These easy Ground Beef Naan Tacos start with charred naan and are topped with a quick veggie salad, robustly seasoned ground beef, and a simple herb sauce.
Ground Beef Naan Tacos
This past week Iโve been sharing super-simple dinner recipes in honor of school starting; I hope youโve enjoyed them! This 15-minute BBQ chicken sandwich recipe and these Mediterranean wraps have been lifesavers for us.
So, today I have another simple dinner recipe. Compared with the wrap and sandwich, this recipe takes a little bit longer, but itโs still only about 20-30 minutes tops. The sauce gets more flavorful as it sits, so you can save even more time if you make it ahead of time. This truly is a quick dinner recipe that is absolutely loaded with flavor!
I wasnโt really sure what to call this recipe. Itโs essentially a mash-up of some of our favorites โ warm, delicious naan, perfectly seasoned ground beef, and delicious raita (see quick tip). You can eat it as a naan-topped salad or fold it up and eat like a taco. However, youโd like it โ itโs sure to be a hit!
Quick Tip
Raita is an Indian condiment made from yogurt, a variety of vegetables (sometimes fruits), and herbs. I find it similar to Greek tzatziki which is a cucumber and yogurt dip or sauce. While my raita recipe isnโt necessarily authentic, itโs one of my favorite sauces and packed with flavor!
Raita tips
- Use a good, full-fat, plain Greek yogurt. Full-fat yogurt will add flavor and keep the sauce from getting watery. I love Greek Godโsยฎ plain traditional Greek yogurt for this recipe (not sponsored).
- Regular cucumbers donโt work well. They donโt have enough flavor and are too watery. Stick to an English cucumber or Persian cucumbers (Persian cucumbers are sometimes labeled as mini/salad cucumbers).
Naan
As good as the raita and seasoned beef is, the naan is one of my favorite parts of this recipe! My whole family is obsessed with naan, so itโs fun to โsneakโ it into different purposes (like using it as a crust for these Margherita pizzas or these fun Caesar salad pizzas).
Our favorite naan to use is Stonefireโsยฎ mini naan flatbreads (not sponsored). Their mini rounds also work well for Ground Beef Naan Tacos. And if you canโt find the mini versions, simply cut a full naan flatbread in half. Easy peasy!
Although these tacos are focused on being fast, one thing well worth the few extra minutes is charring the naan. In fact, itโs a great thing to work on while the beef is browning. Hereโs how to char naan:
- Spray both sides of the naan flatbread with olive oil cooking spray.
- Place the sprayed naan on the gas stove burner over the open flame until slightly charred, about 15-20 seconds per side.
- Using tongs, flip to the other side and char for another 15-20 seconds.
Donโt have a gas stovetop? No problem. Hereโs how to do it in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Stack the naan in a pile and completely wrap in foil. Heat in the oven until warm, about 5 minutes.
Ground Beef Naan Tacos shortcuts
- Make the raita ahead of time. While not necessarily a short-cut, raita benefits from being made in advance. Whip it up in the morning as youโre making breakfast and it will make dinner prep fly by. The raita isnโt too time consuming, but there is a bit of chopping involved.
- While youโre prepping the raita, you can also prep the seasoning blend. I add all the seasonings to a small bowl or plastic bag, and it makes the prep a cinch, come dinner time.
- Use pre-minced veggies. Many grocery stores sell pre-minced onions and garlic. If youโd like this to be 15-20-minute meal, use those! Even frozen diced onions/garlic will work.
- Choose pre-shredded iceberg lettuce. Buying bagged, shredded lettuce (as opposed to thinly slicing, washing, and drying a head of iceberg lettuce) will save loads of time.
More quick and easy recipes
- Chicken Ramenย with a quick sauce
- Chicken Saladย served on croissants
- Asian Chicken Tacosย with rotisserie chicken
- Ground Beef Stroganoffย over egg noodles
- Flavor-packedย Sloppy Joesย on brioche buns
Ground Beef Naan Tacos
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced, 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic 2โ3 cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons beef bouillon powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound lean ground beef 93/7
- 1/2 medium head iceberg lettuce very thinly sliced
- 1/4 thinly sliced red onion
- 8 to 12 mini naan plus cooking spray; I love Stonefire naan
- Serving suggestions see note 1
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt full-fat, I love Greek Gods
- 1/2 cup finely chopped English cucumber or Persian cucumber
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 teaspoons thinly sliced green onions
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructionsย
- Heat olive in a skillet and add the onion, stirring occasionally until golden, about 4โ5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and all the seasonings: salt, coriander, beef bouillon powder, cumin, paprika, and pepper. Stir until fragrant, about 1โ2 minutes. Push the seasoned onion aside and increase heat to high. Add ground beef to the middle. Let stand, undisturbed, for about 30 seconds to develop a seared crust. Then flip and let stand another 30 seconds. Continue to cook, crumbling the beef, until browned through, about 7โ9 more minutes. Remove from heat, taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as needed.
- Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl. Stir until combined, then refrigerate. Stir before adding to the naan.
- Slice the iceberg lettuce thinly. Wash and thoroughly dry (I use a salad spinner here). Set aside. Thinly slice the red onion.
- Lightly spray both sides of the naan with cooking spray. โGrillโ the naan on a gas stovetop over the open flame until slightly charred, about 10โ20 seconds per side (see note 2). Set aside.
- Place the warmed naan on plates. Top with a handful of the lettuce and red onions. Divide the meat evenly on each naan. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of the sauce, fresh lemon juice (I love lots!) and fresh herbs (I love cilantro and mint). If desired, add a sliced avocado. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made it! We had ground turkey and naan and trying to figure out what to make for a quick/painless/healthy dinner.
This was a big hit, Dinner approved by 3 relatively picky kids. We didnโt have cucumber, so used bell peppers. Ran out of naan for myself, but had a leftover baked potato- topped with the meat/sauceโฆ Soo good!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Liz! ๐
We had Naan and beef and searched, and this came up, so good! We didnโt have Greek yogurt so we used sour cream and watered it down. Still worked! Nice job, Iโm keeping this one!
Iโm so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Leah! ๐
I see lots of recipes on your site that Iโd like to try! I donโt see how to quickly pin them to Pinterest, can you help? Thanks!
Hey Sara! If you hover the mouse over the pictures a โpinโ icon will come up on the photo! Hope that helps!
Warmed naan on bbq in foil didnโt use cilantro I hate it lol and instead used tataziki instead of making sauce same thing on the side with a tomato cucumber feta salad
Sounds amazing!
This recipe is fantastic and I love how little time it takes to prep and cook. It will be a staple for sure.
Delicious and quick! Thank you Chelsea!
Glad youโve enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment ๐
This is absolutely delicious will definitely make it again.
Iโm so happy to hear this! Thanks Marlene! ๐
This one was a big hit with my family and super simple to make! Thanks for teaching me how to cook ๐
Delicious and comes together very easily!
So happy to hear that, thank you Eva! ๐