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Looking for a quick, easy and satisfying dinner idea? Try these sizzling ground beef fajitas – from stovetop to table in just 30 minutes!
What Are Ground Beef Fajitas
Ground beef fajitas are a cross between a fajita and a ground beef taco. Made with ground beef seasoned with a delicious homemade fajita seasoning and tender crisp fajita veggies, served with warm tortillas and all your favorite toppings.
Although fajitas are typically made with strips of chicken or beef, there are all kinds of other versions out there like vegetarian fajitas, shrimp fajitas and more. So why not ground beef?! Sure it’s not too common but it’s super convenient especially if you always have ground beef in the freezer like I do. So give this easy and delicious fajita recipe with ground beef a try!
Here’s Why You’ll Love Them
- Easy weeknight dinner: This 30 minute meal is perfect for weeknights. No marinating required either for these fajitas! And with some advance meal prep, it can be on the table in even less time.
- One-pan recipe: That means less dishes!
- Crowd pleaser: This is a fun meal for casual entertaining or Cinco de Mayo as well.
- Budget friendly: Substituting chicken or steak in your fajitas for ground beef is a delicious alternative that your wallet will thank you for too!
Ingredients You’ll Need
You will need the following ingredients to make these ground beef fajitas…
- Ground Beef: I prefer to use lean ground beef.
- Fajita Seasoning: I like to use my homemade fajita seasoning. It makes the perfect amount for this recipe although I tend to make a bigger batch to always have on hand in my spice drawer. You can also use store bought fajita seasoning instead.
- Avocado Oil: For sautéing the veggies, I like to use avocado oil since it is a healthy oil with a neutral taste and high smoke point.
- Bell Peppers: You can use any color bell peppers you like. I like to use a mix of colors (1 green, 1 red and 1 yellow or orange).
- Onion: You can use white, yellow or red onion.
- Dried Oregano, Salt & Pepper: To season the fajita veggies with.
- Lime: The juice of half a lime. A squeeze of fresh lime juice adds a bright, fresh pop of flavor.
- Tortillas: I prefer soft flour tortillas but corn tortillas are also an option.
- Toppings: Serve with your favorite toppings! Some ideas include: salsa or pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped green onions, sliced avocado, jalapenos, hot sauce, lime wedges to squeeze over top, chopped cilantro, etc.
Detailed ingredient list and directions located in the recipe card below.
How To Make Ground Beef Fajitas
These ground beef fajitas are quick and easy to make. Let’s make some!
Step 1: Cook ground beef
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula. Drain off any excess fat. Sprinkle over the fajita seasoning, stir together and cook for another minute or two. Remove the ground beef from the skillet and set aside.
Step 2: Sauté fajita veggies
In the same skillet over high heat, add the avocado oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the sliced bell peppers and onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally until veggies are tender crisp and slightly charred in spots. This will take about 5 minutes (or longer if you prefer softer veggies). When the veggies are almost done cooking, stir through the dried oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3: Add back ground beef
Turn down the heat to medium and add the seasoned ground beef back to the skillet. Gently toss together with the veggies or leave apart on opposite sides of the skillet. Squeeze over the fresh lime juice (optional).
Step 4: Serve and enjoy
Serve immediately with warm tortillas and your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Possible Variations
- Replace ground beef: Substitute ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Make a rice bowl: Serve the ground beef fajita mixture over rice with your favorite toppings.
- Make a salad: Turn it into a salad or nourish bowl by serving the mixture with some leafy greens and your favorite toppings.
- Make it vegetarian: Use a vegetarian ground meat substitute.
- Make it spicy: Add more cayenne pepper to the fajita seasoning or serve with hot sauce, jalapenos or a spicy salsa.
Meal Prep Tips
Speed things up at dinner time with a few minutes of advance prep work. Perfect for busy weeknights when you need dinner to come together fast.
- Slice the veggies up ahead of time and store in the fridge.
- If using homemade fajita seasoning, mix together in advance. I like to prepare a big batch and store it in a jar so that it is ready to use.
- You can even brown the ground beef in advance and store in the fridge.
When you are ready to make dinner, all the prep work is done and you can just quickly cook or reheat the seasoned ground beef, sauté the pre-sliced veggies and serve with tortillas and toppings.
