What makes a taco a taco is a small, round tortilla — made of either corn or flour — that is typically served fresh off the comal (griddle pan), reheated over an open flame from a gas stove, or in a pan with a touch of oil. The fillings can really be anything, from traditional carnitas and tongue, to Tex-Mex ground beef and cheese, to vegan potato and kale. Make cooking already cheap tacos even cheaper by repurposing leftovers such as cooked meats and roasted veggies into fillings by adding canned chipotles or jalapeños and flavorful salsas. Here are 30 taco filling ideas to get the creative juices flowing.
Related: 23 Traditional Hispanic Foods Most Americans Don’t Know About (But Should)
1. Chicken Tinga
This crowd-pleasing smoky chicken filling uses ultra-cheap bone-in chicken thighs for an extra-juicy and tender final product. Buy a larger can of chipotles in adobo sauce and refrigerate the leftovers in a glass jar for extra savings.
Recipe: Serious Eats
Related: 50 Cheap and Easy Chicken Recipes
2. Ground Beef
Ground beef is a Tex-Mex filling often served with cheese on top. While not traditional, it is tasty and loved by even hardcore taco purists. This recipe uses a few simple spices rather than a spice packet, which can add considerable cost to larger batches.
Recipe: Food.com
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3. Slow Cooker Pork
Shredded pork is an easy taco filling that takes very little hands-on prep and is made from a cheap cut of meat. Leave the pork plain or throw inexpensive dried chilies and herbs into the slow cooker to give it a signature flavor.
Recipe: Food Network
4. Roasted Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a meaty but vegan alternative to meat-based tacos that provide a ton of flavor and protein-rich nutrition. This super-easy, quick recipe uses inexpensive cremini mushrooms. Sliced mushrooms? Just cut the cooking time in half.
Recipe: Food Network
Related: 30 Vegetable Recipes for People Who Hate Vegetables
5. Carnitas
Arguably one of the best taco fillings of all time — if not the best — carnitas is made from inexpensive pork shoulder. The key is getting the texture right and striking the balance between juicy tender meat and some crisp crunchy bits. This recipe’s method works every time.
Recipe: Serious Eats
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6. Cilantro Lime Chicken
Pungent cilantro- and lime-infused chicken makes a quick and easy taco filling that is a step up from using basic roasted chicken. This recipe is especially good for saving money on toppings, since the flavor is built in.
Recipe: Delish
7. Fish
Fish tacos are super simple to make; using inexpensive fish such as tilapia makes them affordable. Oven baking or broiling the fish delivers a texture similar to grilling without having to worry about losing some of the fish to the grill.
Recipe: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
8. Chicken Fingers
Fried chicken and tacos combine into a dangerously indulgent and addictive treat. Pan-fried chicken strips make an easy filling that can be dressed with just about any toppings for a guaranteed hit every time.
Recipe: Taste of Home
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9. Skirt Steak
Keep steak tacos affordable by using cheaper cuts of meat cooked properly. Skirt steak can be marinated for extra flavor and cooked quickly to remain juicy and tender for tacos.
Recipe: The Art of Manliness
10. Spicy Shrimp
Shrimp tacos can be made inexpensive by starting with frozen shrimp — which generally come deveined, lightening prep work as well as overall cost. Paired with a tangy slaw, piquant shrimp offer the flavor of coastal Mexico in each bite.
Recipe: Pinch of Yum
11. Eggs
Eggs can be enjoyed any time of day, which remains true when they are the star of tacos as well. Simple scrambled eggs become a quick taco filling that can be topped with any condiment to suit the context.
Recipe: The Kitchn
12. Chorizo Con Papa
Mexican chorizo gets its punchy flavor from lots of paprika, oregano, and vinegar. This traditional filling makes a little go a long way by pairing with low-cost potatoes. The result is a filling with many textures and layers of flavor.
Recipe: Leite’s Culinaria
13. Rajas Con Queso
Poblano peppers are between mild and hot, and when paired with creamy cheese and sweet corn make layers of flavor that hit all the right flavor notes. If poblanos can’t be found, substitute a mix of green bell and jalapeño peppers.
Recipe: Mexican Food Journal
14. Spicy Pork
Carne Enchilada, a spicy marinated pork dish, is a traditional taco filling all over Mexico. Adjust the level of heat by adding or subtracting chili powders in the recipe. You could also try this with chicken, though it has a tendency to be drier.
