Taco Skillet Dinner: 30 Minute Recipe

If you are looking for quick and easy you'll love this beef taco skillet dinner. Ground beef is simmered with fresh vegetables, corn tortillas, and seasonings to give you big Tex-Mex flavor in less than 30 minutes. No ground beef? Check the substitution suggestions!

Table of Contents

• Shopping list
• Variations
• Equipment
• Related recipes
• Kaffeeklatch
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Shopping list

The ingredients in this easy skillet dinner are simple. Be sure to check out the variations to find great substitutions for the items you may not have on hand.

• Ground beef
• Pinto beans, cooked
• Tomatoes with chiles (I use Ro*Tel)
• Onion
• Green Bell pepper
• Jalapenos,
• Cilantro
• Corn tortillas
• Cumin
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Black Olives
• Limes
• Cheddar cheese

Variations

I love this dish because it's very forgiving. Here are some variations on the recipe -

Ground beef

No ground beef? No problem!

• Leftover shredded beef from pot roast
• Cooked stew meat
• Cooked brisket
• Chicken
• Game
• Turkey
• Use all beans
• Tempeh

Pinto beans

You can use any kind of cooked, dried bean, or even lentils, for the pinto beans. Refried beans work well, too.

Vegetables

Use any vegetables you have on hand. If you don't have tomatoes use salsa or tomato sauce.

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Green beans
• Corn

Corn tortillas

• Tortilla chips
• Flour tortillas
• Rice
• Potatoes
• Fritos
• Pasta

Equipment

What’s new? Check out my Restless Chipotle & Co. Store on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of nostalgic goodness!  Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!

If you don't have an iron skillet you can't go wrong with a Lodge 12" Cast Iron Skillet!

Related recipes

Here are some more reader favorites from the quick and easy category!

• King Ranch Chicken is so simple. Chicken, Ro*Tel, and onion are mixed with a creamy sauce and layered with corn tortillas and gooey cheese.
• Frito Chicken Casserole is made with chicken, corn chips, and cheese. It's so simple that the kids can get dinner started before you even get home.
• Frito Pie is a classic Texas recipe that’s found at nearly every high football concession stand as well as in many high end restaurants. It’s quick and easy, has many variations, and is addictively good.

Kaffeeklatch

If you have two hours every night to fix dinner raise your hand... :::looks around:::: crickets:::::

I thought so. We live in a busy society and if you're anything like me you barely have time to get a shower let alone spend hours on dinner most nights of the week!

Oh, there are times when I have some extra time, or I carve out extra time for something special but most days I get dinner on the table in less than an hour -- and a lot of the time I have less than 30 minutes.

Sound familiar?

It's times like that when ground beef and an iron skillet are your best friends!

This skillet dinner is one dish -- goes from stovetop to table easily. If you prep  your onions and green peppers on the weekend (or buy them precut at the store) there is hardly any preparation time.

Add a salad and maybe this microwave Mexican Chocolate Cobbler and you've got a real dinner on the table in less time than it takes you to pick out a pair of shoes.

You can add corn if you want to, top it with avocado, or just use beans rather than the beef and make it vegetarian. I've done that and I promise it's yummy no matter how you make it!

📖 Recipe

First published March 6, 2016. Last updated March 29, 2020 for better readability.