Tacos de carne picada de Naan
These easy Ground Beef Naan Tacos start with charred naan and are topped with a quick veggie salad, robustly seasoned ground beef, and a simple herb sauce.
Ground Beef Naan Tacos
This past week I’ve been sharing super-simple dinner recipes in honor of school starting; I hope you’ve enjoyed them! This 15-minute BBQ chicken sandwich recipe and these Mediterranean wraps have been lifesavers for us.
So, today I have another simple dinner recipe. Compared with the wrap and sandwich, this recipe takes a little bit longer, but it’s still only about 20-30 minutes tops. The sauce gets more flavorful as it sits, so you can save even more time if you make it ahead of time. This truly is a quick dinner recipe that is absolutely loaded with flavor!
I wasn’t really sure what to call this recipe. It’s essentially a mash-up of some of our favorites — warm, delicious naan, perfectly seasoned ground beef, and delicious raita (see quick tip). You can eat it as a naan-topped salad or fold it up and eat like a taco. However, you’d like it — it’s sure to be a hit!
QUICK TIP
Raita is an Indian condiment made from yogurt, a variety of vegetables (sometimes fruits), and herbs. I find it similar to Greek tzatziki which is a cucumber and yogurt dip or sauce. While my raita recipe isn’t necessarily authentic, it’s one of my favorite sauces and packed with flavor!
Raita tips
- Use a good, full-fat, plain Greek yogurt. Full-fat yogurt will add flavor and keep the sauce from getting watery. I love Greek God’s® plain traditional Greek yogurt for this recipe (not sponsored).
- Regular cucumbers don’t work well. They don’t have enough flavor and are too watery. Stick to an English cucumber or Persian cucumbers (Persian cucumbers are sometimes labeled as mini/salad cucumbers).
Naan
As good as the raita and seasoned beef is, the naan is one of my favorite parts of this recipe! My whole family is obsessed with naan, so it’s fun to “sneak” it into different purposes (like using it as a crust for these Margherita pizzas or these fun Caesar salad pizzas).
Our favorite naan to use is Stonefire’s® mini naan flatbreads (not sponsored). Their mini rounds also work well for Ground Beef Naan Tacos. And if you can’t find the mini versions, simply cut a full naan flatbread in half. Easy peasy!
Although these tacos are focused on being fast, one thing well worth the few extra minutes is charring the naan. In fact, it’s a great thing to work on while the beef is browning. Here’s how to char naan:
- Spray both sides of the naan flatbread with olive oil cooking spray.
- Place the sprayed naan on the gas stove burner over the open flame until slightly charred, about 15-20 seconds per side.
- Using tongs, flip to the other side and char for another 15-20 seconds.
Don’t have a gas stovetop? No problem. Here’s how to do it in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Stack the naan in a pile and completely wrap in foil. Heat in the oven until warm, about 5 minutes.
Ground Beef Naan Tacos shortcuts
- Make the raita ahead of time. While not necessarily a short-cut, raita benefits from being made in advance. Whip it up in the morning as you’re making breakfast and it will make dinner prep fly by. The raita isn’t too time consuming, but there is a bit of chopping involved.
- While you’re prepping the raita, you can also prep the seasoning blend. I add all the seasonings to a small bowl or plastic bag, and it makes the prep a cinch, come dinner time.
- Use pre-minced veggies. Many grocery stores sell pre-minced onions and garlic. If you’d like this to be 15-20-minute meal, use those! Even frozen diced onions/garlic will work.
- Choose pre-shredded iceberg lettuce. Buying bagged, shredded lettuce (as opposed to thinly slicing, washing, and drying a head of iceberg lettuce) will save loads of time.
More quick and easy recipes
- Chicken Ramenwith a quick sauce
- Chicken Saladserved on croissants
- Asian Chicken Tacoswith rotisserie chicken
- Ground Beef Stroganoffover egg noodles
- Flavor-packed Sloppy Joeson brioche buns
Ground Beef Naan Tacos
Ground Beef Naan Tacos
Ingredients
Beef
- 1tablespoonolive oil
- 1medium yellow onionfinely diced (~1 cup)
- 2teaspoonsfinely minced garlic(~2-3 cloves)
- 1/2teaspoon EACHfine sea salt, ground coriander
- 2teaspoonsbeef bouillon powder
- 1 and 1/2teaspoons EACH:ground cumin, paprika
- 1/4teaspoonfreshly cracked pepper
- 1poundlean (93/7) ground beef
- 1/2medium head iceberg lettucevery thinly sliced
- 1/4thinly sliced red onion
- 8-12mini naan flatbreads + olive oil cooking spray(we love Stonefire naan)
- Optional: fresh cilantro, fresh mint, fresh lemon, and 1 large avocado
Sauce
- 1/2cupplain full-fat Greek yogurt(we love Greek Gods)
- 1/2cupfinely chopped English (or Persian) cucumber
- 2tablespoonschopped fresh cilantro
- 2teaspoonschopped green onions
- 1/4teaspoon EACH:ground cumin, ground coriander, fine sea salt
Instructions
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GROUND BEEF: Heat olive ina skillet and add the onion, stirring occasionally until golden, about 4-5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the garlic and all the seasonings: salt, coriander, beef bouillon powder, cumin, paprika, and pepper. Stir until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Push the seasoned onion to the edges of the pan and increase the heat to high. Add ground beef to the middle of the pan. Let stand, undisturbed for about 30 seconds, to develop a seared crust. Then flip and let stand for another 30 seconds. Continue to cook, crumbling the beef, until browned through, about 7-9 more minutes. Remove from heat, taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as needed.
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SAUCE: Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a medium-sized bowl. Stir until combined and then refrigerate. Stir before adding to the naan.
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VEGGIES: Slice the iceberg lettuce thinly. Wash and thoroughly dry (I use a salad spinner here). Set aside. Thinly slice the red onion.
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NAAN: Lightly spray both sides of the naan with cooking spray. «Grill» the naan on a gas stovetop over the open flame until slightly charred, about 10-20 seconds per side (See Note 1). Set aside.
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ASSEMBLY: Place the warmed naan on plates. Top with a handful of the lettuce and red onions. Divide the meat evenly on each naan. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of the sauce, fresh lemon juice (we love lots!) and fresh herbs (we love cilantro and mint). If desired, add a sliced avocado. Serve warm.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.
