Description
This recipe creates deeply savory and complex ground beef taco meat using a homemade smoky ancho chili and orange glaze. It’s a simple, one-pan dish perfect for weeknights that elevates basic tacos into something special.
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp olive oil (or other high-heat vegetable oil)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large dried ancho chilies, stemmed and deseeded
- 0.5 cup vegetable broth
- 0.25 cup fresh navel orange juice
- 1 tsp fresh navel orange zest
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 0.25 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 fresh lime, cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the Glaze Base: Place the stemmed and deseeded ancho chilies into a small saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until very soft and pliable. Drain the chilies, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid for blending if needed.
- Blend the Glaze: Transfer the softened ancho chilies to a blender, along with the reserved vegetable broth, fresh orange juice, orange zest, and light brown sugar. Add a pinch of salt to balance flavors, and blend until completely smooth and uniform in color. Set aside.
- Brown the Ground Beef: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking it into crumbles until deeply browned and no pink remains. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add Aromatics and Spices: Reduce the heat to medium and add the finely diced onion to the skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Stir in the chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, sea salt, and black pepper, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to toast the spices.
- Simmer in Glaze: Pour the pre-blended ancho-orange glaze over the meat mixture in the skillet. Stir well to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover the skillet, and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened significantly and developed a glossy appearance. If the sauce doesn’t thicken enough, remove the lid for the last 5 minutes of simmering.
- Finish and Serve: Remove the skillet from the heat source and stir in the 1/4 cup of fresh chopped cilantro for a bright finish. Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning with additional salt or lime juice if necessary before serving immediately. Garnish with extra fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
To control the thickness of the sauce, simply remove the lid for the last 5 minutes of simmering if it hasn’t reduced sufficiently. For meal prep, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 150g)
- Calories: 250 calories
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg