There is only one problem with tacos: a lot of cleaning up. You have a bowl for the guacamole, one for salsa and another for cabbage slaw. You’ve got a pan full of onions and corn all over the floor. But nutritionist, chef and founder of The Brown Paper Bag, Jacqueline Alwill has a solution: her one bowl taco.
The recipe came to her almost by mistake, in a quest for a last-minute meal. “I found some mince in the freezer, whacked it in the pan with capsicum, onion, cumin and paprika to make a tasty beef mix and then popped it all together in a bowl with a quick salsa and toasty corn. It took less than 15 minutes to cook!” she said.
She makes it sound amateur but it’s anything but. It’s simple to make but complex in flavour. Save the store-bought seasoning and try this out instead.
Beef Taco Bowl Recipe
Serves 2
GF | DF | SF
Ingredients
Beef chilli
300g beef mince
1 tablespoon coconut or olive oil
1 small brown onion, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 red capsicum, seed removed, chopped
100g cooked black or red kidney beans
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Salsa
200g tomatoes, we used baby heirloom, cut into chunks
1/4 small spanish onion, peeled and finely diced
1/4 cup coriander leaves, picked, stems finely chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves, finely sliced
Juice of half a lime
Tabasco sauce
sea salt and black pepper
Taco add ons
2 cobs corn, kernels removed
1/2 teaspoons smoky or sweet paprika
1 small avocado
1 cup red cabbage, finely sliced
1 teaspoon apple cider /balsamic vinegar
1/2 lime, cut into 2 wedges
2 handfuls corn chips
Method
To make the beef:
Heat a fry pan on medium heat and add oil, onion, garlic, red capsicum and mince. Cook for 5 minutes, breaking up the beef so it browns easily. Add black/red kidney beans, cumin, sweet paprika and a pinch of salt and cook for a further 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover to keep warm and set aside.
To make the salsa:
While the beef is cooking, toss all ingredients together in a bowl, add Tabasco to taste and set aside.
To make the corn:
Wipe the pan clean, place back on heat and increase heat to high. Drizzle with enough coconut oil to coat the pan lightly, then add corn kernels and paprika (sweet or smoky is fine, but smoky creates a really great flavour) and cook for 2 minutes. It should be lightly cooked but golden in colour too.
To assemble the taco bowl:
Arrange the ingredients around the bowl and finish by placing half an avocado sprinkled with paprika on top. Squeeze with lime and eat.
