Vegetarian Ground Beef Tacos for Cinco de Mayo

Next week is Cinco de Mayo, and I wanted to put up a recipe that helps you celebrate the holiday in quarantine. These are my vegetarian ground beef tacos. You’re probably thinking: how can ground beef be vegetarian? Well, that’s because I used Beyond Meat’s plant-based ground beef. This was actually unintentional. I originally ordered ground beef in my weekly grocery order, but I got plant-based beef instead. I decided to just roll with it which is how I ended up making this entirely vegetarian-friendly taco.

What is Beyond Meat?

Beyond Meat is a brand that specializes in plant-based proteins. Established in 2009, they make a variety of meat substitutes like plant-based chicken, pork, and beef. I personally have very limited exposure to their products, but every time I had some I have loved it. This ground beef in particular has amazing flavor, and the texture is very close (surprisingly) to ground beef. My approach to cooking this ground beef is similar to how I would cook regular ground beef. Very simple, earthy seasonings and brown over medium heat.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Plant-based ground beef – Like I mentioned above, you don’t have to use plant-based ground beef for this recipe, you can substitute in regular ground beef.
• Five spice powder – Five spice powder is a mixture of 5 spices that is commonly used in Chinese cuisine. Included in the spice blend is star anise, white pepper, cloves, fennel, and cinnamon. I love the flavor that this five spice adds to meats.
• Ancho chili powder – Ancho chili powder is a spice that is used in Mexican cuisine and adds a slightly spicy and sweet flavor to the meat. If you don’t have ancho chili powder, I would recommend using paprika.
• Salt – Brings out the flavor of the other ingredients. I added salt to the beef and the pico de gallo.
• Roma tomatoes – Roma tomatoes are my favorite tomatoes to use in pico de gallo. They have the perfect sweetness and texture. You can use any kind of tomato for this recipe.
• Yellow onion – I like to use a sweet yellow onion, but you can also substitute with a white onion.
• Cilantro – There is no substitute for cilantro. Cilantro is essential to pico de gallo.
• Lime juice – Adds brightness and acidity to the salsa.
• Jalapeños – Jalapeños is optional. It give the salsa a kick, but you can either omit jalapeños or take out the seeds. The seeds are the source of the spiciness.
• Flour or Corn Tortillas – You can use either flour or corn tortillas for this recipe. I used corn tortillas because I like the flavor better and they are gluten free.

Making my vegetarian ground beef tacos

This is literally the easiest and quickest recipe. First make your salsa. Mince the tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapeños into small pieces. Add the onions to a bowl and squeeze lime juice over the top. The reason for this is the lime tempers the intense flavor of the onion and makes your salsa taste more balanced. Next add in the tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapeños. Add a pinch of salt and mix. Set aside.

Next marinate your plant-based ground beef. Add five spice powder, salt, and ancho chili powder into a small bowl and mix. Sprinkle over the top of your ground beef and incorporate with your hands. Make sure the ground beef is evenly coated in the seasoning. Brown the ground beef in a large pan for ~5 minutes. Add to a bowl and set aside. Lastly, heat your tortillas over the fire of a gas stove for ~10 seconds on each side. The tortillas should have small black spots on them.

Now it’s time to assemble your tacos! Take one of the tortillas. Spoon ground beef and salsa over the top. Finish it off with thinly sliced avocado and cotija cheese. Repeat until you run out of tortillas and/or filling.

Tips on how to make the perfect ground beef tacos

1. Make your pico de gallo first – Making your salsa first allows the flavors in the salsa to marinate and combine. It makes for a tastier salsa.
2. Squeeze lime juice over the onions first in the salsa – I was in Mexico, and I asked this cook what the key to a great salsa is, and he said it was to squeeze lime juice over the onions. Onions inherently have an intense flavor, so squeezing the lime juice over it tempers that flavor, creating a more balanced salsa.
3. Heat tortillas directly over the fire – This might sound crazy but trust me this is the proper way to heat up tortillas. I have to caveat this by saying this is only possible on a gas stove. Heating the tortilla directly over the fire creates a more sturdy tortilla that can hold the filling without breaking. It also adds texture to the tortilla.

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