Steak and Mushroom Tacos with Crispy Tater Tots

When Taco Tuesday hits, these steak and mushroom tacos with crispy tater tots are an easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love. Mildly reminiscent of tater tot casserole (or hotdish, where I’m from), this easy taco recipe is bright and fresh, crunchy and soft, and full of earthy, meaty flavor.

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You're going to love these tacos

Easy weeknight dinner. The marinade for these tacos comes together quickly in a zip-top bag before you head to work in the morning. By dinnertime, all you need to do is throw the tots in the oven and stir together a couple of things while the steak and mushrooms are cooking. In the time it takes to cook the tots, your tacos will be fully-prepped. 

Best marinade recipe ever. You’ll want to use this lime soy marinade on your steaks, chicken, and pork from now on. It’s that good. 

Tacos with tater tots. I mean, enough said, right? Tacos need a topping with crunch factor, so it might as well be tater tots. If you ever put potato chips on your sloppy joe (if not, please do try it!), then you’ll get why this is so good. 

Perfect Meatless Monday meal. Tacos aren’t just for Tuesdays. Skip the steak and add a couple more mushrooms, and this is the ultimate meatless meal that even die-hard carnivores will dig into. 

Vegetarian-friendly. The dual steak and mushroom filling options mean there’s something for everyone. Mix and match to your heart’s content. 

How to Make Steak and Mushroom Tacos with Crispy Tater Tots

Prep the mushroom caps. Twist off the stems and use a spoon to scrape away the brown gills from the underside of the portobello mushrooms. 

Make the steak and mushroom marinade. In a large zip-top bag, combine 1 tablespoon of the canola oil, soy sauce, the juice of two limes, minced garlic, dried oregano, chili powder, cumin, and cracked black pepper. Add the steak and mushrooms and turn the bag over several times until everything is coated in the marinade. Set in the refrigerator for 1-8 hours. 

Preheat the oven and cook frozen tater tots according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and the steak to the pan. Cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes per side. Sear the steak for 2 minutes on each side, then 3-4 minutes per side until the internal temperature is 135 for medium-rare. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes. 

Wrap flour tortillas in foil and set in the warm oven for 10 minutes. 

Make green chili cheese sauce. Stir together ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and one small can of green chilis, drained. Heat in the microwave for a minute or until the cheese is completely melted. Stir well. 

Make lime sour cream. Stir ½ cup sour cream with the juice of one lime. 

Slice the mushrooms and steak into ½ thick strips. Cutting the steak against the grain will ensure tender strips of steak. 

Assemble the tacos with slices of steak and mushrooms, green chili cheese sauce, tater tots, fresh parsley or cilantro, sliced green onions, salsa verde, and lime sour cream.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Steak. Flank steak, top sirloin, or rib-eye steaks all work well in this recipe. 

Portobello mushrooms. Instead of large portobello mushroom caps, you can use baby bellas and serve them whole or cut in half, depending on their size. 

Garlic. I used fresh minced garlic in the marinade, but 1 teaspoon of dried garlic powder will work, too. 

Lime juice. Fresh really is best. If you don’t have lime juice, use another fresh citrus juice before reaching for bottled lime juice. 

Canola oil. I chose canola oil for this recipe because I cooked the meat and mushrooms on a pretty high heat. Olive oil can easily burn on high heat. I keep a bottle of 50/50 canola oil and olive oil that would also work. 

Parsley. Fresh parsley is a nice neutral herb that adds freshness to tacos, or really, any dish. You can definitely use cilantro. I, um, strongly dislike cilantro--but it's my DNA's fault. This article explains why. 

Recipe Essentials

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

To grill or not to grill? Even in the coldest of temps, you'll find diehard Midwesterners outdoors grilling. But this time, I opted to make the steak and mushrooms indoors on a cast iron skillet --- which is a great plan B to grilling. And if you don't have a cast iron skillet yet, I recommend you get one. You can use it for toasting tortillas, baking cornbread, and cooking veggies on the grill.

Knife Sharpener

One of the keys to a tender steak is cutting it against the grain. This shortens the tough muscle fibers and makes it more tender. And the key to a good cut is a sharp knife. This is the knife sharpener we use. We don't have fancy knives, but we keep the ones we have nice and sharp with this.