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Southwestern-Flavored Ground Beef or Turkey for Tacos & Salad

SUBMITTED BY: USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson PHOTO BY: G3RD

"With Southwestern-Flavored Ground Beef, you can simultaneously make tonight's dinner and tomorrow's lunch. Just save out and refrigerate some of the taco meat and fixings such as shredded cheese and lettuce, plus chopped scallions and tomatoes. A good-looking salad like this will draw potential lunch traders. More likely than not, they'll be out of luck."

SERVINGS

 (Help)
    
Servings
 

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 3 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet until shimmering. Add onion; saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, oregano and cumin; saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beef or turkey and cook, stirring often, until it loses its raw color. Stir in tomatoes; simmer to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in cornmeal; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens, almost instantly. Cool and refrigerate (or serve warm for dinner as tacos or taco salad).

FOOTNOTES

  • TO PACK FOR LUNCH
  • Put a portion of taco meat in a small container. Put some salsa in another small container. Put lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, scallions and shredded cheese in a plastic salad container or other lidded container. Pack tortilla chips in a baggie. Add a plastic fork and knife to the lunchbox.
  • This recipe was originally featured in the USA WEEKEND article Lunch Box Rules on August 15, 2004.
  • Find the Perfect Recipe from Pam Anderson.
  • Pam Anderson is the author of four cookbooks, including her latest, Perfect Recipes for Having People Over.
  • Copyright 2004 USA WEEKEND and columnist Pam Anderson. All rights reserved.

REVIEWS

The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Feb. 22, 2005 by LOVE 2 COOK
I used lean ground turkey and it came out great for tacos (and almost fat-free!). The... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 3 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Mar. 25, 2005 by RUKLIN
I may have used too much meat for spices. As a result, my husband was not fond of it. MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jul. 3, 2006 by I Love to Eat
Three pounds of ground meat for 10 servings seemed quite a lot to me. I made this for a... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on May 7, 2006 by Spork Boy
This was very tasty, and didn't take a lot of time or effort to make. Just top the tacos and... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on May 25, 2006 by MHBMHB
Delicious and tasty. Did not change anything. Everyone loved. Can use in soft tacos. Thanks... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jul. 17, 2006 by groovy isle girl cooks
I have tried a similiar dish but never with the cornmeal nor fresh spices - it made a whole... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Mar. 3, 2007 by PULLEYHEATHER
This was just great! I halved the recipe and used 1 cup of salsa in place of the diced... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 3 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Feb. 3, 2007 by KTDS
made this for a party - followed recipe to thee "T" & it wasn't a hit ... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Mar. 3, 2008 by POWELLORIO
I was looking for a taco meat seasoning recipe that didn't use the nasty packaged stuff and... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jun. 5, 2007 by Oh Girlfriend