Serves 3–4, depending on how hungry everyone is, usually with some leftovers.
If you've never had them before, try them as-made at least once before making changes. They are NOT your traditional Mexican-inspired tacos. DO NOT start putting hot sauce, sour cream, or guacamole on them, or you will insult the chef. THESE ARE NOT THAT KIND OF TACO.
BEFORE YOU START COOKING: Read the entire recipe and instructions first so that you know what's coming. THEN, go through the recipe a second time as you perform the steps.
The history of this taco recipe…
We used to call these Okie tacos, meaning from Oklahoma. My great-grandparents grew up in Missouri, then Oklahoma, before ended up in California where I grew up. THESE ARE NOT MEXICAN TACOS. There is nothing Mexican about them, other than there are ingredients wrapped in a corn tortilla.
My grandmother learned to make these tacos, and eventually taught my mother, who made them the same way. Nobody ever wrote the recipe down, and it was passed down through the generations by word-of-mouth. My mother taught me how to make them, but I tweaked the recipe a bit to make the flavors bolder. Growing up in California, we ate lots of Mexican food. And although I come from a family of Okies, I know what a good taco tastes like.
Originally, it was just ground beef (due to a fear of sickness from undercooked meat, it was cooked not just well done, but congratulations) and refried beans. Then some cheese (mozzarella? cheddar?), and salad mix made of iceburg lettuce and diced tomatoes.
I changed the recipe to not-burn the meat, add taco seasoning, specify sharp cheddar cheese, added cilantro and green onion to the salad mix, and switched to garlic-roasted diced tomatoes from regular diced tomatoes. Bolder, tastier flavors, but takes a little longer to prep/cook.
If you put hot sauce, sour cream, or guacamole on them, I will feel insulted. If you do it anyway, make sure I never find out. These are Okie tacos, not Mexican tacos. They're supposed to taste different.
As far as I am aware, this is the first time in history that someone has written this recipe down. Enjoy!
- 1× standard-sized pan, 12–14 in., with fitted lid (for cooking meat).
- 1× smaller-sized pan, 8–10 in., no fitted lid required (for frying tortillas).
- 1× medium-sized pot, no fitted lid required (for heating refried beans).
- 1× roll of paper towels (1 full-size sheet, or 2 half-size sheets per tortilla).
- 1× measuring cup.
- 1× cheese grater.
- 1× chopping knife.
- 1× cutting board.
- 1× container for cheese, after shredding.
- 1× full-sized salad bowl.
- 1× can opener.
- 1× set of salad tongs with plastic tips (for serving salad mix).
- 1× set of standard tongs (for serving tortillas).
- 1× stirring spoon, plastic (for cooking/serving refried beans).
- 1× stirring fork, plastic (for serving meat).
- 1× spatula, plastic (for cooking meat).
- a few paper plates (one for grating cheese, a few (to create thickness/absorption) for fried tortillas)
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Ground beef: ~1 lb. of 85% fat-free.
- Alternatively: 97% has less fat, but also less flavor.
- Alternatively: For a vegetarian option, skip the meat.
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Refried beans: 1× ~29 oz. can; traditional or vegetarian style.
- Brand I use: Rosarita.
- Note: Fat-free refried beans have less fat, but also less flavor.
- Note: Low-sodium refried beans have less sodium/salt, but also less flavor.
- Alternatively: 3× ~10 oz. cans of vegetarian refried beans.
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Cheese: ~1/2 lb. (16 oz.) block of sharp cheddar, not shredded.
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Tortillas: 1× package of standard-sized white-corn tortillas.
- Note: These are meant to be single-tortilla tacos.
- Alternatively: You can double-up the tortillas per taco.
- Alternatively: You can use corn tortillas of a different color, but you'll need to take extra care to ensure you don't over-fry them.
- Alternatively: You can use small flour tortillas instead of corn, but I would not recommend cooking flour tortillas in oil. Because that's a tostada.
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Taco seasoning: 1× 1 oz. package of taco seasoning per 1 lb. of ground beef.
- Brand I use: Lawry's or Old El Paso.
- Alternatively: For a vegetarian option, blend a small amount of taco seasoning directly into the refried beans. (I've never done this before, but it seems like it could work.)
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Milk: 4 oz. of 2% milk per ~29 oz. of refried beans.
- Note: This is used to de-thicken the refried beans.
- Note: DO NOT replace with heavy whipping cream, which is a thickener.
- Alternatively: Use a different amount of milkfat. Fat-free, 1%, and whole milk are all valid substitutes. Will have a negligible affect on flavor, but some people are sensitive.
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Cooking oil: Canola oil, enough to submerge and cook 16 tortillas (4 tacos × 4 people).
- Alternatively: Vegetable oil is heavier, fattier, and higher cholesterol, but doesn't necessarily taste better.
- Alternatively: Extra virgin olive oil is lighter, no additional fat, and no additional cholesterol, but can have a slight affect on taste.
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Lettuce: 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce.
- Note: Iceberg lettuce tastes like crunchy water, and is appropriately neutral. This allows the flavors of the other ingredients to shine. DO NOT replace with other lettuces or green mixes with non-neutral flavors.
