Taco Tuesday has become popular for a reason. Tacos are quick, easy, delicious and kid-friendly. With so many possible taco variations, you’re sure to find a taco recipe everyone will love — no matter how picky your family members are.
Check out the main ingredients you’ll need to turn your Taco Tuesday ideas into a reality, along with a few Taco Tuesday recipe ideas for when you want something beyond the usual ground beef tacos. Consider this your ultimate guide to making Taco Tuesday the best night of the week every week.
Main Ingredients You’ll Need for Taco Tuesday
A few basic ingredients go into a successful Taco Tuesday. Keeping these ingredients on hand can help you pull together a last-minute Taco Tuesday feast with ease. Because this meal falls on a weeknight, you may want to save time by chopping some ingredients and meal prepping over the weekend. Here are the essentials to stock up on:
- Tortillas: As the foundation of your taco, the tortilla is a key Taco Tuesday ingredient. Whether your family prefers corn, flour, soft or hard tortilla shells, you’ll need to have enough on hand each week.
- Protein: Cooking up some taco meat beforehand can save you time on a busy weeknight. Although ground beef is a classic taco filling, you can spice up your Taco Tuesday by using Italian sausage, chicken, chorizo, carnitas, shrimp, fish or even lentils for a vegetarian option.
- Cheese: Buying pre-shredded cheese will save you from having to grate a block yourself on a hectic Tuesday night. A Mexican cheese blend typically goes well with tacos. You can also go more authentic by picking up some cotija, a Mexican Parmesan-like cheese.
- Taco toppings: While the toppings you need for each Taco Tuesday will vary depending on what style of tacos you’re making, there are a few taco topping staples to always have on hand. Make sure you keep salsa, chopped onion, shredded lettuce and sour cream in your fridge at all times.
Once you’ve got those taco basics prepped, consider additional toppings and sides to include for extra pizazz:
- Spanish rice: Rice is great to have as a side or tortilla substitute for those who prefer taco bowls.
- Cilantro: As a slightly spicy herb, cilantro is the perfect ingredient to add some freshness to your tacos. Other taco seasonings to keep stocked include cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.
- Beans: Whether your family prefers black, pinto or refried beans, be sure to have some sort of bean on hand.
- Limes: Lime juice is the secret ingredient to brightening up a taco dish and making its flavors pop.
- Avocado: Whether you plan to garnish your tacos with avocado slices or mash up some homemade guacamole, make sure you have some avocadoes handy.
- Other veggies: From turning bell peppers into sizzling fajitas to tossing some sliced black olives in a taco, you’ll want to keep some Taco Tuesday veggies in the fridge. Other key produce items include corn, tomatoes and jalapenos.
Top 5 Taco Tuesday Recipes
You’ll likely want to switch up your Taco Tuesday dinner ideas every once in a while to ensure Tuesday nights are always a fiesta. From fruit salsas to breakfast tacos, there are plenty of ways to keep Taco Tuesdays interesting — you can even exchange the typical taco structure for a burrito, quesadilla or enchilada form.
For nights when your creativity is running low, here are five tried and true Taco Tuesday recipe ideas that use unique proteins, wraps and seasonings to keep your family coming back for more:
1. Ultimate Sausage Tacos
If your family is bored with the traditional beef or chicken tacos, mix it up this week with this delicious recipe for ultimate sausage tacos. These sausage tacos are just like a classic Tex-Mex taco — including the shredded cheese, lettuce, beans and salsa — but with the fun twist of using flavorful sausage as the taco’s protein. Hot Italian sausage gives the tacos a bit of a kick, while delicious, cool toppings like sour cream and guacamole cut the heat.
2. Shrimp Tacos With Crumbled Sausage and Sriracha Slaw
Shrimp tacos are a great way to liven up Taco Tuesday and keep things fresh with a seafood selection. These shrimp tacos with crumbled sausage and sriracha slaw are bursting with flavor and finished with a hint of spice. The savory sausage crumbles add some protein to keep you full longer, while the sriracha slaw adds the brightness the tacos need to cut the spice, creating a perfectly balanced dish.
3. Grilled Kielbasa Tacos
For a more European take on tacos, try these grilled kielbasa tacos. By using kielbasa as the main source of protein, this taco recipe creates deeper layers of flavor throughout the entire dish. To complement the kielbasa, these tacos include bell peppers, sweet onions, green onions and lime juice for a bit of citrus acidity. A generous splash of hot sauce still gives these unconventional tacos a kick.
4. Taco Lettuce Wraps
Whether you’re trying to cut carbs or just looking for a lighter dinner option, taco lettuce wraps are the recipe for you. This taco lettuce wraps recipe uses hot and spicy Italian chicken sausage as its meat to provide a leaner protein source. Although this recipe forgoes the tortilla, it does not skimp on flavor. With a tasty blend of fresh veggies, cheese and chicken sausage, these taco lettuce wraps prove you can have a fabulous fiesta without any tortillas.
5. Bold Sausage Tacos
If you’re ready to take your family’s Taco Tuesday to the next level, this bold sausage tacos recipe is exactly what you need. By combining the powerful flavors of hot Italian sausage meat, liquid smoke and chili beans, this recipe creates tacos that are equally as daring as they are delicious. If your family loves putting the spice in Taco Tuesday, these bold sausage tacos are a must-try.
Purchase Premio Sausage for Your Taco Tuesday
A truly successful Taco Tuesday involves only the best ingredients. When you purchase sausage from Premio Foods, you can be confident you’re getting sausage made with quality cuts of meat, fresh ingredients and no fillers — the way sausage should be! From spicy chorizo sausage to lean chicken sausage, Premio Foods has a wide variety of meats to keep your Taco Tuesdays interesting.
If you want to wow your family this Taco Tuesday, locate a store with Premio Foods products today.
