Slow Cooker Taco Meat (No Pre-Cooking!)

wooden spoon with ground beef and a black slow cooker

Slow Cooker Taco Meat (No Pre-Cooking!)

You will not believe how easy this dump-and-go slow cooker taco meat recipe is! Made simply with ground beef, spices, and salsa, it requires no pre-cooking and no chopping, so it's perfect for feeding a crowd, as a super easy dinner idea or as protein meal prep!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Gluten Free

Keyword Crockpot, ground beef, Slow Cooker, taco meat, tacos

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 2

Servings

Calories 308

Author Robyn Conley Downs

Equipment

Slow Cooker

Ingredients

2 pounds 85/15 lean ground beef
1 (16-oz) jar chunky style salsa
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon mild chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Add the ground beef, salsa, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder and salt to a 6-quart slow cooker. Break the meat apart into small pieces and stir to combine with the other ingredients.
Cook on high for 2 hours, or low for 4 hours. Do not remove the lid during the cooking process.
When done cooking, stir to recombine. Serve as-is for a wetter taco meat, or drain some or all of the liquid for a drier meat. Serve in with taco shells or warm tortillas and toppings of choice.

Notes

For more ingredients & substitutions and tips, see blog post above.
Optional serving suggestions: 4-ingredient guacamole is a must in my option, and then the sky is the limit. Hard taco shells, small flour or corn tortillas, or large tortillas for burritos. I love it in a taco bowl, too, with a side of my taco slaw.
If you're worried about the grease, you have a couple of options. Using lean ground beef will make is so there is not excess grease to deal with. If using a higher fat ratio ground beef, you can leave it as is (fat equals flavor after all), or drain the liquid after cooking. Just don't put the liquid down the drain as it contains fat. You can always add more salsa at the end of the meat ends up too dry.
Nutrition information calculated for taco meat only, without a taco shell or toppings.
The heat level of this taco meat will depend on the type of salsa and chili powder you use. For mild taco meat, use mild salsa and mild chili powder. For spicy taco meat, use spicy salsa and hot chili powder.
I tested this recipe with a number of different salsas, all of which worked well. However, overall we preferred a "thick and chunky" style jarred salsa (Trader Joe's and Muir Glen both make good organic options), or look for a store brand that doesn't contain added sugar.
The final taco meat is quite juicy, but if you prefer a drier taco meat, drain off some or all of the cooking liquid.

Nutrition