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Cilantro: 1 bunch. The fresher and more fragrant, the better.
- Note: DO NOT confuse cilantro with parsley. They look similar.
- Note: In some countries, they call this Coriander. Coriander and Cilantro come from the same plant, but Coriander refers to the dried seeds. Cilantro refers to the leaves and stalk.
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Green onion: 1 bunch. The fresher and more fragrant, the better.
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Tomatoes: 1× ~29 oz. can of diced tomatoes, roasted garlic-flavored.
The salad mix takes the longest amount of time to prepare, so start with that. We will save the tomatoes until the very end, however.
Things needed for this section.
- Lettuce
- Cilantro
- Green onion
- 1× chopping knife
- 1× full-sized salad bowl
- 1× cutting board
- 1× set of salad tongs with plastic tips (for serving salad mix)
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Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
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Take the head of lettuce, find the root, and smack it on the counter to break it. Pull the root out and throw it away. Flip it upside-down, and run it under the faucet to fill it with water. Once it's full, pour it out. This will help wash any dirt out of the lettuce. Do it one more time for good measure.
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Using the cutting board and chopping knife, cut the head of lettuce in half. Chop the lettuce long-ways, then cross-chop it. The cuts should be like a hash (
#). Make the pieces as large or small as you prefer, but they should be small enough to fit on a taco. When you're done, put the lettuce in the salad bowl. -
Take the green onions, and separate the white-colored bulbs from the green-colored stems using the chopping knife. Throw away the bulbs. Using the chopping knife, chop the green onion stems cross-ways so that you end up with short tubes (e.g., cylinders). When you're done, put the green onions in the salad bowl.
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Take the cilantro, and use your hands to manually separate the leaves from the stems. Once you've separated the leaves from the stems for the entire bunch, throw away the stems. With the leaves, take the chopping knife and chop the cilantro long-ways, then cross-chop it. The cuts should be like a hash (
#). Continue chopping until the cilantro leaves don't look like leaves anymore. When you're done, put the cilantro in the salad bowl.
→ Now we'll pause on the salad mix and come back to it later.
Clean the chopping knife and cutting board in the sink by running them under the faucet and wiping them down with a cloth or sponge. Put them in the dishwasher to wash with heat and soap, or alternatively, dry them and put them away.
Things needed for this section.
- Cheese
- 1× cheese grater
- 1× container for cheese, after shredding
- 1× cutting board OR 1× paper plate
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Using the cheese grater, grate the entire block of cheese. You can use a paper plate, or even re-use the cutting board again. Any other clean, flat surface should be sufficient.
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When you're done, put the grated cheese into the container for cheese.
→ The cheese is done.
The cheese grater will have smeared cheese on the outside, and potentially loose strands of grated cheese on the inside. Using a sponge, run the cheese grater under the faucet while cleaning the cheese grater with the sponge. Make sure to clean in the same direction as the grates, or else you'll end up with grated sponge. Clean any loose strands of cheese from the inside of the cheese grater. Put them in the dishwasher to wash with heat and soap, or alternatively, dry them and put them away.
Things needed for this section.
- Ground beef
- Refried beans
- Taco seasoning
- Milk
- 1× measuring cup
- 1× can opener
- 1× standard-sized pan, 12–14 in., with fitted lid (for cooking meat)
- 1× medium-sized pot, no fitted lid required (for heating refried beans).
- 1× stirring spoon, plastic (for cooking/serving refried beans)
- 1× spatula, plastic (for cooking meat)
Once the salad mix and cheese is done, we can begin working on the hot stuff.
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Take the standard-sized pan, put it on the stove, and put it on medium/medium-high heat. (Every stove is a little different, so you'll have to find the right level.) When it gets hot enough, add the ground beef to the pan.
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Using the spatula, break apart the ground beef so that it cooks evenly. Periodically flip and stir the ground beef until is is near-brown.
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While the ground beef is cooking, take the medium-sized pot, put it on the stove, and put it on medium heat. (Every stove is a little different, so you'll have to find the right level.) Open the can of refried beans with the can opener, and add them to the pot. Using the measuring cup, measure out the milk, and add it to the pan with the refried beans. With the stirring spoon, stir them together. Continue stirring until the beans are fully-warmed.
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Back to the ground beef, there will be a lot of liquid fat that has built-up. Pour it off the ground beef while keeping the meat inside the pan. Put the pan of meat back on the stove, and let it finish browning.
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Lastly, take the taco seasoning and the follow the instructions on the packet. This usually involves adding a certain amount of water to the pan along with the taco seasoning. Follow the insructions to let it simmer, usually covered with the lid for a few minutes.
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When the meat is done, turn down the heat to "warm" if your stove has such a setting. Otherwise, just turn off the heat and put the lid over the pan of meat so that it will stay warm.
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Do the same thing with the beans. Turn the heat down to "warm" if your stove has such a setting. Otherwise, just turn off the heat and cover the pot so that it will stay warm.
→ The meat is done.
→ The beans are done.
