Soft Beef Tacos at Home

Soft beef tacos are the perfect crowd-pleasing dinner: tender, spiced beef in warm tortillas with fresh toppings and a squeeze of lime. Make the filling ahead and let everyone build their own tacos at the table.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes | Servings: 4 (8 tacos)

Ingredients

• 500 g beef strips or thinly sliced steak
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 soft flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded lettuce or cabbage
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• Fresh cilantro and lime wedges, to serve
• Sour cream or salsa (optional)

Method

1. Toss the beef strips with the paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and chilli powder. Season with salt.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan over high heat. Cook the beef in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until browned and just cooked through. Set aside and keep warm.
3. Warm the tortillas in a dry pan for 20 seconds per side, or wrap them in foil and heat in the oven.
4. Fill each tortilla with beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and sour cream or salsa.

Tips

Slice the beef against the grain so it stays tender. Let the pan get properly hot before adding the beef so it sears instead of steaming. For a smoky finish, warm the tortillas directly over a gas flame for a few seconds until lightly charred at the edges.