Taco Tico Copycat Ground Beef

1 pound ground beef (85/15 is most similar to Taco Tico)

1 cup water + little

⅓ cup textured vegetable protein (TVP, found in health food aisle, Bob's Red Mill brand is easy to find)

¼ cup 1 minute oatmeal, briefly pulsed in the coffee grinder

2 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon chili powder (Taco Tico is not heavily seasoned, modify for your personal preference. Adjust salt accordingly.)

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

⅛th teaspoon msg (Accent)

1 teaspoon onion powder

¼ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

1 tsp vinegar

½ tsp sugar

Put the meat in a cold pan. Add the water and using a potato masher, thoroughly smash the meat to a watery mush to obtain the fine grind like Taco Tico meat.

Add all the other ingredients, stir to combine and turn on the heat to medium-low. This is the first time you apply heat. As it begins to cook, it will be a gooey, soupy mess. Not a problem. Stir occasionally, and continue to cook uncovered over medium-low heat until the meat is nice and thick.

If you follow the directions, you will be amazed at how similar this is to the taco meat at Taco Tico.

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