When Mike and I initially found out that we were moving overseas, along with the excitement and anticipation of moving, I had two thoughts race through my head: 1) I’m going to miss the food, and 2) I’m going to miss my family and friends.
Priorities, lol. (Kidding, mom!)
At home there’s a taco chain called Mighty Taco that blows just about every other taco chain out of the water (IMHO anyway…but I’ll admit, I’m biased). I’ve talked to people who were disappointed in the place, but I think that’s because they were expecting it to be something it’s not. It’s not fancy on any level, so don’t expect linen tablecloths, soft background music, or ambiance of any kind (no matter…hello, drive-through); it’s just your run-of-the-mill fast food joint. But it’s actually one of the select few fast food chains I’ll eat from, and their Super Mighty Beef Taco on a soft whole wheat tortilla with guacamole is killer.
I knew I’d miss their beef when I moved, so I wanted to re-create it (or at least my version of it) before I left.
Full disclosure here, although this meal is a no-brainer (you literally just dump everything into a pot and let it do its thing), this isn’t a quick meal to make. There is about four hours of cook time, but other than an occasional stir, it basically cooks itself. I haven’t tried this in a crockpot yet, but I bet it would be fantastic (if you make it in a crockpot, let me know in the comments!).
What’s your favorite food chain?
- 3 lbs (1.4 kg) lean ground beef
- 9 cups (2 liters) water, divided into 8 cups/1 cup
- 1 (14.5 oz/410 g) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with juices
- 3 medium-large onions, diced
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and minced (or 1 tablespoon dried diced jalapeno pepper)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the beef and 8 cups water to a 5.5-quart pot; bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat down and simmer 45 minutes, skimming off the fat as it rises to the top and stirring occasionally.
- Stir in all remaining ingredients (including the remaining 1 cup water), turn heat up to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the liquid is evaporated out, about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Use the beef to make tacos or taco salad; store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (it’s even better after the first day!).
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
OMG–I have been dreaming about these burritos for 39 years! I’m not kidding. I think this was the place we used to go when I attended Canisius College–I was there beginning late 1981. I can still taste them today! I could never figure out what the cheese was either. I will have to try this. I remember it was just a “joint” back then; the guys were right up front, slinging the meat on the grill. They’d pick up a nice big scoop of moist meat, and put it in that warm tortilla with that lovely mellow cheese–I didn’t even need any toppings! Thank you!
Just so you know the cheese is Swiss America.
Nailed it! Now that they have Mighty hot taco sauce at Wegmans, I can make super mightys at home! Amazing.
I’ve made this several times when I lived in South Carolina for my Mighty craving. You won’t find a better copycat recipe for Mighty anywhere else!
I’ve since retired to the Philippines and am in the process of making my first batch here.
Just tried this. Got our Mighty Sauce shipped and all. The meat consistency was great, and flavor was decent, but it came out too sweet. That happen to anyone else? I wonder if yellow vs sweet onion could have done it perhaps.
This is unreal ! Huge fan who moved away … buy the mighty hot sauce online and it’s a dead ringer!!! So good and a great copycat recipe! Makes me miss Buffalo all the more!! Thanks for sharing
Thanks for posting … just moved from Buffalo and this tastes like home. Don’t forget to use Swiss American slices for the authentic Mighty taste!
Thank you very much for posting this recipe…can’t wait to try it!
I made this tonight. OMG….amazing!!! We moved to Tennessee from western NY several years ago. I crave Mighty Taco from time to time. After a recent visit to NY, I was craving Mighty more than usual. So I ordered some Mild sauce and Hot sauce and was going to attempt to freestyle a recipe. Then I found this recipe. I cut in 1/3 since I only had 1lb of beef. It turned out great. With the addition on authentic Mighty Taco mild sauce, it was perfect. My husband never ate his Mighty Tacos with sauce. So he made his tacos sans the bottled Mighty sauce and he, too, raved about how much this tasted like authentic Mighty. Thank you for helping me cure a craving.
I finally got around to making this and it is the bomb! Absolutely fantastic. Anyone making this, you definitely need patience to get great results. I think I cooked mine for over 5 hours to get the right consistency but it is so worth it.
Thanks for posting. This is a keeper.
Born and raised in WNY, Mighty Taco had always been a staple. I moved to Louisville, KY nearly 2 yrs ago and have been able to make just about all the foods I missed…everything except Mighty. Until now. I made a batch of this up last night and finished cooking it down this morning. OMG, this is spot on!!! I can’t thank you enough for posting this. It is an amazing knock off of one of the things I missed most from home.
