I love tacos for dinner. My kids love tacos for dinner. Who doesn’t love tacos for dinner?

Tacos are a fun meal and a great idea for a family get together, because everyone can make their taco exactly as they want. Add more of one veg and leave out another altogether. A taco can be whatever you want it to be.

a picture of a white platter with 5 hard taco shells on the platter ready for Taco Dinner

I have never made my own taco shells or soft taco tortillas. This is something I will definitely try in the future. I found this recipe on line here and want to try it for the hard shells. In the meantime, I always serve offer both hard and soft taco shells/tortillas. I heat the hard tacos in the oven and the soft tacos I wrap in a paper towel and dish towel and heat them in the microwave for 2-30 second periods. Alternatively, I wrap them in tin foil and put them in the oven with the hard tacos. Once out of the oven I wrap a towel around them to keep them warm.

a picture of many bowls on a table for Taco Dinner, filled with all the toppings for a taco dinner, including sour cream, salsa, grated cheddar cheese, sliced olives, guacamole, chopped red peppers, chopped lettuce.

You can choose to put all the bowls with your toppings on the table or put them on the counter and people can get up and make their tacos. That would depend on the space and setting you have. Buffet style or sit down meal style.

Taco Dinner Meat Recipe

My recipe for the meat topping came from my brother. Up until that day I had been using the taco powder that is sold in the stores to season the meat. I wrote the ingredients on the back of a business card and have been using it ever since. The powder may be convenient but making the filling from scratch is delicious and you actually know what you’re adding. Only herbs and spices and fresh ingredients. I recently made this recipe for a family get together and it’s always a huge crowd pleaser.

a picture of many bowls on a table, filled with all the toppings for a taco dinner, including sour cream, salsa, grated cheddar cheese, sliced olives, guacamole, chopped red peppers, a jar of cumin and chopped lettuce.
  • 1kg ground beef
  • 3 chorizo sausages, remove meat from the casing (depending on where you live these may only be available seasonally. You can substitute with an Italian sausage or the sausage of your choice)
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cups tomato puree
  • 3-4 garlic cloves (you can use fresh garlic or granulated garlic)
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tbsp dried cilantro ( you can use fresh if you have it – 3 tbsp finely chopped)
  • 1 large tsp cumin
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 3-4 tbsp salsa – I prefer mild and extra chunky salsa, but you can choose which salsa you use, according to your own preference
  1. Add the olive oil to a large frying pan or cast iron pot. Add the ground beef and sausage meat.
a picture of two ripe avocados on a counter with a knife.
a picture of chopped lettuce, half an avocado and sliced tomatoes on a white plate.
a picture of guacamole in a white bowl

Taco Dinner Guacamole Recipe

The recipe we use came to us from my daughter, who did not provide exact measurements. This is how we interpreted the information she sent. By the way, her guacamole is scrumptious!

  • avocado (There are three of us, so we used two, which worked out well – just a tiny bit left over.)
  • green onion (We didn’t have any, but we did have shallots – we used two)
  • lime juice (We used bottled lime juice – approximately 1/4 cup – but it probably tastes better with the juice from a fresh lime.)
  • flat leaf/Italian chopped parsley (approximately 1/4 cup)
  • 1 tsp. hot sauce
  • season to your liking with salt and pepper

The avocados sat on the counter for a few days and were ripe when they were cut open. I used my hand mixer, which is currently my favourite kitchen tool, besides my spatulas, of course, to blend all the ingredients together. We were happy with how it turned out.

a picture of a plate on Taco Dinner night with the leftover bits of food from a taco and half a taco on the plate.

The topping for your tacos can vary according to you and your family or guests’ preferences. I like to offer diced red peppers and cucumber, grated cheddar, sour cream, sliced olives, chopped lettuce, salsa, guacamole, refried beans.

I make my taco meat on the mild side but I put hot sauce on the table for those who prefer a bit of heat with their tacos.

What do you like to serve with your tacos?

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