Food Recipes Spicy Ground Beef Seasoning 3.3 (196) 1 Review With chili powder, cumin, paprika, and garlic, this savory mixture might be the best taco seasoning for ground beef. By Jenna Helwig Jenna Helwig Jenna is the food director at Real Simple and the author of Bare Minimum Dinners, a cookbook featuring more than 100 low-lift, high-reward recipes. Previously, Jenna was the food director at Health and Parents. She is also the founder and operator of Rosaberry, a boutique personal chef services company, and the author of four other cookbooks, including the bestselling Baby-Led Feeding. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 27, 2024 Save Rate PRINT Share Hands On Time: 10 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 8 Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe We've found the best seasoning for ground beef. (At least in our opinion.) Featuring chili powder, cumin, paprika, and fresh garlic, this Mexican-inspired recipe is great for making beef for tacos, burritos, rice bowls, and more. Bonus: It cooks in less than 20 minutes. No garlic? No problem. Swap in garlic powder or granulated garlic if you're in a hurry, and this beef recipe can be the protein on every meal for the next few days. Double the recipe if you want a big batch of beef, or freeze half of it for easy meal prep in the future. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 4 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon onion powder ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper kosher salt and black pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 pounds ground beef chuck ¼ cup tomato sauce Directions Mix seasonings in a bowl: Combine the chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, onion powder, red pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl; set aside. Heat oil in skillet and sauté garlic: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add beef and seasoning to warm skillet: Add the beef and chili mixture and cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon, until brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce: Add the tomato sauce and cook, stirring, until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes. Marcus Nilsson How to Tell If Ground Beef Is Bad—Plus, How to Keep It Safe Variations Swap out ground beef: For a leaner recipe, use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef. Make it spicier: This beef recipe can easily become spicier with a few easy tweaks. Increase the amount of red pepper flakes, or add your favorite seasonings, like guajillo chile powder or cayenne pepper, to taste. Cut the sugar: If you avoid sugar, just eliminate it from the recipe. Switch salt for adobo: For an extra layer of flavor, try using adobo seasoning instead of salt. The blend has some of the same spices already included in the recipe, and is salty enough to season the beef. Go plant-based: Try this recipe with plant-based protein crumbles or mushrooms food processed into crumbles. Broken tofu or shredded tofu can work too. Pre-batch your seasoning: Fans of this flavor profile can double, triple, or quadruple the seasoning recipe and store it in a jar to have on hand for quick taco or burrito nights with any protein. 5 More Easy Ground Beef Recipes to Try Crunchy Nacho Bake Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs Simple Shepherd's Pie Beer Chili for a Crowd Parmesan Meatloaf Frequently Asked Questions What spices go well with ground beef? Ground beef is very versatile, and can be flavored to suit various preferences and cuisines. This recipe uses chili powder, cumin, paprika, and garlic for a riff on taco seasoning to flavor the beef. Do you add spices before or after cooking ground beef? This recipe calls for adding spices and ground beef to a preheated pan simultaneously, which toasts the spices as the beef browns. Why is my ground beef grey in the fridge? Ground beef that's turned grey on its exterior has oxidized, or been exposed to oxygen due to gaps in packaging. Assuming the beef isn't past its expiration date, doesn't smell rancid, and has the correct texture, it should still be safe to eat. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 231 Calories 15g Fat 3g Carbs 21g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 8 Calories 231 % Daily Value * Total Fat 15g 19% Saturated Fat 6g 30% Cholesterol 67mg 22% Sodium 363mg 16% Total Carbohydrate 3g 1% Total Sugars 1g Protein 21g 42% Calcium 31mg 2% Iron 3mg 17% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.