Easy Carne Asada Tacos
If you’re craving carne asada tacos, look no further than this easy recipe for carne asada. The meat is tender, juicy, full of authentic flavor, and finger-licking good. I served the carne asada in Ortega® Whole Wheat Tortillas that I lightly charred in a couple of seconds each over my indoor gas stove burner. Optional but a nice touch. The tortillas are perfect for tacos, burritos, fajitas, wraps, and quesadillas. In addition to pico de gallo, I topped the tacos with a 30-second homemade blender salsa made with Ortega® Hot Diced Jalapeños, cilantro, and lime juice. You can substitute the jalapeños with Ortega® Diced Green Chiles if you prefer. The salsa has plenty of kick, which we love. A little dab will do you. Extra salsa is great with tortilla chips.
Other salsa serving suggestions include Ortega® Mild Taco Sauce, Ortega® Flavor Craver Chipotle Taco Sauce, or Ortega® Flavor Craver Taco Ranch Taco Sauce. These taco sauces come in three delicious flavors — Taco Ranch, Jalapeño Lime and Chipotle — and offer a bold and creamy twist to any dish and complement an array of meal occasions including tacos, taco salads, dips and burgers. For more than 100 years, Ortega has been committed to family mealtime by providing a wide range of authentic, high-quality products to make Mexican meals at home including salsas, dips, and refried beans. Not to mention America’s #1 Taco Sauce and Diced Green Chiles. If you’re feeling like some extra lime flavor, serve the tacos with lime wedges and of course, avocado is always welcome. Taco Tuesday will never go out of style, but with this easy carne asada recipe you can whip up these tacos even on busy weeknights. Now that the school season is upon us, getting delicious food on the table without hassle or fuss is the name of the game.
What’s in Carne Asada Tacos?
To make the carne asada marinade, tacos, and optional blender salsa, you’ll need:
Flank or skirt steak Ortega® Taco Seasoning Mix Lime juice Olive oil Ortega® Whole Wheat Tortillas Fresh cilantro Ortega® Hot Diced Jalapeños Salt Granulated sugar Taco toppings of choice
How to Make Carne Asada Tacos
Marinate the steak in lime juice, olive oil, and one packet of Ortega® Taco Seasoning Mix. Taco seasoning works perfectly as a shortcut since traditional steak taco seasoning would include cumin, garlic powder, and oregano, which is all found in taco seasoning. Ortega offers high quality, great tasting Mexican food products designed to create an eating experience the whole family can enjoy together. Ortega transforms the ordinary meal into a festive, fun, and memorable occasion. Allow the steak to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to 8 hours, before grilling it. I used my outdoor grill but you can use an indoor grill pan or even cook it in a cast iron skillet if that’s what you have. Make sure to allow the meat to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing it so the natural juices stay in the meat and not on your cutting board. You can marinate the meat before work (longer marination) or if all you have is 30 minutes before grilling, that’s fine. Since the meat is so thin, it grills in minutes. While the meat rests, whip up the blender salsa like I do or use one of Ortega’s handy and flavorful sauces and dinner is served.
What’s the Best Meat for Carne Asada Tacos?
You’ll want to use flank or skirt steak. Your grocery store may even label the beef as ‘carne asada steak.’ Flank steak, which is what I used, is best cooked medium-rare while skirt steak can be cooked more well done.
Can I Prep Mexican Steak Tacos in Advance?
Yes! The steak can rest in the easy carne asada marinade up to 8 hours. You can prep the meat before heading to work and quickly assemble the grilled steak tacos when you get home.
Tips for the Best Carne Asada Tacos
Don’t let the steak rest in the marinade for longer than 8 hours. Because the carne asada marinade contains lime juice (an acid), it will begin breaking down the meat too much after 8 hours and you’d wind up with tough grilled steak tacos. When making the salsa, add a pinch of salt and / or sugar to balance out the flavors, if needed. For spicier Mexican steak tacos, use a spicy taco seasoning.
More Easy Mexican Recipes:
Layered Beef Taco Dip – A FAST and EASY layered dip with taco-seasoned cream cheese, sour cream, ground beef, black beans, cheese, tomatoes, and more!! Perfect for your next FIESTA and a guaranteed WINNER with everyone!! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Cheesy Beef Taco Dip – EASY, ready in 15 minutes, and tastes like an awesome beef taco that’s extra CHEESY in dip form and so good!! The Bakeable Tortilla Bowls are so fun! PERFECT for game day parties and get-togethers!!
Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef – Learn how to make authentic-tasting barbacoa beef in your Instant Pot or slow cooker!! EASY, tastes BETTER than a restaurant, and is a dinnertime WINNER!!
Easy Chicken Tinga Tacos — FAST, super easy, and the super juicy chicken has AUTHENTIC smoky chipotle FLAVOR!! When you’re craving tacos, these are the tacos to make!
Taco-Stuffed Avocados — Like avocados? Then you are going to LOVE these taco STUFFED avocados with ground beef, CHEESE, and more!! EASY, ready in 15 minutes, a family favorite, and perfect for busy weeknights!!
15-Minute Cheesy Chicken Taco Skillet — Craving tacos minus all the empty carbs? This EASY taco skillet without tortillas is PERFECT!! Fast, EASY, loaded with awesome Mexican-inspired flavors and it’s super CHEESY!!
Beef Taco Pie — In this taco pie, a crescent roll crust is topped with a mixture of crushed tortilla chips, ground beef, tomatoes, sour cream, and loads of glorious cheese! It’s the ultimate Mexican comfort food!
Tacos Al Pastor — Learn to make this staple Mexican recipe that includes thinly sliced pieces of pork marinated in a tangy, sweet pineapple sauce AT HOME!
Post is brought to you by Ortega®. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.
