Tacos are a staple at my house for three main reasons. One: they can be a complete meal all on their own. Meat, veggies, grains…they’re all-inclusive! Two: They can be a simple weeknight meal (if you don’t go too crazy with ingredients). Three: my man could eat them every day of his life. Seriously! The word “tacos” is part of his Instagram handle. Not that I couldn’t eat tacos every day of my life. Tacos are pretty great! But I like a good salad every once in a while.

This recipe for steak tacos is somewhere between the super simple and the need-some-extra-time-for-extra-flavor. One could season the beef and throw it on the grill right away, but the depth of flavor comes with time. The smokiness of Chipotle Marinade adds a little zest to grilled steak tacos.

The steak is so good right off the grill I could eat it all by itself. I use the utmost self-control to wait until I can build a sufficient taco—only because I know the combination of bell peppers, green chile black beans, avocado, and grilled tortillas take it to the next level.

the process

Make the chipotle marinade and pour over steaks in a plastic sealable bag or glass container. Cover or seal tightly and place in the fridge while you work on the next steps. I like to let the steak marinate for at least 30 minutes before grilling to get the flavor benefits from the marinade. 

If you want to plan/prep ahead, the steaks can marinate for up to 8 hours. I often start the steak marinating in the morning and then they’re ready to go when I get home from work. This shaves some time off your dinner-making process, for sure! At the moment, I haven’t marinated the steak longer than 8 hours. So, marinate longer at your own risk.

While the steaks are marinating, wash and slice the bell peppers in 1/4-inch slices. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the peppers and stir/toss — cover and cook for 5-6 minutes. After 5-6 minutes, turn the heat to low and stir every once in a while.

While peppers are cooking, place black beans and green chiles in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cover the beans and cook for about 5-6 minutes before turning the heat to low. Stir every few minutes to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

As the beans and peppers cook, heat the grill for cooking steak. If you don’t have a grill, you can use a skillet following the same steps. While the grill heats, slice the avocado and chop the cilantro to garnish. You can also slice some limes to serve on the side.

Once the grill is about 350-400 degrees F, remove the steaks from the marinade. It’s a good idea to let some of the marinade drip off the steaks before placing on the grill. This prevents flare-ups from oil hitting the flames.

Grill the steaks about 2 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the meat and doneness you prefer. I like steaks medium-rare, so I try not to let thin steaks cook more than 2 minutes on each side with the grill at 350-400 degrees F. I know it doesn’t sound like much time, but even 15-30 seconds can make the difference from Medium-Rare to Medium. Once the steaks reach the desired doneness, remove from heat and cover in aluminum foil. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into 1/2-inch strips.

Grilled tortillas add to the smoky flavor that’s so great about this meal. Not to mention, it looks extra fancy to have grill marks on the taco shell. If you don’t want to mess with it, you can heat them in the microwave, but grilling is super simple, and the grill is already hot.

Throw the tortillas on the grill while the steaks are resting. It only takes about 15-20 seconds on each side to heat the tortillas and get some of those pretty grill marks. Place in aluminum foil or a tortilla warmer until you’re ready to build the tacos.

Now, build those tacos, baby!

Layer the green chile black beans, cooked bell peppers, steak, avocado slices, and cilantro inside each of the grilled tortillas and finish with a squeeze of lime.

Bon Appétit!