Shredded Beef Tacos: A Good Cheap Eat

Shredded beef tacos are a deliciously simple way to make taco night terrific. The tender beef cooks in the slow cooker while you assemble fresh toppings.

If you’ve got a favorite Mexican food restaurant, chances are you’ve experienced great tacos. If your favorite Mexican food restaurant is one of the better ones, you know the delight that comes with biting into a taco made with tender shredded beef folded into a homemade corn tortilla. And you’ve probably paid a pretty penny for such deliciousness.

Believe it or not, you can make your own shredded beef tacos for a fraction of the price at home — and eat your fill.

Here’s what it costs me these days to make this recipe:

corn tortillas $.60/dozen, homemade
beef $3.99/#
cheddar $1.50/8 oz.
lettuce $0.50
cilantro $0.25
tomatoes $0.25
salsa $0.50

TOTAL: $7.59 for one dozen hefty beef tacos; 63 cents each!

I’m pretty sure that a taco plate with beans and rice for ONE person costs about 7 or 8 bucks, so clearly making these babies at home is worth your while. Not only are they easy and cheap, but they are super duper delicious!

How to make this good and cheap:

Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:

Meal plan around what’s on sale. Don’t decide to make this when chuck roast is $7/pound and you have none in the freezer. Wait until the price is right.
Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. For instance, when I see a great price on chuck roast as I mentioned before, I buy a lot.
Make it yourself. Not only are homemade corn tortillas tastier than commercial tortillas, they’re cheaper, too! Homemade salsa is better than the can and a better deal as well.
Price match. I track my prices so that I know the best prices on the items we use the most. That means I buy my cheese and lettuce at Costco because they’re super cheap there; my beef at Ralphs or ALDI on sale, etc.

Tools I use to make this recipe easy:

This is a pretty straight-forward dish. You don’t need any fancy equipment. However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.

plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
large skillet with lid – I have two of these since I love this model so much.
Ergo Chef cooking tongs – I love these! They are my favorite cooking tongs.
slow cooker – This is the slow cooker I own. The app has gone wonky recently so I don’t use the wifi function, but the cooker is a good one.
tortilla press – a must for making homemade tortillas.
an electric griddle – makes it quick and easy to cook many tortillas at one time.

Shredded Beef Tacos

Shredded beef tacos are a deliciously simple way to make taco night terrific. The tender beef cooks in the slow cooker while you assemble fresh toppings.

Preparation Time:20 minutes
Cook time:4 hours
Total time:4 hours 20 minutes
8 to 12 servings
Ingredients:

12 to 24 corn tortillas, preferably homemade
one batch Shredded Beef Filling
3 cups shredded cheddar or jack cheese
3 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped tomatoes
chopped fresh cilantro, optional
fresh salsa for serving

Instructions:

If using homemade corn tortillas, cook the tortillas close to serving time so that they are still warm. If using commercial tortillas, wrap them in foil packets, about four per packet and heat in a warm oven.
Assemble meat, cheese, and other ingredients in small bowls to allow diners to assemble their own tacos.

Are you looking for more good cheap eats?

Originally posted June 15, 2009. Updated April 1, 2017.

Comments

Analida's Ethnic Spoon says
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Your shredded beef tacos look delicious. What a cool idea to put the cost of the items. I make carnitas tacos at home which are similar to yours.
Jeannie says
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I love shredded beef tacos. I have to say though that I love the shredded beef along with the fried taco shell. Due to the fact that I loathe frying taco shells I have been guilty of buying the pre-fab ones which don satisfy the taco craving. I noticed you have he cool taco holder do you bake your shells to crisp them up?
- Jessica Fisher says
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  These are soft tacos pictured. We make homemade corn tortillas and serve them warm. When we buy boxed shells, I warm them in the oven, but the holder is just for serving.
Elise says
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Do you have a recipe for how to make the beef itself? I know you use a slow cooker but I’m wondering about times, etc.
- Jessica Fisher says
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  It’s linked in the recipe. Here it is again: https://goodcheapeats.com/2009/06/shredded-beef-filling/