Friday, August 5, 2011

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Never again will I buy pre-packaged taco seasoning from the store, and after you try this homemade version, I doubt you ever will either.  Not only is this beyond easy (the only steps are measure, dump, mix, and it will take you all of 3 minutes to make...if you're slow), but it's also so much healthier and cheaper.  Speaking of healthier, have you ever looked at the ingredients on a packet of store-bought taco seasoning? 

Well here is the list of ingredients from one popular brand (that shall remain nameless...but spelled backwards is Agetro) that I recently spotted: 

Yellow Corn Flour, Salt, Maltodextrin, Paprika, Spices, Modified Corn Starch, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Citric Acid, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Natural Flavor, Caramel Color (sulfites).

I'm no registered dietitian, but I do know that I rarely find many of those ingredients in my pantry.  I do, on the other hand, have a spice rack already full of the stuff needed to make this homemade taco seasoning below!  And if you're anything like me, I would much prefer to eat what's already in my spice rack than what's on that ingredient list above.  It's pretty much a no-brainer. 

I mean, really, autolyzed yeast extract?  Did you know that's just a less expensive substitute for MSG  and raises similar concerns?  Thanks, but no thanks.  I'll stick to my spice rack.

Oh, and did I mention the best benefit?  This recipe costs a fraction of the store-bought variety and you can even make it ahead of time and store it in an air-tight container (or an empty spice jar as I did) so you will always have it on hand when you need it!  Need I say more?  Now go make it!

I recently did (for the second time), and I used it in this Crock Pot Chicken Taco Soup with excellent results.

Homemade Taco Seasoning
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Ingredients

2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Directions

1.  Measure all spices into a small bowl and mix well.  Store in an air-tight container until ready to use. 

Yield:  4 Tablespoons (approx 2 oz.)

Notes:  Approximately 2.5 - 3 Tablespoons = one packet

Source: Slightly adapted from Allrecipes.

2 comments:

  1. Just made some Tacos so this is something I will try on my next time round. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hardly ever buy taco seasoning at the store (I'll have to admit that my fiance sneakily puts it in the cart sometimes because he doesn't want to fuss with mixing ingredients we already have) - and this version sounds top notch =)

    ReplyDelete

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