Thursday, February 26, 2009

Make Your Own Taco Seasoning

I've found that a well-stocked spice cabinet is essential to frugal cooking at home. The right seasoning can transform a plain-tasting, inexpensive ingredient like rice or potatoes into something new. You could spend a fortune buying name-brand spices, but I've found the 2/$1 jars at bargain stores like Dollar Tree and Big Lots are just as good as the high-priced varieties. I also buy large containers of spices we use regularly at Sam's and find their prices are hard to beat.

Once you get a good supply of spices you can make your own seasoning blends, like Italian or taco seasoning. An individual packet of taco seasoning sells for $1.09 at my local Kroger, so if you use it often that can add up fast! In addition to saving money, making your own lets you tailor the seasoning to your family's tastes. Here's my recipe for Taco Seasoning:

1/4 cup dried minced onion
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Place all ingredients in a small jar, put the lid on, and shake well to blend. Three tablespoons of the mix is equal to one packet of taco seasoning. For more seasoning blend recipes, take a look at this post from SimpleMom.net.

4 comments:

Micah and Katie said...

I love this recipe. I use it too. It taste just as good as the packet for a lot cheaper!!

Nikki said...

Oh I LOVE make-it-yourself recipes! Thank you for this taco seasoning one. I'm going to have to pick up some coriander and make some myself!

Mom2fur said...

Thanks! I like to brown and pre-season my ground beef for different recipes, including 'Mexican-style.' I pretty much just toss in this-and-that, and it will be nice to have an 'official' recipe.

We Eat Cheap said...

Nikki, I've left out the coriander when I didn't have any on hand and it still works. I think it adds a little more depth to the seasoning, but my husband can't tell the difference!