 lbs ground lamb or beef

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

4- 6 inch pitas, warmed

1 Persian cucumber, sliced

Tomatoes

Feta

Instructions

1. Stir yogurt, lemon juice, 1 Tblsp mint, and 1/4 tsp salt in small bowl.  Set aside.

2. Cut onion in half lengthwise. Finely chop one half and thinly slice the remaining half.  Set aside.

3. Heat large grill pan over medium-high heat.  Mix meat, finely chopped onion, garlic, cumin, remaining 2 Tblsp mint and 1 tsp salt in large bowl until well combined.  Form into small, oblong meatballs {about 20}.  Add oil or cooking spray to pan.  Cook meatballs until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes, turning once.

4. Spread yogurt mixture on warmed pitas.  Top with meatballs, thinly sliced onion, cucumber, tomato, and feta.

Serves 4

adapted from real simple

xoxo,
stephanie marie