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
- shredded 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!
What ingredients do you need to make these shredded beef tacos?
- Corn Tortillas – You can use storebought or go ahead and make your own corn tortillas.
- Shredded Beef Filling – This filling is made in your slow cooker so it’s easy to make!
- Cheese – You can use cheddar, or jack cheese would also be great with these soft beef tacos.
- Toppings – For these tacos, we used lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and fresh salsa.
How to make these shredded beef tacos
If you are using homemade corn tortillas then you want to cook the tortillas close to serving time so that they are still warm. If you are using commercial tortillas, wrap them in foil packets, about four per packet and heat in a warm oven.
And then assemble the shredded beef, cheese, and other ingredients in small bowls to allow your diners to assemble their own tacos.
What kind of meat is shredded beef?
For the shredded beef filling, you can use a chuck roast or chuck steak.
Can I freeze this filling?
Yes you absolutely can! Just make sure to allow it to cool completely before you place the filling in an airtight container or freezer plastic bag. And don’t forget to label it as well!
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.
- 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
- 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.
How To Make This Cheap:
- 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.
Are you looking for more good cheap eats?
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Originally posted June 15, 2009. Updated April 1, 2017.
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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.
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?
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.
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.
It’s linked in the recipe. Here it is again: https://goodcheapeats.com/2009/06/shredded-beef-filling/