Leftover Steak Tacos

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Learn how to make steak tacos from leftover meat (and sneak in some veggies!)! As a bonus, you also get my DIY taco spice mix recipe!

You should know by now that tacos are a big deal in the Kelley house. Andy taught me how his family makes homemade fried tacos when we were first married, and since then I’ve had fun coming up with various taco filling recipes. Today I’m sharing one of my favorites, leftover steak tacos!

And I’m also sharing how I incorporate zucchini into these steak tacos – something you can do too! Hopefully, by the end of this post you’ll know how to make leftover steak tacos, ideas on how to use up zucchini in your families favorite meals, AND a little bonus of my super easy DIY taco spice mix recipe. {I love homemade mixes, remember?!}

I used leftover beef I had from making steaks, but you can use ground beef, leftover pot roast, or cook up almost any cut of meat you’d like when making beef tacos from scratch. Whatever you use, I recommend keeping the filling pieces chopped pretty small so they fit better in the 6-inch tortillas and don’t break the tortilla as it’s frying.

Or you can just buy taco shells – no food judgment here! But if you are interested in having an exalted taco-eating experience, check out this post to learn how to fry your own. My life was forever changed when I met Andy, and part of that was because of homemade fried tacos. Ha!

But seriously.

I’m talking about zucchini in this post because this week is zucchini week here on the blog and tacos are one of the easiest recipes to customize, changeup, and include new ingredients in. I rarely make beef tacos from scratch the same way twice.

I always try to include a veggie in the beef mix, and this time of year its zucchini! Any other mild flavored vegetable will go great in beef tacos, the beef and the seasonings have bold flavors so slipping some mild-flavored veggies in there shouldn’t bother anyone. Andy can be a pretty picky eater and he doesn’t mind the zucchini in the beef tacos. Try it!

Some of my other favorites to include are peppers, carrots {these work best if they are leftover from another meal and already softened}, and any type of squash. I usually mince them up finely so they don’t take away from the texture of the filling, and also because I feed a lot of picky eaters. But that’s totally up to your personal preference!

The great thing about zucchini is it’s really mild, it cooks down well, and you hardly notice it in a recipe if it’s shredded up. Most of the time when I’m incorporating zucchini into a family favorite dish, I’m using shredded zucchini because that’s how I store it. What are your favorite ways to use up leftover zucchini?

I also make my own taco spice mix. In the recipe below, I just list out the amount of spice used in one recipe. Click here for the recipe if you’d like to make a larger batch of homemade taco seasoning! I hope you like these leftover steak tacos – it is the best way to use leftover meat!!

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Leftover Steak Tacos

Learn how to make steak tacos from leftover meat (and sneak in some veggies!)! As a bonus, you also get my DIY taco spice mix recipe!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword beef taco filling recipe, leftover steak tacos, steak tacos

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 282 kcal

Author Longbourn Farm • Alli Kelley

Ingredients

• 3 cups steak (cooked, leftover) chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup zucchini diced or shredded
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup beef broth water can be substituted
• salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Add oil to the pan and let it heat until shimmering.
2. Cook onion and zucchini until just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the cooked steak and stir until combined and heated through about 3 minutes. 

4. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Add the spices, stir to coat meat and vegetables. Cook for about 1 minute.
6. Add tomato paste and beef broth stir to combine and simmer until reduced and very little liquid remains about 3 minutes.
7. Fill taco shells of your choice, or fry up your own tacos!

Recipe Notes

You can use whatever leftover cooked meat you have. Steak, roast, anything you have. Whatever you use, I recommend keeping the filling pieces chopped pretty small so they fit well in the tortilla shells and everything in the filling is a uniform size.

I always try to include a veggie in the beef mix, and this time of year it's zucchini. Any other mild flavored vegetable will go great in beef tacos, the beef and the seasonings have bold flavors so slipping some mild flavored veggies in there shouldn't bother anyone.

I actually make a large batch of the spices in this recipe so I can have homemade taco spice mix on hand. I add about 3 tablespoons of the taco spice mix per pound of meat, but taste test to your preference. Here is the spice mix recipe for a larger batch:  Homemade Taco Seasoning

Nutrition Facts

Leftover Steak Tacos

Amount Per Serving

Calories 282 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 18g 28%

Saturated Fat 9g 45%

Cholesterol 68mg 23%

Sodium 201mg 8%

Potassium 479mg 14%

Total Carbohydrates 5g 2%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 1g

Protein 24g 48%

Vitamin A 17.8%

Vitamin C 7.2%

Calcium 3.4%

Iron 16.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.