30-Minute Ground Beef Fajita Bowl

Life gets busy sometimes! This recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight when dinner needs to get on the table quickly. Traditional beef fajita recipes are made with skirt steak or flank steak, which is marinated for hours to allow the meat to tenderize. That's all well and good, but on a busy night there's no time for such preparations.

This recipe for 30-Minute Ground Beef Fajita Bowls starts with searing the onion and bell pepper to develop some of the characteristic charring that makes fajita veggies so tasty. Then, in the same skillet, ground beef is combined with fajita-inspired spices and seasonings such as cumin, oregano, and lime juice. The result is a delicious one-skillet, fajita-flavored meal that can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.

30-Minute Ground Beef Fajita Bowl

Serves 4-5

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 23-25 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

• 2 Tb butter, preferably nutrient-dense yellow butter

• 1 large yellow or white onion

• 1 red bell pepper

• 3 Tb filtered water

• 1 pound ground beef, preferably grassfed

• 1&1/2 tsp celtic sea salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1&1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried oregano)

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1/2 of a lime

• shredded cheese, tomato, avocado, sour cream, and/or lettuce, to garnish
  

1. Chop the onion. Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over high heat. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt. Allow to sear, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

2. In the meantime, chop the bell pepper, making sure to discard the seedy inside.

3. Add the bell pepper to the skillet with the onion. Turn the heat to medium-high if your skillet is getting very hot. Cook the bell pepper and onion 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and allowing a bit of charring to develop.

4. Add 3 Tb filtered water to the skillet. This will speed up the cooking process and allow the onion and bell pepper to soften quickly. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and allowing all of the water to cook off.

5. In the meantime, start to prepare the garnishes. Chop the tomato and lettuce, shred the cheese, and prepare the avocado. I prefer to serve the garnishes separately from the fajita meat so that each person can add as much as desired to their fajita bowl.

6. Crumble the ground beef into the skillet. A bamboo spatula works well to chop the beef in the skillet into small bits. Season the beef mixture with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp dried oregano (if using). Brown the ground beef, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes. Do not drain off the healthy, delicious fat from the beef.

7. If using fresh oregano, remove the leaves from the stalks and mince finely. Add the oregano to the skillet as soon as it's ready.

8. While the beef cooks, finish preparing the garnishes. Then mince the garlic finely.

9. Once the ground beef is browned, add the garlic to the skillet and stir it in. Cook for about a minute, just until the garlic is fragrant.

10. Turn off heat. Squeeze the lime half over the skillet, and stir everything together.

11. Spoon the fajita meat into bowls and serve alongside the garnishes. This recipe makes a complete meal in a bowl. If desired, tortillas or tortilla chips can be served with the meal.

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