The only thing I am going to add to your instructions is to be patient. It took me a lot longer to simmer off the liquid. Next time I make this I will give it a good 8 hrs to simmer. Don’t dump the liquid or you dump the flavor.
I would think leaving the lid off would help…I find leaving lid on causes some things to be watery.
This was awesome! I too was a little skeptical given the ingredients for this but it tastes so much like Mighty. I haven’t lived in Buffalo for 10 years but I still miss Mighty Taco so much.
Mine had tons of liquid at the end but I simply drained it and it was fine. I may use less water next time.
Do you by any chance know what I could use to re-create their nacho cheese sauce? I love it.
Gabby, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this!! I haven’t tried re-creating their nacho sauce, but if I do I will definitely share it! :)
Hello, what brand Swiss American slices?
Also, what brand tortillas do you use?
Ty
Hi Kevin, I buy the Wegmans brand for both the cheese and the tortillas. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you give it a try!
I want to make this tonight, however I don’t have fresh garlic. Can I used the bottles minced garlic? If so, how many tablespoons do I use? Also do I cook the meat before adding the water to it or should I put the meant in the water raw?
Mariah, You can use 1 tablespoon of bottled minced garlic instead of fresh. The meat is put in with the water raw. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I was so psyched to be able to make a Super Mighty in my kitchen. It tasted great – thank you. Unfortunately, like another person, I have a ton of liquid. Any ideas? I’m mystified. Maybe I had the heat too low? Simmer (to me) means just of the edge of bubbling. Also – you mention simmering with the cover on. How does the liquid evaporate if the cover is on? Thanks for any insight…
Hi Robin, I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe! Sorry to hear about it being liquidy. Without getting too much into the physics involved (because it definitely isn’t my area of expertise), with a regular lidded pot (i.e. not something like a pressure cooker with a sealed lid) the seal isn’t tight enough to prevent evaporation, which is affected by the following factors: temperature and humidity, air pressure, the rate of airflow, and surface area. That being said, on a cold and/or humid day, the rate of evaporation is likely to be slower than it would be on a hot and/or dry day. I hope this helps!
Do you cook the beef or add raw beef
Donna, The meat gets added raw.
Does anyone have a clue as to how to make the hot sauce? For me that was the best part of a Mighty burrito.
Have you or any of your readers had any luck making this and then freezing a portion of it?
Kiki, Yes, this freezes really well. I let it cool to room temperature, put it in a freezer-safe container, and then place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top (to help prevent freezer burn) before putting on the container’s lid and freezing. It should be fine for up to three months in the freezer. Then when I want to use it, I thaw it in the fridge overnight or for for a few hours at room temperature. (Be sure to remove the plastic wrap before reheating.) Hope you enjoy it if you give it a try!
Awesome! Thank you! I’m going to try it this weekend – crock pot and all. I’ll let you know. :)
Hpw did it turn out in the crockpot?
Maxine, If you want to try this recipe in a slow cooker, I would definitely recommend reducing the amount of water. If you make it, please let me know how it turns out!
I cannot believe how close this is! I had my doubts when i looked at the ingredients but I honestly can’t imagine it being better from home. i used a thin strip of white american and an even thinner strip of mild swiss under the beef since my grocery store doesn’t have a blend. And my lovely sisters bought me a bottle of Mighty Taco’s mild sauce so the combo was absolutely perfect! thank you for saving me a 3.5 hour drive and coming up with this game changer!
I actually asked at MIGHT TACO about the cheese. I was told its an American Swiss blend. I have yet to find it anywhere though.
Mike, That’s good to know, thanks. I can help with where to find it – Wegmans carries American-style Swiss cheese! Here’s what it looks like in case you want to buy it: http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&productId=368840.
Thank you for this recipe! I am a die hard super mighty xhot, sour cream fan. Grew up in Buffalo, but live far away now. My family ships mighty to me in dry ice, it still loses something in the ‘translation’ and Mighty started shipping food,but only burritos…weird.
I can not wait to make these!!
I’m a Buffalo native and me and my cousin were just talking to my aunt about fedexing us Mighty Taco! Everyone I go home I go there or Jim’s steakout and all other food places they have there that we don’t have here in NC!El Niño and loganberry! I cant wait to try this recipe. Do you know what kind of cheese is used because I want the exact replica!
Daneen, I’m pretty sure Mighty Taco uses sliced white American cheese in their tacos. Hope you enjoy making a replica – so yummy! :)
Swiss american blend!
