Taco Bowls

I always have ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes on hand so on nights when I don’t know what I’m going to make for dinner, taco bowls are a good go-to. This is one of those simple recipes that you just kind of throw together, but it’s so incredibly satisfying, you’ll find yourself wondering why you don’t make it more often. If you stock your freezer with cooked, seasoned ground beef, you can have this meal on the table super fast!

Taco Bowls

makes 6 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 pounds ground beef

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

• Various toppings: scallions, sour cream, guacamole, diced avocado, minced red onions, chopped cilantro, pico de gallo, taco sauce, queso, salsa, sliced olives, etc.

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook onions until they start to caramelize; add garlic and stir constantly for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.

2. Add ground beef, salt, and pepper; stir and chop constantly until the beef is crumbled and no pink remains.

3. Divide shredded lettuce among 6 bowls; top with cooked ground beef, cheese, and tomatoes.

4. Finish with your choice of toppings; stir well and eat!

Note

• Feel free to omit the onions, garlic, salt, and pepper when cooking the ground beef and replace them with a packet or two of taco seasoning instead (following the direction on the package).

Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner

Corned Beef and Cabbage is one of my favorite meals, but even more so now that I’ve come up with a technique for cooking it in an Instant Pot. Somehow it turns out even more tender and more flavorful. Plan to start about 2 hours before you want to serve dinner. I find a 6-qt instant pot is sufficient for the recipe below (feeds 4), Use a larger instant pot to feed more (total time may take a bit longer). This recipe works equally well with store-bought or homemade corned beef (here’s my awesome diy recipe).

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate link)

• Instant pot https://amzn.to/39944bL

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Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3-pound corned beef with seasoning packet

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled

• 1 cup water (or beer)

• 1/2 head cabbage, cut into 4 wedges

• 1 pound baby potatoes (red or white skinned)

• 1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions

• Place 1 cup water (or beer) and trivet inside instant pot’s inner pot.

• Add corned beef and sprinkle with seasoning packet; add garlic cloves.

• Place lid on and be sure vent is set to “sealing”.

• Use “manual” or “pressure cook” setting to cook on high pressure for 1 hour.

• Quick release pressure and add potatoes, carrots, and cabbage wedges; replace lid with vent set to “sealing” and cook on high pressure for an additional 30 minutes.

• Quick release pressure and serve.

Notes

• Slice corned beef against the grain (see photo below).

• This recipe, which feeds 4, is designed for a 6-quart instant pot.

• You can substitute DIY Corned Beef instead of store-bought. The brining process in that recipe imparts enough flavor that you don’t need to worry about having the seasoning packet that is usually included with store-bought corned beef.