Last modified on:
Preparing beef fajita in a slow cooker is ideal for those with busy evenings, whether that be commuting, working out, or running the kids to their evening clubs. It’s as easy as adding your ingredients to the pot, turning it on, and only returning when it’s time to dish up.
The good thing about fajita seasoning is its versatility: you can make it hot and spicy, smokey, mild, or tomato-y… all depending on what you have in your cupboard. It’s also ideal for people who are batch cooking, or those on a tight budget.
Ingredients (with prices)
- Beef brisket (or any beef joint that is on special) – 0.6kg, £10.20 Tesco
- Mexican fajita seasoning – £1.35, from Tesco
- Two peppers (any colour) – £0.65 each, from Tesco
- Onion – £0.12, from Tesco
- Tortilla wraps – £1.20 Tesco
- Two packets of Mexican Microwave rice – £0.75 each, from Tesco
Total: £15.02
Serves: Four adults eating two wraps each. Kids would only need one each
Feeding four adults, this meal works out at just under £4 per person. If your shopping budget can’t stretch that far, look for cheaper cuts of beef, or switch to chicken thighs (breasts will dry out too much). Another way to stretch your shopping budget is to save this recipe until you find a beef joint with a yellow sticker discount. We find heading to Sainsbury’s late in the evening is the best time to find yellow sticker meat. Of course, your local supermarket may be different.
Other ways to make this recipe cheaper include:
- Serve it without wraps and have with just rice instead
- Use rice you already have in your cupboard. You can cook it with garlic and coriander, or stir in some Mexican spices at the end of cooking to add flavour
- Use spices you already have in your cupboard. Find a Mexican spice mix online and adapt it to fit what you’ve got
- Go vegetarian and swap your meat for beans. A couple of cans of mixed beans will do the job. If you choose beans instead, you won’t need to slow cook eight hours: perhaps an hour at the most. Beans are likely to explode and turn to mush if you cook for any longer
- Find a smaller cut of meat and bulk it out with more onion, pepper, or rice. If you want to make up the protein, prepare some spiced beans on the side.
Method
Begin prepping your slow cooked beef fajita in the morning, before you go to work. If you’re WFH or have the day off, you can prepare this recipe from mid-morning or lunchtime – just choose a higher temperature or eat slightly later.
You’ll need two knives (one for the beef fat removal, one for the veg), a chopping board, a cheese grater, tongs or a knife and fork, and a teaspoon.
Step 1
Remove any excess fat from your beef and place in the slow cooker.
Step 2
Add your Mexican spice mix, or your own combination of fajita seasonings, ours is:
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons hot chilli powder
- (Optional) fresh chilli
Once added, spread the spices across your beef and add a big splash of water to your slow cooker.
Step 3
Put your lid on and cook on low until about four o’clock. If you’re in the office or busy, the beef will be fine to cook on low until you get home.
Step 4
Slice your peppers and onions. Next, turn the beef over and move to the side. Place the veggies in the slow cooker on the empty side.
*You can add the peppers and onions in the morning with your beef. Just note that they’ll be incredibly soft by dinner time. We add them later because we like them to retain some of their structure.
Step 5
Turn your slow cooker up to High. From this point, your fajita beef will be ready to serve once the vegetables soften.
At this point, you can start boiling your rice or heating your microwaveable packets. Once your rice is ready, it’ll be time to dish up.
Step 6
When you’re ready to dish up, shred the beef. It should just fall apart. You can mix the veg in, or keep them separate, it’s up to you.
Step 7
Heat the tortillas in the microwave as per packet instructions. Then, grate your cheese – you can do this earlier and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Slap two tortillas on each plate, then let everyone make their own wraps. If you’ve got lettuce, guac, salsa, or sour cream, you can also add these to your wraps as well.
Lovely, delicious, easy. Any leftovers can be stored in air tight containers in the fridge and used for lunch the next day. You can also freeze any leftovers, even the tortillas, for use at a later date.
