Slow Cooker Low-Carb Beef Taco - Quarantine 2021 - Cooking Smaller Meals

I do not often use my slow cooker to cook ground beef. I watch "Large Family Table" on YouTube. I happened to see Jamerill make this meal and was interested in making a much smaller portion. I quartered the recipe and found it to be excellent. It can easily be made low-carb friendly. Why make smaller meals?

I can not eat many of the Asian meals I make for my family because I no longer tolerate the hot spices and chilis. Therefore, like many seniors, couples, or small families and single people out there, I am faced with the dilemma of cooking for one (myself). Many times as we age our appetite and digestion dictate we can no longer eat large volumes of our once-favorite food. It becomes a minefield of testing, exhaustion, and eventually, you grab a piece of toast and call it a day. As I age, I also get tired in the afternoon and making two meals for dinner every day is becoming less of an option.

This lovely, economical sauce can be frozen in individual portions and added to pasta, rice, or lasagna at a later time. I used my own summer homemade frozen roasted tomatoes and was excited by the delightful summer flavor. 

As always, the addition of cheese at the end of cooking makes this a yummy, gooey sauce. Cheese fixes everything. 

The original recipe was for 4 pounds of mince. 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

3/4 cup of water - I did not use this, I added a little more passata 

4 tablespoons taco seasoning

1 whole finely chopped onion

1 cup of small diced peppers (green, red, and or yellow)

1 cup tomato sauce - I pureed my tomatoes into passata

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup shredded cheese

 A small amount thickener of choice if the sauce is too loose for your taste.

Method:

In a large skillet, brown the onion. Add the beef and brown. Add the taco seasoning and combine. Add peppers, tomato sauce, and tomatoes, and a little water if it is too thick. I added 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Place the thoroughly-combined meat and sauce in the slow cooker and put on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. When done, turn off the slow cooker and layer the cheese on top. Cover and serve when the cheese has melted. 

You can serve this sauce with:

• Iceberg lettuce
• Avacado cubed
• Cubed tomatoes
• Chopped cilantro
• Sourcream

I used a small amount of leftover sauce for this meal the next day. Yes, it was the same meal I had the day before but presented differently, so my eyes wanted to eat it again. 

I hope you try this. It is delicious and can be divided into serving sizes and then frozen. When you are feeding a small family or just one person, this type of stretch meal is quite a time saver. Jamerill has a family of 11 so if that is you, then quadruple the recipe and enjoy.

Stay safe, stay home, and help where you can.

~ Cookin Mum ~