Taquito Tuesday

I love tacos. I’m a warm blooded, curvy, mother of three… so of course I LOVE tacos… I just like variety in my tacos. After a while, traditional tacos can get a little boring, so a makeover is in order. Baking a beef and cheese filled tortilla in the oven until it’s golden and crispy takes Taco Tuesday to a whole other level with minimal effort. The beauty of taquitos is that they have all the feel of deep-fried deliciousness, without the actual deep frying! For added benefit, you can hide lots of veggies in a taquito without your picky kiddos being any the wiser. Experiment with various veggies, spices, and barbecue sauces to keep this oven-baked treat exciting week after week.

Beef Taquitos with Lime Crema

Queen Bee Meg

Taco Tuesday is one of our favorite nights of the week, but even our weekday favorite needs a creative twist now and then! Overflowing with a sweet and savory beef filling, rolled and baked until crispy, and drizzled with a cooling lime crema, gives these tacos a fun spin the whole family will enjoy.

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican, Southwestern

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning (I use Old El Paso or McCormick's brand, 1 oz packets)
• 8 flour tortilla shells
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 roma tomato, diced
• 4 stalks scallions, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 small onion, sliced thinly
• ¼ cup BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays Hickory and Brown Sugar)
• 1 lime, zested and cut in half
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes to taste

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan and add ground beef. Cook 2-4 minutes until almost cooked, and drain, but leave meat in pan. Add onion, jalapeno, optional red pepper flakes, and taco seasoning packet, and cook 2-4 minutes more until onions are softened.
• Add ½ cup water and BBQ sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened slightly. Remove from heat.
• Brush tortilla shells with olive oil on both sides. Place a heaping spoonful of beef mixture on one side of each tortilla shell. Top with a large pinch of shredded cheese, (use about 2/3 of the cheese, you'll use the rest later.)
• Roll tortilla and place on baking sheet, seam side down to ensure it doesn't unravel. Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden and crispy.
• While tortillas are baking, mix diced tomato and scallions in a bowl. Add lime zest, juice from half of lime, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and set aside.
• In a small dish, mix sour cream and juice from other half of lime. Add 1-2 teaspoons of water to give crema a "drizzly" consistency. Set aside until ready to serve.
• When taquitos are done baking, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and bake 1-2 minutes more until melted. Remove from oven.
• Garnish with tomato/scallion pico di gallo. Drizzle with lime crema.

Notes

Taquitos are a great vessel for hiding lots of unexpected veggies. I love dicing zucchini and adding it to my ground beef for an added burst of nutrients the kiddos won’t suspect. 

Keyword Beef, Tacos