Storage & Reheating
Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container and quickly reheated in a skillet before serving.
A Few Questions Answered
For a quick weeknight dinner, I usually serve these fajitas as the complete meal. For entertaining or to stretch out the meal more, you can also serve a few sides with them. Here are 30+ amazing side dishes for fajitas to choose from!
There are so many topping options for fajitas! Choose your favorites. Some ideas include: salsa or pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced avocado, chopped green onions, jalapenos, hot sauce, squeeze of lime juice, chopped cilantro, etc.
Definitely! Just thaw it first before cooking it.
More Tex-Mex Recipes To Try
- Steak Nachos
- Chicken Fajita Tacos
- Halloumi Fajitas
- Cheesy Shredded Chicken Enchiladas
- Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce (or try this vegan plant-based version)
- Don’t forget the margaritas! Your Tex-Mex favorites will pair well with these Passion Fruit Margaritas or these Triple Citrus Frozen Margaritas.
Did you make these Ground Beef Fajitas? I would love to hear about it! Leave me a comment below.
Ground Beef Fajitas
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 30 min
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish, Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex, Mexican
Description
Looking for a quick, easy and satisfying dinner idea? Try these sizzling ground beef fajitas – from stovetop to table in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (454 grams)
- 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 3 bell peppers, sliced into strips (I like to use a variety of colors)
- 1 large onion (any color), halved and sliced into strips
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- juice of 1/2 lime (optional)
To serve:
- soft tortillas, warmed up
- toppings of your choice (e.g. salsa or pico de gallo, guacamole, shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced avocado, chopped green onions or cilantro, jalapenos, hot sauce, etc.)
Instructions
- Cook ground beef: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula. Drain off any excess fat. Sprinkle over the fajita seasoning, stir together and cook for another minute or two. Remove the ground beef from the skillet and set aside.
- Make fajita veggies: In the same skillet over high heat, add the avocado oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the sliced bell peppers and onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally until veggies are tender crisp and slightly charred in spots. This will take about 5 minutes (or longer if you prefer softer veggies). When the veggies are almost done cooking, stir through the dried oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine: Turn down the heat to medium and add the seasoned ground beef back to the skillet. Gently toss together with the veggies or leave apart on opposite sides of skillet. Squeeze over the fresh lime juice (optional).
- Serve: Serve immediately with warm tortillas (or over rice) and your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- I like to use this homemade fajita seasoning. I make a big batch and store in a jar so it is ready to use.
- Prep ahead tip: Speed things up at dinner time by pre-slicing the veggies and mixing together the fajita seasoning in advance. You could also cook the seasoned ground beef ahead of time too. Once ready to make dinner, you can just quickly cook or reheat the seasoned ground beef, sauté the pre-sliced veggies and serve with tortillas and toppings.
- Storing leftovers: Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container and quickly reheat in a skillet before serving.
⬇ PIN it for later! ⬇
I’m always looking for more ground beef recipes and this one was a hit with the entire family! It’s definitely going on the ‘make again’ list.
I’m so happy to hear that!
I had lots of leftover ground beef that I didn’t know what to do with them. This recipe is wonderful and my kids loved it.
These sizzling ground beef fajitas sound like the perfect weeknight dinner solution for those nights when you want something delicious and satisfying, but don’t have a lot of time to spare in the kitchen. Can’t wait to give this recipe a try!!!
I love this! So simple, and the kids will love that it’s not hot or too spiced charged like most fajitas/tacos fillings. I have avocado oil, never know where and how to use this one! Glad I can try it out now! Thanks!
We made these fajitas for dinner last night and they were incredible! Thanks so much for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
We are Mexican food lovers. This will be great in our rotation on themed dinner night.
Fajitas are my favorite! Can’t wait to try your recipe – it looks much better than the one I have been using 😉
I’ve been looking for a new idea for minced beef and this is perfect. Quick and so delicious too.
It’s a great recipe! It’s the first time we made fajitas with ground meat, but it really worked. So easy to make and it was a lot cheaper than using a prime cut of steak! Thanks – will definitely make them again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Using ground beef definitely makes these fajitas more budget friendly but still super delicious!