If you want, you can brown the meat. Typically, I’m one to take the extra steps to assure a successful slow cooker recipe. In this case, it’s not necessary to brown the beef first, especially if you’re using lean ground beef. However, if you’re using ground beef with a higher fat content then you can brown the meat to drain the juices
Don’t skip “blooming” the aromatics. Adding onions and garlic raw to a slow cooker recipe causes them to steam or boil, resulting in bland flavor. It’s essential to cook aromatics before adding them into the slow cooker to get that deep onion and garlic flavor. You can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave, as I show you in this recipe.
You can skip the onions and garlic. I know I just said not to ignore the aromatics, but if you forgot to grab onions or garlic, then it’ll still be tasty if you leave them out. Instead, add two teaspoons of both onion powder and garlic powder to the seasoning mix.
Don’t skip the panade. It’s easy for ground beef to dry out in the slow cooker after cooking for an extended period. The bread and milk paste helps the meat stay tender and juicy. A panade is one of my secret weapons in many ground beef or turkey recipes like turkey meatballs, beef chili, and cheeseburger meatloaf.
Make the taco meat gluten-free. If you have a gluten intolerance or sensitivity, swap out the bread for gluten-free bread, breadcrumbs, or croutons.
Salt at the end. If you’ve made other healthy slow cooker recipes on my blog, then this isn’t the first time reading this tip. I think it’s one of the essential tips to follow with slow cooker recipes. Most recipes that you cook in the slow cooker will result in bland, muted flavors. Add salt at the end helps to bring the other flavors back to life.
Swap out the seasonings. You can use ¼ cup of homemade taco seasoning or two packets of store-bought taco seasoning in this recipe if you don’t have the other seasonings on hand.
You can also add more heat and a smokey flavor by using one teaspoon of adobo chili powder or a couple of tablespoons of chopped chipotle chilis in adobe sauce.
Add taco sauce or salsa to the meat. Instead of tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, and the seasonings, you can stir in 1-cup of taco sauce or your favorite salsa.
Swap out ground turkey 1:1 to reduce the fat. You might need to reduce the cooking time because the turkey is leaner and can dry out faster. Check out this crockpot turkey tacos recipe for more tips.
