Casa Mamita Taco Seasoning Mix
My family likes tacos a lot. Who doesn’t? And we can get all the fixings for a great taco night at Aldi, which carries everything we need from hard shells and corn and flour tortillas to salsa to cheese to sour cream, and more. That includes those little inexpensive envelopes of taco seasoning mix.
Casa Mamita Taco Seasoning Mix cost $0.39 for a 1-oz. envelope at the time of publication. It comes in Original or 25% Less Sodium varieties, and both are Regular Buys that are available all year at Aldi.
The lower sodium variety is newer, having shown up at Aldi a few years ago. I started buying the lower sodium mix when it became available, and my family and I have never been able to easily tell the difference. We use this seasoning for everything from traditional tacos to taco soup in the slow cooker.
Both varieties have 15 calories per 2-teaspoon serving, along with 3 grams of total carbs (1% of your daily value), and 1 gram of dietary fiber (4% DV). The Original taco seasoning mix has 300 mg of sodium (13% DV), while the 25% Less Sodium taco seasoning mix has 220 mg of sodium (9% DV).
Ingredients in store-bought taco seasoning mix are a lengthy list, including fillers, preservatives, and other processed items, and I understand why some people prefer to make their own taco seasoning at home.
Ingredients for both of these mixes are: chili pepper, maltodextrin, salt, onion powder, spice, yellow corn flour, corn starch, and less than 2% of silicon dioxide (anticaking agent), citric acid, sunflower oil, sugar, natural flavor, extractives of paprika, wheat starch, whey, and soy flour. It would be helpful if they specified what is in the “spice” in these mixes, and natural flavor is not all it’s cracked up to be.
If you’re watching out for allergies, these contain wheat, milk, and soy.
To prepare the taco seasoning, brown 1 lb. of ground beef or turkey in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Drain fat. Stir in taco seasoning mix and 2/3 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened. Spoon into warm taco shells and serve with desired toppings.
The package says you can also make this with 1 lb. of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips. Heat with 1 tablespoon of melted butter until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink.
The Verdict:
If you aren’t someone who makes your own taco seasoning at home, Aldi sells taco seasoning packets in Original and 25% Less Sodium varieties. Our family uses the lower sodium packet and there is no identifiable difference in flavor. We also don’t really notice a difference between the Aldi brand and name brands.
I made tacos the other day and something tasted totally off with the seasoning. Did they change something in the seasoning? So bad I had to throw it out.
The first time I used this mix, I thought the meat may have been bad because it had been in fridge a few days more than I planned on. It had a strange taste. Used the other packet I purchased next time on fresh meat and still the same result. It was the mix. It had a bad taste and smell. Not sure if it was a bad batch. Won’t be using this mix again.
Too spicy for family tacos. Should have some kind of warning
I’ve never thought this mix was spicy at all.