Thanks..lol I thought so, but I wanted to just make sure I have the full pleasure and enjoyment of my taco! I invited my family over tomorrow and told them I have a surprise for them so I hope I get it right. I’m a pretty good cook, so I’ve been told, so I think I can get it the first time. Thanks so much and I will let you know the results!
I used to work there all throughout college. Even though I’m still in Buffalo, I’ll have to try this. So crazy to see the words ” mighty taco” popping up on pinterest as only locals and former locals know what it is. I’m shocked people here even go to Taco Bell at all as mighty is the superior choice!
I Am canadian and use to live near the buffalo border and am definitely a mighty taco addict! Whenever I go for a cross border trip everyone knows that is where we have to go so I can stock up on tacos for a few days! So when I saw this recipe my heart leapt with joy! I made it last night following the directions to the letter but after 5 hours there was still a lot of liquid. So I put it in the crockpot overnight on low. Now 12 hours later – still lots of liquid. Any thoughts?
Sarah, I have no idea about the liquid, that is very strange. It’s just science and the laws of evaporation – cook something for a long time and liquid evaporates off. For me, the approximate 4 hour cooking period resulted in moist taco beef (it’s pictured in the blue dish above). Eventually, the liquid will evaporate off if you keep cooking it, but I’m completely stumped as to why it would take longer than the 4 hour cook time. I wish I could be more help, but I am really baffled on this one! Since you’re a Mighty fan I really I hope you’re able to make it – I am so excited to be able to replicate their tacos when I’m living across the world!
I had the same issue, we cooked for 9hours and still was very liquidy. Do you think this will work in a pressure cooker to save on time? Any thoughts on how long to cook it for in it?
Andrea, Did you cook it on a stovetop or in a slow cooker? I wrote this recipe for the stovetop; the slow cooker method requires less water. Also, the rate of evaporation for any cooking method used depends on the weather. The meat should be very soft and tender at the end of the cooking process, and it should look like the photo above.
I haven’t tried this recipe in an Instant Pot, but I think it would probably work! I think it would need quite a bit less water in the IP (maybe 2 to 3 cups?). For depth of flavor, I would probably brown the meat in the IP using the “Saute” function, and then I would cook it at on “High Pressure” for around 35 to 45 minutes (the meat should be very tender at the end of the cooking process), and then let it do a natural pressure release. Depending on how much liquid is left in the meat, I would turn the “Saute” function (and stir frequently) to let some of the liquid evaporate off. If you make it in an IP, please let me know how it goes!
That has made me hungry and it’s late at night. I wish we had that taco place around here. I love slow cooked ground beef.
This looks like a mighty yummy dish, hope you are doing good there.
I usually don’t go to fast food chains, but Mighty is definitely an exception. I could eat there every day. It doesn’t help that there is one about 2 minutes away from my house! I’m going to have to try this recipe because it sure would save us some money!!!
I’m a native Buffalonian living in the DC area. I *crave* Mighty like it’s nobody’s business. It’s also my first stop any time I go home (literally – my family is well aware of my priorities :) )
Anyway thanks for the recipe. I’m totally sharing with all my transplant friends and making some for myself!
I’d have to say, tacos would be something I’d miss too! We have a Chipotle near us that I have an affinity for, so I can totally relate! These look delicious! I will most definitely be making these…I’ll give the crockpot a try (great idea!) and will report back!
I love tacos, these look fab!
Oh Faith! Will we ever meet, now that you are moving?!?
Tasty tacos and I LOVE the styling here :)
These look perfect! Totally trying this recipe. I’m with Alyssa- Chipotle is the bestest
You’re such a rockstar with these tacos, lady!!! Hope you guys are doing great over there! xo
My favorite fast food is Chipotle! It’s so true about moving Faith – the things I miss the most are the people and the food!
Food that remind you of home are going to be very important for sure. This sounds like an amazing taco. I am not a food chain kinda girl, I like one of a kind places more.
I hope this was close to your taco joint :) If I try the slow cooker version – will report you.
AHHHH my friends who have left Buffalo are going to be so happy to see this! Now if only there was a good substitute for Rosie’s Loganberry :)
I didn’t know you were moving… you will miss that great area you were living in… I’ve thought of moving up there many times.
Hope you enjoy your new place (where?) and can make your own great tacos all the time!
Deana, Sorry about that…I feel like I’ve talked about my move in just about every post for the past couple of weeks, and I was starting to feel like I was bombarding my readers so I didn’t want to mention it yet again, lol! We moved to Kuwait. :)
Scrumptious! I am a big fan of tacos.
Cheers,
Rosa