Dinner

Crispy Beef Tacos with Avocado Crema

Taco night, leveled up. Seasoned ground beef gets folded into flour tortillas with plenty of cheese, then pan-fried until the shells turn golden and shatter-crisp — and the avocado crema (avocado, Greek yogurt, cilantro, lime) is the cool, tangy drizzle that ties it together. Six tacos, about 25 minutes, and a serving of two lands around 32 grams of protein by our math. Weeknight-fast, kid-approved, and not a soggy shell in sight.

Ingredients

• 400g ground beef (about 14 oz)
• 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (2 for the beef, 1 for the sauce)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp water
• 1½ tbsp taco seasoning (chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, black pepper)
• 1 ripe avocado
• 3 tbsp Greek yogurt
• Handful of fresh cilantro, plus more to serve
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt, to taste
• 6 small flour tortillas
• 150g grated cheese (about 1½ cups)

Steps

1. Soften the onion: Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion until soft. Add 2 cloves of garlic and cook 30 seconds more.
2. Brown the beef: Add the ground beef and brown it, breaking it into small crumbles as it cooks.
3. Season it: Stir in the taco seasoning, tomato paste, and water. Cook 2–3 minutes, until every crumble is coated.
4. Blend the crema: Blend the avocado, Greek yogurt, remaining garlic clove, cilantro, lime juice, and salt until smooth and pourable.
5. Fill & fold: Sprinkle cheese over half of each tortilla, spoon beef over it, add more cheese, and fold in half.
6. Crisp them: Pan-fry in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat, 2–3 minutes per side, pressing gently, until golden and crispy and the cheese has melted.
7. Serve: Drizzle with the avocado crema and scatter over extra cilantro.

Dad tip: press the folded tacos gently with the spatula as they fry — full contact with the pan is what gets the shells evenly golden instead of spotty.

▶See the original recipe

Recipe adapted from Dasha Dashkevich’s Crispy Beef Tacos with Avocado Crema (@foodiedasha) — original video. The protein figure is our estimate, not the creator’s.