Pineapple Chipotle Beef Tacos
It’s Tuesday and you know what that means! TACOS! And even if it isn’t actually Tuesday, is there ever a bad day for tacos? (Rhetorical question, of course not). This recipe is a fun one because these flavors just belong together. The smokiness of the peppers and adobo sauce with the sharp, sweet taste of the pineapple that matches perfectly with the salty tang from the feta cheese. Oh, my mouth is watering! Wrap all this up in a warm tortilla!? My best dreams are when I’m wrapped in a warm tortilla! And if you’ve been reading along with me so far, you know that what makes a good dish great (IMO) is if it can be put on the table in like 30 minutes. These tacos for sure check that box. This is actually one of my go-to meals when I know it’s going to be a busy evening and dinner has to be quick. Serve this up for your family, friends, or even a total stranger and they’ll never know it only took you 30 min to pull together. It’s that good.
After you’ve gathered all your ingredients and supplies, start by dicing half an onion. To cut my onions quickly and with less tears, I start by removing the outer layer and cutting the ends off to create a flat surface to work with. Then I make several cuts all one direction across the onion, without cutting all the way through. Then I turn the onion 90 degrees and repeat the process. You’ll end up with a grid of cuts. Then I tip the onion on the side, stabling it carefully with one hand, and slice it all the way through. The result is a uniformly shaped, diced onion. You can adjust your cuts to change the size of the chopped product. This works for me every time and makes chopping onions so fast and therefore less tears.
Next, take your chopped onion and add it to a frying pan with the ground beef and one to two cloves of minced garlic. Add a pinch of salt and pepper while browning the meat. Once the meat is completely browned, dump in one can of your favorite red enchilada sauce or 10 oz of a homemade enchilada sauce. The not-so-secret ingredient is the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. These puppies add some major flavor. The peppers are slightly spicy, about the same spice level as jalapenos, but the sauce is a smooth, smoky flavor. Usually, a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce yields more than a recipe will call for. So, I will use what I need and then freeze the rest to use for future dishes. Add the peppers and a little adobo sauce to the beef mixture with a cup of freshly chopped pineapple. Bring this to a low simmer for 5-6 minutes until the meat is completely cooked through and the flavors come together. Mix well and that’s it! Your taco stuffing is ready to go! Told you it was quick.
To serve, place a couple corn tortillas under the broiler to warm (keep a close eye on these so as not to burn; just saying from personal experience). Mash up 1-2 avocados with lime juice and salt to taste. Smear the avocado on your tortillas. Add some of the beef mixture and top with cilantro, more pineapple, and feta cheese. Serve with chips and salsa or guacamole to finish it off.
Trust me, you won’t want to wait until Tuesday to make these. Enjoy!