Generally, the meat and beans can be served directly from the pot/pan that they were cooked in. However, you can also take the meat from the pan, and beans from the pot, and put them directly into Tupperware®-style plastic containers so that any leftovers are ready to go into the refridgerator when you're done eating.
Clean the bean pot and meat pan by running them under the faucet and wiping them down with a cloth or sponge. There will defintely be some bean residue stuck to the inside of the pot, and grease stuck to the pan, so you can fill them with liquid dish soap (e.g., Dawn, Palmolive), fill them with hot water, and let them soak for an hour or two to make them easier to clean. Once rinsed, put them in the dishwasher to wash with heat and soap, or alternatively, dry them and put them away.
Things needed for this section.
- Tomatoes
- 1× can opener
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Using the can opener, open the can of tomatoes.
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Add the tomatoes to the salad bowl. Then, using your clean, washed hands, mix all of the ingredients in the salad bowl together so that everything is well-mixed.
→ The salad mix is done.
Generally, the salad mix can be served directly from the large salad bowl that it was prepared in. However, you can also take the salad mix, and put it directly into a Tupperware®-style plastic container so that any leftovers are ready to go into the refridgerator when you're done eating.
Clean the salad bowl by running it under the faucet and wiping it down with a cloth or sponge. Once rinsed, put it in the dishwasher to wash with heat and soap, or alternatively, dry it and put it away.
Things needed for this section.
- Tortillas
- Cooking oil
- 1× smaller-sized pan, 8–10 in., no fitted lid required (for frying tortillas)
- 1× set of standard tongs (for serving tortillas).
- 1× roll of paper towels (1 full-size sheet, or 2 half-size sheets per tortilla)
- a few paper plates
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Using the standard-sized pan, put it on the stove, and put it on medium heat. (Every stove is a little different, so you'll have to find the right level.) While the stove is heating-up, fill the pan with enough cooking oil to be able to fully submerge several tortillas.
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We'll use a few (cheap, thin) paper plates, or just one (thick, durable) paper plate. If you have full-sized (square) paper towels, we'll fold them in half to create a double-layer/half-sized paper towel. If you have the half-sized (rectangular) paper towels, we'll use two of them to create a double-layer/half-sized paper towel.
I will refer to these double-layer/half-sized paper towels as a paper towel for simplicity, but now you know what I mean. Start with putting a "paper towel" on top of the paper plate(s).
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We'll fry the corn tortillas one-by-one. The first one is usually a little funky, take a little longer, and you won't be sure if you did it right. It's fine. We'll use the tongs to move/flip the tortillas so that we don't burn our fingers.
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Put the tortilla into the now-hot pan full of cooking oil. You'll want to cook one side for 10–20 seconds, then flip it over for another 10–20 seconds. The tortilla itself might begin to form bubbles from the heat. Squeeze/poke the bubbles. Or don't. You do you.
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Pay attention to the bubbles in the cooking oil. There's an initial burst of lots of little bubbles when you put a fresh tortilla into the pan. After those 10–20 seconds, the oil bubbles will mellow out. Then you flip. The tortillas should still be light-colored (assuming you used white-corn tortillas). If you used blue-corn or black-corn tortillas, you'll need to figure this out for yourself. If your white-corn tortillas are turning brown, you've cooked them for too long.
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After both sides are fried, use the tongs (not your fingers) to pull the tortilla out of the pan, and put it on top of the paper plate(s) with the "paper towel" (nudge-nudge, wink-wink, know what I mean?). Grab another "paper towel" and put it over the tortilla in preparation of the next tortilla.
The paper towels serve to help absorb excess cooking oil from the tortillas after they've been cooked.
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Repeat the frying both sides and stacking tortillas between paper towels until you have enough tortillas for everyone. If you run low on cooking oil, add a bit more. The goal is to end up with fried tortillas, not any specific measurement of oil usage.
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Once you've finished the last tortilla, add a paper towel over the top. Take the entire stack of fried tortillas from the bottom paper towel to the top paper towel, and slip the stack of tortillas upside-down so that the ones you cooked earlier are now at the top of the stack.
→ The tortillas are done.
Serve the tortillas from the stack. Once people have eaten, you can take the paper plates and paper towels and follow your local guidelines for recycling/garbage. It's all just paper and cooking oil.
Use the existing containers and utensils for serving the ingredients. On a standard-sized plate you can usually half-fold the tortillas and make two tacos at a time.
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Start with the tortilla.
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Controversial decision: You can start with the meat, then add a safe outer-coat of beans to keep everything together. OR you use use beans as the base layer, and add meat on top to sink into the beans.
Families have been torn apart by this decision. Choose wisely.
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Add a pinch of cheese, using your finger to spread the cheese across the taco.
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Add a larger pinch of salad mix, using your finger/fork to spread the salad mix across the taco.
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Eat the taco. You should taste an explosion of delicious flavor in your mouth. OMG, that's a good taco.
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Eat your other taco. Happiness ensues.
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Go get seconds. Or thirds. Repeat as necessary.
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Feel happiness in your belly.
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When you feel like you're done eating, stop eating.