Carne Asada Tacos Recipe

Name: Carne Asada Tacos Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: PT-481163H22M3S
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Latin America
Ingredients: 3 pound flank steak; ¼ cup avocado oil; juice of 2 limes; 2 cloves of garlic, minced; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

July 30, 2022 by Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN

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This carne asada tacos recipe is an easy and healthy way to prepare grass-fed beef for lunch or dinner. It’s a nutrient powerhouse; plus, it’s low in carbs, gluten-free, very high in protein, packed with antioxidants and all done in the slower cooker, making your job super easy.

Adding grass-fed beef to your diet is one of the best ways to get important nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid, vitamins and minerals.

What Is Carne Asada?

Carne asada, which means roasted meat, is a popular Latin American dish of sliced flank steak that’s served as the main ingredient in a meal — where it’s known as tacos de carne asada.

Carne asada is commonly used to make burritos and tacos, which is exactly what I do for my carne asada recipe. The meat in carne asada can be marinated in a number of ways, depending on the chef’s taste. Some rubs are simple, including just garlic, salt and lime.

For this carne asada recipe, we add a little heat (and anti-inflammatory properties) with chili powder, paprika and cumin. These spices work really well together and they add great flavor to the meat, especially when combined with honey.

Nutrition Facts

One serving of carne asada tacos made using this recipe (not counting the tortillas) contains roughly the following. As you can see, it’s a great low-carb, high-protein dish:

410 calories
49 grams protein
20 grams fat
5 grams carbohydrate
67 micrograms selenium (122 percent DV)
8 milligrams zinc (110 percent DV)
1.4 milligrams vitamin B6 (108 percent DV)
14 milligrams niacin (102 percent DV)
2 micrograms vitamin B12 (86 percent DV)
466 milligrams phosphorus (67 percent DV)
204 milligrams choline (48 percent DV)
1.4 milligrams vitamin B5 (29 percent DV)
0.2 milligrams riboflavin (25 percent DV)
4 milligrams iron (22 percent DV)
0.18 milligrams copper (20 percent DV)
54 milligrams magnesium (17 percent DV)
820 milligrams potassium (17 percent DV)
0.17 milligrams thiamin (16 percent DV)
2 milligrams vitamin E (15 percent DV)
334 IUs vitamin A (14 percent DV)

Here’s a quick glance at some of the top health benefits associated with the ingredients in my carne asada tacos:

Flank steak: Flank steak is rich in important vitamins and minerals, especially B vitamins, selenium, zinc and phosphorus. One of the top health benefits of grass-fed steak is its conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content. CLA is capable of promoting your health, fighting disease and even working as a potential cancer fighter.
Avocado oil: I use avocado oil in this carne asada recipe because it has a high smoke point, so it doesn’t become rancid when cooking beef at very high temperatures. Avocado oil is actually one of the healthiest oils on the planet because it has healing and regenerating properties.
Garlic: Garlic is high in sulfur compounds that have a positive impact on your health and help prevent cancer, stroke and heart disease.

How to Make Carne Asada Tacos

In a small bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, lime juice, minced garlic, maple syrup and spices.

Add the 3-pound flank steak to the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour the marinade over your steak, making sure that all of the meat is covered with the juice.

Then put the cover on your slower cooker and keep it on low for 8 hours, or until the steak is tender.

When it’s ready, remove the steak from the slow cooker, place it on a cutting board and slice it.

And finally, to let the meat soak up those juices, put the sliced steak back into the slow cooker, which is just keeping warm, for a few minutes.

I like to serve my carne asada on my Paleo tortillas, topped with tomatoes, avocado, plain goat yogurt and cilantro. If you have some extra time, during the carne asada slow cooking process, make up a batch of pico de gallo and guacamole to make this dish really sing. It’s hearty, healthy and refreshing. Enjoy!

Other Healthy Mexican Dishes