The Best Beef Soft Shell Taco

What makes this the BEST Beef Soft Shell Taco? It’s creamy, with a tart crunch and full of amazing flavour!

Who doesn’t love tacos? Layers of delicious meat, cheese, and vegetables, all wrapped up in a delicious tortilla shell: perfection! Love of tacos seems to be a universal truth, but that love is divided into two camps: hard shell and soft shell. Although I love tortilla chips, I’ve never enjoyed hard tacos. I find them difficult to eat, overly messy, and awkward to fill. Luckily my family feels the same, so we always use soft shells for these delicious tacos. We also prefer wheat tacos to traditional corn shells in our family, so that’s what I used here. If your family prefers the heartier texture of a corn tortilla you are welcome to use that in this recipe instead.

In my opinion, this is The Best Beef Soft Shell Taco recipe. The caramelized ground beef is hearty, seasoned, and flavourful. The pickled onions add a beautiful tart crunch, while the spiced avocado spread adds creaminess and yet another layer of flavour to this delicious meal. Served with your favourite cheese, these sumptuous tacos are a satisfying meal that can easily be made anytime.

TOTAL TIME

• Preparation Time – 3 minutes
• Cooking Time – 20 minutes, plus 1 hour for the onions to marinate
• Total Time – 1 hour 23 minutes

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEST BEEF SOFT SHELL TACO

All the ingredients for these tacos are easy to source from any local grocer.

Ground Beef

• 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 tbsp Chili powder
• ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
• ¼ tsp Onion Powder
• ¼ tsp Dried Oregano
• ½ tsp Paprika
• 1 ½ tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 cup Water

Quick Pickled Onion

• 1 Vidalia Onion
• 2 Lemons
• 1 Lime

Avocado Spread

• 2 Avocadoes
• 1/2 Lime, juiced
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1/4 tsp Chili Powder

• 6 Soft Shell Tacos
• Cheese for serving

CAN I MAKE THIS LACTOSE FREE?

Absolutely! Simply substitute lactose free cheese or leave the cheese out entirely.

CAN I MAKE THIS LESS SPICY?

If you’d like, you can reduce the amount of chili powder, and omit the chili flakes.

ARE TACOS AND BURRITOS THE SAME THING?

Tacos are smaller tortillas that are filled, folded in half, and served in multiples. Burritos are larger, often contain rice, and are rolled into a cylinder that is closed on both ends. Because of their larger heartier size, burritos are normally served one per meal.

WHAT KIND OF CHEESE SHOULD I USE?

I’ve made these tacos with both Mexican Cotija and Oaxaca, as well as cheddar cheese. The Mexican cheeses are obviously a more traditional topping for tacos, but you can use whatever type of cheese that you’d prefer. I find that salty, sharp cheeses work best on these delicious tacos.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

CAN I SUBSTITUTE ANOTHER MEAT FOR BEEF?

If you’d like to avoid red meat, both ground turkey and ground chicken can be substituted for beef in this meal. Keep in mind that poultry has less flavour than beef and may need extra seasoning as a result.

CAN I MAKE THIS VEGETARIAN?

Absolutely. I would suggest using a meat alternative like Beyond Meat, or firm crumbled tofu in place of the ground beef.

CAN I USE A HARD SHELL TACO INSTEAD?

You can certainly use a hard shell taco instead of soft if you’d prefer.

CAN I USE PACKAGED LEMON AND LIME JUICE INSTEAD OF FRESH CITRUS?

Prepackaged lemon and lime juice won’t ruin this recipe, but they would affect the taste. This delicious taco recipe relies heavily on the fresh lemon and lime flavour so I would suggest using them if at all possible.

EQUIPMENT FOR THE BEST BEEF SOFT SHELL TACO

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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make these delicious Beef Soft Shell Tacos:

• Heavy Bottomed Pan – My most used pan by far is my Le Creuset Braising Pan. It is made of heavy cast iron and coated in ceramic as all Le Creuset cast iron pans are. It’s large and deep which makes it perfect for everything from frying to making sauces. I can’t recommend it enough.

• Wooden Spoon

• Kitchen Knife – Zwilling J.A. Henkel Kitchen Knife a good kitchen knife is a necessary tool for any home cook. Quality and price point varies widely. This is what I use at home. It’s a perfectly decent knife, while still being very affordable.

• Cutting Board

• 2 Bowls

COOKING DIRECTIONS

These Beef Soft Shell Tacos are incredibly simple to prepare and delicious, provided you follow a few rules:

1. Make sure you brown your beef! This gives it a delicious caramelized flavour.
2. Make your pickled onions in advance so they have time to marinate
3. Make the avocado spread right before serving to avoid browning.

MAKE AHEAD STORAGE

You can prepare your pickled onions up to three days before you make this meal. I like to keep a container in the fridge. You can also prepare your beef the day before if you wish: just warm it before serving.

Both the beef and any extra pickled onion can be stored for up to three days covered in the fridge. I wouldn’t recommend storing the avocado sauce or completed tacos in the fridge, however.

FINISHED DISH

Enjoy my favourite and Best Beef Soft Shell Taco recipe!

OTHER TACO DISHES

Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos

Crispy Cauliflower Tacos

OTHER BEEF DISHES

Pork and Beef Rigatoni Bolognese

Juicy Bacon Smash Burger

Red Wine Braised Beef Brisket

Flavourful Focaccia Meatball Sandwich

Taco Ground Beef Mac and Cheese

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment and rating below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cooking.with.carbs.

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These are the best beef soft shell tacos! Did you try them with hard shells? Let us know in the comments how they turned out!