When it comes to burritos and soft tacos, I’m usually a chicken filling kind of a gal. Taco Time beef soft tacos have proven a notable exception. If you haven’t tried this flavorful, savory, party-in-your-mouth beef yet, make this Taco Time Beef Soft Taco Copycat Recipe your next meal. Trust me.
My husband worked at the Northwest Taco Time chain as a teenager, making his way up to assistant manager. Those days are long past now, but he still knows how to fill a soft taco to the max and wrap it just right. We always visit a Taco Time for fresh Mexican fast food made with real ingredients when we travel to Washington. I’ve neglected to try the beef until recently. If only I’d known what I was missing!
This is an easy weeknight meal that you can adapt to your family’s tastes, adding a bit more spices to the beef if you prefer, adding or subtracting toppings, and selecting your tortilla size. Even better, this is the one meal every member of my family eagerly eats three to four times a month!
Beef Filling
Preheat 12 inch pan to medium high. Once pan is preheated, add beef. Add dry ingredients while pan, then add in 4 tablespoons of water. Use a potato masher to combine ingredients with beef while it cooks. Cook through and remove from stove.
Burritos
While beef cooks, layer burritos on a microwave safe plate with paper towels layered between them. Heat 45 to 60 seconds, until soft and warmed through. We save our paper towels to use multiple times for this purpose.
Burrito Assembly
Step 1: Add a generous layer of beef in the middle.
Step 2: Top with cheese.
Step 3: Add 3 dollops of sour cream next to the beef.
Step 4: Add guacamole, if desired.
Step 5: Top with generous amounts of lettuce.
Step 6: Add fresh tomato. Be sure to leave enough room on the sides to tuck and roll your soft taco neatly.
Step 7: Roll by folding the bottom up, then the top up. Keep these folded and roll and tuck until you have a completely closed burrito.
Step 8: Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tbsp dried minced onion
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 beef bullion cubes
- 4 tbsp water
- Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Chopped Lettuce
- Guacamole (Optional)
Instructions
Preheat 12 inch pan to medium high. Once pan is preheated, add beef. Add dry ingredients while pan heats., then add in 4 tablespoons of water. Use a potato masher to combine ingredients with beef while it cooks. Cook through and remove from stove.
While beef cooks, layer burritos on a microwave safe plate with paper towels layered between them. Heat 45 to 60 seconds, until soft and warmed through.
Add a generous layer of beef in the middle, top with cheese, add 3 dollops of sour cream on the side, add guacamole if desired, then top with generous amounts of lettuce and tomato. Be sure to leave enough room on the sides to tuck and roll your soft taco neatly.
Roll by folding the bottom up, then the top up. Keep these folded and roll and tuck until you have a completely closed burrito.
WOW Thanks for giving me an idea for Tomorrow’s Dinner..My Girls are going to LOVE it..I’ve been too freaked to try and make Taco/Burritos myself, due to the fact that I always thought making Tacos/Burritos required you to follow some really Hard Direction’s to make a batch of them…But after reading the Easy How to Tacos/Burritos on the top of this post, I now feel like I can make the Tacos/Burritos myself, just by Following the Easy Direction’s..So again Many Thanks for posting an Easy 2 Do Recipe for either a plateful of Tacos or a batch of Burritos..
Yum, I love tacos, so I will have to try this!
Thanks for the dinner idea! Looks yummy!
My goodness that sounds DELICIOUS!! Definitely a keeper!
Tacos are on the menu tonight! Love how simple and tasty this version is….
I am so, very, very hungry now. Haha
This looks amazing and simple!
These look yummy =)
Wow, Thank you for the recipe. This sounds so good and a different way than we normally do tacos in our house.
Thanks for the new recipe!! Our family loves tacos! Tonight was taco night actually 🙂
Love this dinner idea.
We love tacos here. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try the recipe!
We don’t have Taco Time in my state, but Tacos/Burritos are always a favorite at home. Will definitely be trying this recipe soon!
I made this for my galz a few nights ago and they absolutely LOVED it..I can see many more Taco night”s in the coming months..A Huge Thank-You again for SHARING the recipe 🙂
I’m SO glad you loved it!
I’m sure Taco Time marinates their tomatoes in something, because they are delicious. Do you know what they do to them?
OH yum!! Tacos are one of our favs in this house!! I will have to try this recipe!! I can never get mine to fold that nice though lol!! I think Im an overstuffer!!
Definitely giving this a try! We love tacos and burritos in my house, even my 3 year old loves them.
Left the Great Northwest a year ago last August and have been missing Taco Time Soft Tacos. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to have an item I have been missing greatly. My withdrawals will soon be gone.
Hooray!
I really don’t like it when I visit recipe “reviews” and find that they aren’t reviews at all but, “looks great, think I’ll try it!” and such. I would love to see real honest to goodness reviews of recipes tested and the general thoughts on said recipe. I am sorry. Big pet peeve that I have been trying to quelch…
Hi there. I don’t know where you saw this advertised as a review, but I have it marked as a recipe and I’ve shared it online as such. Perhaps someone else shared it someplace like Pinterest as a review?
I actually made this taco meat tonight and was not impressed. It’s NOTHING like taco time. Very sad 🙁
Hi Katie.
Sorry you felt that way. Taste is very subjective and my family loves it. Hope you find a recipe that meets your expectations. 🙂
Hello again,
Calmer. I know it’s kinda weird but, I think the seasoning on the ground beef at Taco Time is tasty. I am looking for a copy cat of that. Is this recipe close!
Thanks a lot!
Mel
This is a GREAT recipe!!! Except I used my own taco beef (2 lbs. of 80/20 ground beef) and 2 pkgs. of McCormic Taco Seasoning – just follow directions). Then I used the rest of your recipe to finish off the Beef Soft
Taco. IT WAS DELISH!!!! Will make this again and again!! Thank you!
Ah, but it’s a fun addition!
I also worked at Taco Time as a teenager! I made taco meat many many times, you’ll need to add ketchup, water, celery salt and TVP which gives it that unique texture that only Taco Time has!. Let it simmer until the water evaporates, and adjust seasonings to get just right! Enjoy!!
My son wanted Taco Time for his birthday. I’m the type of Mom that says, “I bet I can make that!”
Your recipe was a hit. He was thrilled and now everyone is so happy to have Taco Time whenever we want without the high price.
Thank you!
Hooray! I”m so glad. 🙂
I used to live in the NW and loved Taco Time NW.
I liked the beef soft burrito. I know how to make the beef for it.
I know they use “burrito sauce”
Do you or your husband know how to make the burrito sauce?
Thanks,
Tracy
Hi Tracy. We are working on updating the recipe based on some comments and suggestions. Right now, we are testing adding tomato sauce, celery flakes, and textured vegetable protein. I am a fan without the TVP, but it makes the texture more like Taco Time’s. I will ask about the sauce. 🙂
How can we get updates on it when you know?