Sweet and Spicy Tacos are the best ground beef taco recipe you’ll ever make! The flavors are ample and robust with a hint of brown sugar, but easy enough to make for Taco Tuesday.
Sweet and Spicy Tacos are a Mamagourmand throwback post. The recipe is just as amazing, but I updated it with new pictures and a video. Scroll down to check it out!
I had to remove all the old Sweet and Spicy Tacos pictures, but I couldn’t bear to delete this gem…
This is when 3 year old Finn helped with the original photo shoot. Finn really thought he captured the essence of the dish, and wasn’t at all thrown off by Captain America continually showing up in his viewfinder, instead of taco meat.
These amazing Sweet and Spicy Tacos are perfect for this time of year. With the kids going back to school, we are all getting back to our routines. For me, that means cooking up a lot of easy weeknight meals.
Sure, you could throw a packet of taco seasoning mix at some ground beef and call it taco night. I promise, though, this recipe requires the same minimum concentration, but there’s a way bigger payoff at the end with some freakin’ extraordinary tacos.
Intense flavor comes from ample spices and the added twist of baking it at the end (which is the perfect time to get all the fixings ready and make the killer Cilantro Lime Sour Cream to go with it).
The original Sweet and Spicy Tacos recipe calls for ancho chile powder, but it does pack a punch. If your kids are prone to dinner-time-spice-dramatics, you may want to substitute regular chili powder.
How to Make Sweet and Spicy Tacos
- Brown the ground beef, drain, and transfer to a bowl.
- Sauté the onion and garlic in the same skillet. Add the stewed tomatoes, breaking up with a spoon, and simmer until slightly thickened.
- Add the ground beef back to the skillet, along with chili sauce and seasonings. Stir and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer to a 9X13 pan.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes to intensify and meld flavors. Serve with Lime Cilantro Sour Cream (recipe below) and taco fixings.
Tips and Trick for Making Sweet and Spicy Tacos
- This is the perfect make-ahead meal because it tastes even better after the seasoned beef sits and melds. Make it the day before or earlier in the day and bake right before serving.
- Not only is this a great weeknight dinner, but Sweet and Spicy Tacos are perfect for entertaining. Make a day or two beforehand and save the baking step for right before guests arrive.
- Ancho chile powder is spicier than the regular chili powder traditionally used in ground beef taco recipes. To tone down the spice, use 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder and 2 tablespoons regular chili powder.
- Since this recipe uses 2 pounds of ground beef, we usually have leftovers. Freeze the rest for another weeknight dinner or use the next night in quesadillas, taco salads, taco pasta casserole with cheese, or throw on these Quick and Easy Taco Dogs.
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Sweet and Spicy Tacos
Ingredients
Filling:
- 2 pounds ground chuck
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes
- 12 ounce bottle chili sauce, such as Heinz
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons ancho chile powder or chili powder*
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- taco shells cheddar cheese, lettuce, cilantro, and lime wedges for serving
Lime Sour Cream:
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ tablespoon finely grated lime zest, about 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- salt to taste
Instructions
Filling:
- In a large nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain grease and transfer to a bowl.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Reduce heat to medium and add a splash of olive oil to the pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until almost translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes to the skillet and break up with spoon. Simmer until liquid mostly evaporates and sauce slightly thickens, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add cooked ground beef, chili sauce, Worcestershire, chili powder, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Simmer and stir for about 5-10 minutes.
- Spread in a 13X9" pan and bake until an almost black crust forms around edges, about 30-40 minutes. (I know this sounds unconventional, but it develops the flavor more. This step can be skipped if you are in a time crunch.)
Lime Sour Cream:
- For the sour cream, mix together all the ingredients. Add salt to taste. Serve with taco meat and fixings.
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Notes
- This is the perfect make-ahead meal because it tastes even better the longer the seasoned beef sits and melds. Make it the day before or earlier in the day and bake right before serving.
- Not only is this a great weeknight dinner, but Sweet and Spicy Tacos are perfect for entertaining. Make a day or two beforehand and save the baking step for right before guests arrive.
- Since this recipe uses 2 pounds of ground beef we usually have leftovers. Freeze the rest for another weeknight dinner or use the next night in quesadillas, taco salads, taco pasta casserole with cheese, or throw on these Quick and Easy Taco Dogs.
Nutrition
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Items used to make this recipe:
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Melissa says
We love american tacos around here for a quick easy everyone’s happy meal (except the Mexican hubby) but I love this twist because it sounds so much more flavorful and I love the baked part of it! I can’t wait to try it out this week.
Melissa says
I hope you love it. Tacos are always a guaranteed family hit, but it’s great to switch up the flavors and make it more exciting for everyone!
Debbie says
Absolutely delicious exactly what I was looking for ….thank you
Melissa says
Your welcome! We just had these for dinner the other night. It’s one of our favorites!
Becca says
Made this tonight and really enjoyed it! However, it reminded my husband and myself both of sloppy joes! No problem since we both love them, just a surprise lol Loved the lime sour cream as well…didn’t use cilantro though due to detesting the flavor of it! Thanks for He great flavorful dish!
Melissa says
Hi Becca, I’m so glad you liked it! I just read Ina Garten also detests the taste of cilantro, so you are in good company!
Jamie says
I didn’t have enough ground beef so I added a can of black beans. YUM!
Melissa says
Fantastic idea and makes it a whole lot healthier!
Anonymous says
The ingredients didn’t list tomatoes but the recipe does?? Are we shooosed to be baking the meat mixture for 30-40min??
Melissa says
Hello! The tomatoes are listed in the ingredients as 14 oz.can of stewed tomatoes. As far as baking…I know it sounds unconventional, but it develops the flavor more and gives bits a nice crispy texture, similar to carnitas. This step can be skipped if you are in a time crunch. (I added this note in the recipe now, because it throws lots of people off.) Thanks for writing!
Anonymous says
I am a little confused. What are you supposed to bake for 30 to 40 minutes?!
Melissa says
Yep, I know…a little unconventional. You can definitely skip the baking part, but it develops the flavors more and makes a crust on top, similar to carnitas. Hope that helps!
Melissa says
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I didn’t have any chili sauce, so I just used some salsa. I also added a little salt. I loved the flavor that the Worcestershire sauce gave it! Super yummy!
Melissa says
Hi Melissa, you can also sub ketchup for the chili sauce, but great to know you can use salsa in a pinch too. So glad you enjoyed it😊
Molly says
This is the type of recipe I love for entertaining – all prep ahead so I can fully enjoy the party and my guests! Made it for a game day and everyone raved about it. It will be a repeater!
Melissa says
Hi Molly, This is the perfect entertaining recipe. You’re right, would be great for game days…
Patricia Almond says
These sound delish! Can this recipe be halved?
Melissa says
It certainly can, and I would probably recommend doing that if you are making it just for your family. Otherwise, I have made the whole recipe and just froze the other half to have on hand for a quick dinner.
MaryEllen Windsor says
I made these tonight for my family and they were absolutely delicious!!! Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!!!
I am following you on Pinterest too 🙂
Melissa says
Hey MaryEllen, thanks so much for letting me know! I make them all the time for my family and for parties because it makes so much. I am never disappointed about having the leftovers, though.