Switch up your taco night with these ground venison tacos! They're SO EASY to make in about 15 minutes total, and the creamy-spicy-garlicky-zesty aji verde sauce might just become your new favorite sauce.
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Ground venison tacos
Whenever I get my hands on ground venison, I don't overthink what to cook with it. It's usually venison burgers or venison tacos—the two easiest venison dinner ideas.
Venison is flavorful and meaty enough to stand up to any seasonings you like, so tacos are perfect. I simply used store-bought taco seasoning. But you can use a homemade mixture, if you prefer!
These ground venison taco meat cooks in about 5 minutes. The aji verde sauces comes together just as quickly. I strongly recommend you toast or warm your tortillas (especially if you use corn tortillas, to make them more pliable). This will take another couple of minutes. Dinner is ready in under 15 minutes!
And speaking of the aji verde sauce...
Aji verde sauce
Aji verde is a traditional Peruvian sauce, meaning green pepper. Its key ingredients are a spicy green pepper, such as jalapeño, and lime juice, garlic, and cilantro. There are variations for how to make it, but I use very simple ingredients so anyone can make it without access to specialty stores.
The aji verde sauce is creamy, garlickly, slightly spicy, with the wonderful familiar flavor of cilantro and lime. It's zesty and PERFECT on top of ground venison in a taco.
I go HEAVY on the sauce when assembling my tacos, I can't get enough of this stuff!!
Leftover aji verde is great as a salad dressing, dip for veggies, or a sauce on top of grilled chicken or other grilled meats or veggies.
Ready to make some tacos??
Ingredients
For the tacos:
- 1 lb ground venison (ground beef or ground bison will work here too!)
- 1 packet taco seasoning (3-4 tablespoons, to taste) (I use a store-bought packet, but you can use your own.
- splash of olive oil for cooking
- taco-size tortillas (16 corn or 8 flour tortillas. If using corn, I sometimes double up to make them more sturdy. If using flour, I use single tortillas.)
- optional: salt, if needed (skip this if you are using full-sodium taco seasoning)
- your favorite taco toppings (see below for ideas)
For the aji verde:
- 1 cup cilantro leaves (from 1 large bunch. Remove any large stems. Save a few leaves for garnish, if you like)
- ½ cup mayo (or use sour cream or plain Greek yogurt)
- ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese (or use crumbled feta if you can't find cotija. I find that crumbled reduced-fat feta has a very similar texture)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (1 whole lime)
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 fresh jalapeño pepper, pith and seeds removed
More easy taco recipes: Ground Pork Tacos with Pineapple Black Bean Salsa
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Small food processor or a blender
- Tongs (to toast tortillas)
More taco recipes to try: Turkey Black Bean Baked Tacos
Instructions
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil. Add the ground venison and taco seasoning. Use a spatula to break up the ground meat into crumbles as it cooks, mixing in the seasonings. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the meat is cooked through, stirring frequently.
Prepare your aji verde: Add all the ingredients to a small food processor, and process until smooth. It can take up to 1-2 minutes to get the cilantro extra fine.
Warm your tortillas: For flour tortillas, I cover them with a damp paper towel and microwave a few seconds at a time until warm. For corn tortillas, I toast them right over the open flame of my gas stove for about 5 seconds per side, using tongs (DO THIS CAREFULLY!!). Or for a safer method, heat a skillet until really hot and toast the tortillas until warm and pliable. Cover the warmed tortillas with a clean kitchen towel.
Assemble your tacos by spooning a couple of tablespoons of venison into each tortilla, a couple of tablespoons of aji verde, and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. Add any other toppings you like. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Enjoy!
More quick and easy taco recipes: Trout Tacos with Mango Salsa
Venison taco toppings
I kept these tacos very simple because the aji verde has SO much flavor and they really don't need anything else. However, here are some toppings that would be great on top of a ground venison taco:
- Squeeze of lime juice
- Sprinkle of queso fresco or cotija cheese
- Chopped raw onion
- Chopped avocado
- Sour cream
- Fruity salsa, such as pineapple pico de gallo
However you decide to serve these tacos, I am sure you'll love them as much as we did!
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Venison Tacos with Aji Verde Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground venison - (ground beef or ground bison will work here too!)
- 1 ounce packet taco seasoning - (3-4 tablespoons homemade seasoning, to taste)
- splash olive oil - for cooking
- 8 taco-sized tortillas - (16 corn or 8 flour tortillas. If using corn, I double up to make them more sturdy. If using flour, I use single tortillas.)
- optional: salt - if needed (skip this if you are using full-sodium taco seasoning)
- your favorite taco toppings - see notes for ideas
- 1 cup cilantro leaves - (from 1 large bunch. Remove any large stems. Save a few leaves for garnish, if you like)
- ½ cup mayo - (or use sour cream or plain Greek yogurt)
- ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese - (or use crumbled feta if you can't find cotija)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice - (1 whole lime)
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 fresh jalapeño pepper - pith and seeds removed. Use 2 for a very spicy sauce
Special equipment
- Small food processor or blender
- Tongs for toasting tortillas, if using corn tortillas
Instructions
- Cook the venison: Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil. Add the ground venison and taco seasoning. Use a spatula to break up the ground meat into crumbles as it cooks, mixing in the seasonings. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the meat is cooked through, stirring frequently.
- Prepare your aji verde: Add all the ingredients to a small food processor, and process until smooth. It can take up to 1-2 minutes.
- Warm your tortillas: For flour tortillas, I cover them with a damp paper towel and microwave a few seconds at a time until warm. For corn tortillas, toast them in a clean preheated skillet or CAREFULLY directly over fire for a few seconds (use tong) until warm and pliable. Cover the warmed tortillas with a clean kitchen towel until ready to serve.
- Assemble your tacos by spooning a couple of tablespoons of venison into each tortilla, a couple of tablespoons of aji verde, and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. Add any other toppings you like. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.