Healthy Low Carb Beef Tacos

I think we must devour these healthy low carb beef tacos at least twice a week in this household.

They take no time to prepare and pack so much flavor that it feels like eating comfort food – just without the guilt.

They’re versatile too: a healthy dinner ready in 30 minutes? Yes, please. Leftovers for breakfast (with a cheeky fried egg on top)? Ohh, yes! Something you can easily adapt for slow carb, keto, paleo or LCHF? Check, check, check and… check.

AND, as a bonus, there’s a 10-minute simmering time at the end that’s just the right amount of time to throw together the ingredients for my lightning quick salsa and guacamole recipes.

In short: it’s a great healthy option for your next Taco Tuesday.

We never tire of eating these low carb beef tacos – I hope this will become one of your go-to weeknight recipes too!

Let’s get into it!

Ingredients

Little gem or iceberg lettuce
Sour cream (optional)
Cheese, grated (optional)
Black beans (optional)

For the tacos

1.10 lb / 500g good quality ground beef
1 onion
1 bell pepper
Olive oil
1 tsp lazy garlic (or 2 cloves if you’re being fancy / not lazy)
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp marjoram (optional)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chipotle paste
1½ tbsp tomato paste
1 cup / 250ml organic beef broth / stock

Quick Salsa

2 large ripe tomatoes
½ small onion, diced
3 sprigs fresh cilantro / coriander
½ teaspoon lazy garlic or 1 garlic clove, minced
½ a lime

Quick Guacamole

2 avocados
½ a small onion, diced
1 tomato
½ teaspoon lazy garlic or 1 garlic clove, minced
½ lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cut the stalk from the lettuce, carefully peel apart the leaves, wash and set aside to drain
Dice the onion (if you’re making the guac and salsa too, dice both onions but keep them separate – it’ll save time later) and mince the garlic if necessary (same goes as above)
Deseed and dice the pepper
Warm a large skillet over a medium high heat
Add the ground meat and cook through, breaking it up until there’s no more pink
Tip the meat and juices out of the pan into a dish and keep warm
Add a glug of olive oil to the pan and add one diced onion and the diced bell pepper. Cook until softened
Add the garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes
Add the ground meat back into the pan and stir to combine
Add the cumin, paprika, marjoram (if using), chili powder and chipotle paste, and stir well
Add the tomato paste and combine until the ingredients are sticking together – this will help to create a thicker, tastier sauce for the tacos
Once combined, add the beef broth and simmer for around 10 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced and thickened
That’s pretty much it for the tacos apart from a final taste test and seasoning. If you’re making the guacamole and salsa, use the simmering time to prepare them – if not, skip through this next section to the final steps.

For the salsa:

Dice all 3 tomatoes (setting aside one for the guac) and finely chop the cilantro, including the stalks.
Tip the tomatoes and cilantro into a bowl
Remember that second onion you diced earlier? Add half of it to the bowl along with half of the remaining garlic
Squeeze in the lime juice, mix all the ingredients together, and season to taste

For the guacamole:

De-stone and scoop out the avocados and mash with a fork until it’s as smooth or chunky as you like it
Add the remaining diced tomato, onion and garlic
Squeeze in the lime, mix together and season to taste

Tacos, continued:

Now the taco mixture has thickened, it’s time for a taste test – I usually add another tablespoon of cumin at this point because I can’t get enough of the flavor, but feel free to add whatever you like. To serve: scoop the mixture into the lettuce leaves, top with guac and salsa (if you’ve made them) and enjoy!

Here are some simple tweaks you can make to adjust the recipe to your tastes:

Slow-Carb: Add in a tin of black beans at the end of the simmering time and gently heat through

LCHF or keto: Top with lots of cheese and sour cream

Paleo: Just as it is

Or, if you’re not being careful with carbs, simply nix the lettuce in favor of crunchy taco shells, and add the works: beans, sour cream and cheese. And there you have it: fabulous low carb beef tacos in less than 30 minutes.

Delicious! You can also download the recipe here.

If you like this, why not check out more slow and low carb recipes in our round-up of 10 Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes? Or find out more about the Slow-Carb Diet with our beginner’s guide.