Recipe: Food Network
Related: 55 Big-Batch Meals That Will Last for a Week
15. Soy Al Pastor
Al pastor tacos are typically made with pork marinated in a mild chili sauce and served with pineapple chunks. The bold flavor that makes these tacos so distinct can be recreated with soy protein to be vegan-friendly and even cheaper than the original.
Recipe: Allrecipes
16. Nopales
Cheap, tasty, and healthy cactus paddles should be used more often in everyday cooking. Tacos are a good place to start. Find paddles at Mexican grocery stores. The spike-on paddles aren’t much cheaper the ones with spikes already removed, so go for the ready-to-use variety.
Recipe: Frontera
17. Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes are cheap and healthy, and can be prepared to work perfectly in tacos. Their natural earthy sweetness works especially well with fiery hot salsas, offering a balance of flavors. This recipe roasts chunks of sweet potato for a combination of soft and crunchy textures.
Recipe: Cookie + Kate
18. Barbacoa
Real barbacoa is a whole animal cooked in an underground pit for many many hours; a dialed-down version can be made at home for way less than the cost of a trip to Mexico. The gamey flavor of lamb works best, though many people substitute beef.
Recipe: Frontera
Related: 21 Delicious and Inexpensive Mexican Dishes
19. Cumin Pork
Tacos Árabes are a specialty of Puebla, with origins from the influx of immigrants from the Middle East. Traditionally served in wheat-based pita or flatbreads, the cumin-spiced pork offers a flavor that blends two rich culinary traditions.
Recipe: Serious Eats
20. Chicharrón en Salsa Verde
This dish has its roots in peasant food, and like many foods of humble origins, is delicious. Chicharrones, or pork cracklings, are cheap, as is a homemade salsa verde. The result is more than the sum of its parts, and one of the most traditional ways to enjoy tacos.
Recipe: Food Network
Related: Fresh Salsa and More Easy-to-Make Foods to Stop Buying at the Store
21. Korean Beef
The original fusion taco — or at least the one that stole the hearts of foodies everywhere thanks to chef Roy Choi’s Kogi food trucks in Los Angeles — the bulgogi taco is easy to make for way less than even taco truck prices. Short rib and tri-tip, the recommended cuts for this recipe, are relatively inexpensive to begin with.
Recipe: Food Network
22. Lengua
Tongue is an underappreciated meat, and one of the most traditional taco fillings. It also happens to be cheap. The key is to cook the tongue long enough in a flavorful liquid so it becomes tender and infused with other flavors.
Recipe: Simply Recipes
23. Chipotle Tofu
Tofu, much like chicken, can take on almost any flavor for use as a scrumptious taco filling. This easy chipotle version stays soft in the middle with some crispy outer bits that resembles traditional meat mixes.
Recipe: Serious Eats
24. Spiced Lentils
Lentils work a lot like textured vegetable protein or ground beef, taking on customized seasoning well and creating a meaty character. Using spices rather than a seasoning packet to create a flavor profile yields a more focused flavor with less sodium and lower cost.
Recipe: It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
25. Broccoli
Roasting broccoli on high heat allows it to get tender with crispy caramelized bits that are full of big flavor. These veggie tacos are cheap to make, delicious, and light to eat, and are one of the most satisfying ways to work green vegetables into an indulgent meal.
Recipe: Vegicano
26. Fried Avocado
This veggie approach is gaining popularity in taco shops across the country for its rich flavor and mix of crunchy and creamy. Avocados can cost a few dollars each, but this method allows cooks to get multiple tacos out of each.
Recipe: Epicurious
27. Raw Taco ‘Meat’
When flavored like meat, the combination of nuts or seeds with sundried tomatoes resembles it a surprising degree. Even when using organic base ingredients, the cost of this macrobiotic dish is no pricier than using the more common meats.
Recipe: Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen
28. Ground Chicken
Using ground chicken (turkey could also be used) rather than ground beef lowers costs, saturated fat, and cholesterol. The flavorings and cooking method work similarly to ground beef.
Recipe: Once Upon a Chef
29. Nutella and Strawberries
Tacos can even be dessert (with a shell recipe adapted from homemade ice cream cones). Pair inexpensive seasonal or frozen fruit with simple condiments such as Nutella or whipped cream for a fun, if a bit messy, dessert that’s a little out of the ordinary.
Recipe: Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking Find more fun food stories from Cheapism right here.
