Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Make your own taco seasoning!

I recently found a recipe for making your own taco seasoning and wanted to try it. And, as often is the case, I tweaked it a bit.

I have no problem using the little taco packet and it's not as if it's that expensive! Aldi's brand is around $.30. Soo... unless you already have these spices in your home, I'm not sure it'll necessarily save you money, either. Depends on how often you eat tacos! :-)

But, yes, making it yourself does knock out any chemicals or unnecessary ingredients that the packets may contain.

Ok... get yourself a little bowl and these spices: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, paprika, ground cumin, sea salt (I used kosher), black pepper, dried minced onion, and cornstarch.


Into your bowl, spoon 1 Tablespoon chili powder:


Add 1/4 teaspoon EACH of garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes and dried oregano:


Now add 1/2 teaspoon of paprika and 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin (cumin, I think, is what "makes" the taco flavor we're all familiar with... so, don't try to omit or substitute!):


Add 1 teaspoon EACH of sea salt and ground pepper:


Mix all ingredients together. This ends the Allrecipes version.


Every packet of taco seasoning I've ever used has dried minced onions in it. So, I decided to add some... if desired, add 2 teaspoons dried minced onions:


Ahh, now we're done... or so I thought! :-)


I realized that I didn't just want to season my meat, but I wanted the thick saucy/glaze on my meat that usually results using a packet. So, I added 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch to my spice mixture.

After I browned my meat, I sprinkled about 2 Tablespoons of my spice mixture onto the meat (spice mixture yields about 3 Tablespoons with my added ingredients). I then added 3/4 cup of water and allowed the meat to come to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes... done!

And, YUMMY! The mix was really tasty and simple to make! I do make "taco" seasoned dishes often, so this recipe will certainly be sticking around!

Recommend: YES

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4 comments:

Melissa said...

Sounds great! I usually "wing it" for taco seasoning, but I use roughly the same mixture. I also cut WAY back on the salt, since the sodium content is the main reason I don't use the packets.

MaRiN said...

I've totally made my own taco seasoning before. I made a big batch and used it for a long time, then it ran out and I've yet to make more. I've been using the packets again. I'm going to try your recipe and add the onion flakes, sounds good.
BTW, thank you so much for the award! I am a little behind on my blog hopping with it being summer and all. I really appreciate you thinking of me!

Unknown said...

I'm going to have to try this! The only thing I have missing is the cumin (I think). Thank you for posting this!

Heather S-G said...

Nice!! I try to make taco seasoning around here and keep some around at all times, too...though I usually get lazy and just buy some. I hadn't thought about adding cornstarch...what a great idea!! Okay, maybe I'll just go throw some together now so that next time I'm feeling lazy I can just grab it :D

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