Black Bean & Beef Tacos

The past couple of weeks I have had to revert back to some quick and easy standby meals for dinner. Although I'm home during the day, I've had to pick up my husband from work every day, which means that I have been gone from about 5-6pm: the hour I normally have to prepare dinner. Now I get home with a hungry husband and kids and have just a few minutes to get dinner on the table before they start to mutiny.

One benefit of mixing black beans with the ground beef for the filling is that you can use half the amount of ground beef that you normally would. This cuts down on the cost of the meal and improves the nutritional value at the same time. Bonus points for this one!

Make ahead tip: Cook the ground beef filling in advance and reheat it in the microwave just before dinner. Dinner can be ready within 15 minutes of walking in the door.


Black Bean & Beef Tacos (filling)

3/4 lb. ground beef
1 can black beans
1 pkg taco seasoning (or less)
1/2 c. water

In a medium skillet, brown ground beef.

Drain ground beef. After draining, I like to rinse the extra grease off the meat. (You do this by placing colander in the sink and spraying with HOT water.)

Place ground beef back in the pan. Rinse and drain black beans.

Add black beans to the pan and mix.

Sprinkle taco seasoning over the meat and beans. Add water and mix well.

Simmer over medium-high heat until the water cooks off and mixture is nice and thick.

Use like normal taco filling in either hard or soft tacos. Top with favorite toppings, such as shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, diced avocado, sour cream and salsa.