“Ultimate” Taco Seasoning

If you are anything like me, you like to make your seasoning blends at home. There is just something about using the freshest spices, with no stabilizers, that makes seasoning blends the best. Today I am giving you what I consider to be the absolute ULTIMATE taco seasoning mixture ever! Two of the ingredients in this mix I have told you about before, tomato powder and Worcestershire powder. (You can read what I had to say about them here, and you can find the tomato powder here and the Worcestershire powder here.) I strongly encourage you to get both of these. If you make soups or stews, hamburgers or meatloaf, or any type of seasoning blend, these two powders are going to enhance it tremendously. There is a world of difference between seasoning blends that include these, and those that don’t. Make your seasoning blends extra special and include these two powders. My complete recipe is below. This is enough to season 2 pounds of ground beef for tacos. You can cut this in half, or, do what I do and, at least, double it. You are going to want to keep this on hand.

“Ultimate” Taco Seasoning

1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon tomato powder
½ teaspoon Worcestershire powder

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Two heaping tablespoons equals one commercial packet.

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If you are looking for a recipe in which to use this fantastic seasoning, I recommend this DELICIOUS Taco Meatloaf.

This post is linked to:

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Full Plate Thursday

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Mexican Stuffed Shells

I love Mexican food, and by Mexican food I pretty much mean any form of ground meat combined with taco seasoning. Yes, I do enjoy Mexican restaurants (Tex-Mex when I am in Texas), but at home taco seasoning turns anything into Mexican for me. So, the other day when I was all set to make my usual recipe for Italian stuffed shells, I decided to take the Mexican route replacing oregano with taco seasoning and marinara with enchilada sauce. The end result was quite good, plus these are easy to make, easy to assemble, and I prepared everything in the morning and shoved it into the fridge for baking at dinner time.

I served three to each of us with a side of shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes, topped with guacamole and a dollop of sour cream. Wonderful!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

18 jumbo pasta shells

1 pound ground chuck

½ small yellow onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1 packet taco seasoning (or 2 T. Homemade)

4 oz. cream cheese

1 small can diced mild green chilies (optional)

1 10-oz. can enchilada sauce

1-1/3 cup homemade salsa, divided

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup Monterrey jack cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Prepare pasta shells according to package directions, rinse in cool water, and set aside.

In a 10-12 inch saute pan over medium heat, cook ground chuck with the onion, breaking meat up as you cook, until meat is evenly browned. Drain meat and return it to the pan. Add garlic and allow to cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Stir in taco seasoning until thoroughly incorporated, then add cream cheese.  Stir until cream cheese is melted, then add 1/3 cup of the salsa. Stir in green chilies, if desired. Remove from heat.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining one cup salsa and enchilada sauce. Pour half of sauce mixture into the bottom of a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.

Fill each jumbo shell with about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture, dividing evenly among the 18 shells. Place shells on top of sauce in casserole dish and drizzle with the remaining sauce, being certain to cover each individual shell. Cover with heavy duty aluminum foil. (At this point the dish can be refrigerated for up to a day prior to baking.)

Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil, and top with cheese, again, being certain to cover each shell. Return to oven, uncovered, and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly.

This post is linked to:

Dream, Create, Inspire Tuesday

Full Plate Thursday

Throwback Thursday

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Fabulous Friday

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