Boxed taco kits—the kind you might have grown up with, complete with crispy shells, premade sauce, and seasoning packet—are an undeniably convenient formula to get tacos on the table quickly. But all the nostalgia in the world can’t make up for the prefab spice mix’s lackluster, dusty flavor.
Our recommendation? Ditch the spice packet in favor of a nearly-as-convenient substitute: fresh Mexican-style chorizo. We first made the swap in Cook’s Country’s Ground Beef and Chorizo Tacos recipe and never looked back.