Jalapeno Beef Taquitos
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Crispy on the outside, cheesy and bold on the inside these Jalapeño Beef Taquitos are packed with seasoned ground beef, jalapeños, sweet corn, salsa verde, and cheddar cheese, all wrapped in a tortilla and baked until perfectly golden and crunchy.
I’ve been feeling like beef tacos for a few nights now. I usually just go old school and make seasoned ground beef with cheddar cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and taco sauce all in a hard taco shell. However, I wanted something a little different this week.
I started looked at some of my recipes and while Spicy Beef Tacos sounded good, they were a little to close to my old school tacos. Slow Cooker Cheddar Beer Tacos sounded really good too but I didn’t want to have to leave the slow cooker on while I was at work all day. Instant Pot Korean BBQ Pork Tacos would be good but I wanted something crunchy.
I remember making taquitos in my meal kit a few weeks ago and I really enjoyed them. They were easy to make, semi-healthy because they are baked in the oven, and I could make them with beef.
What are taquitos?
Taquitos are small, rolled tortillas, usually corn, filled with seasoned meat or other fillings, then tightly rolled and fried or baked until crispy.
While I know I made the taquitos with corn tortillas in my meal kit, I’ve been going with the low carb flour tortillas lately so I wanted to try making the taquitos with those.
The filling consists of ground beef seasoned with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. Then jalapenos, corn, and cream cheese are added in along with your favorite cheese.
Do I have to use fresh jalapenos?
No! I did the first time I made these but make sure you wear gloves if using fresh jalapenos. You’ll also want to saute them for a few minutes. I find it much easier to use a few tablespoons of jarred jalapenos. They are tamer and I don’t need to wear gloves. Plus, we always have a jar in the refrigerator.
Once the filling is made it’s placed on a tortilla and the tortilla is rolled up tightly. The tortilla’s are placed on a baking sheet and drizzled with olive oil.
Then I drizzled a mixture of sour cream and salsa verde over the top of the taquitos to finish them off.
Ingredients:
- ground beef (we used 85/15)
- salt and pepper
- taco seasoning (I love Penzey’s Arizona Dreaming but use your favorite)
- olive oil
- canned or frozen corn (you could also use fresh if cut off the cob)
- jarred jalapenos (or fresh if you are feeling brave!)
- salsa verde (don’t use regular salsa; it’s not the same!)
- cream cheese
- sharp cheddar cheese (or your favorite taco cheese)
- sour cream
- tortillas (I used flour but you can use corn)
To make the taquitos saute the ground beef, salt, and pepper in a skillet until no longer pink. Remove from heat and add the corn, jalapenos, half the salsa verde, and cream cheese. Mix well.
Place a few tablespoons of the filling onto each tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up tightly and put on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine remaining salsa verde and sour cream. Mix well. Drizzle over top of taquitos.
These taquitos are delicious! I love the crunchy outside with all the beef and vegetables mixed with melty cheese on the inside.
Can I make these with other proteins? Can I make them vegetarian?
Yes and yes! You can use ground pork or chicken in this recipe if you prefer. You can also use shaved beef or chicken breast, chopped into small pieces, for the filling. If you want to make them vegetarian you can put chopped firm tofu or black beans in place of the ground beef. There are so many possibilities!
The sauce on top is really good. It’s both creamy and tangy. We drizzled it on top of the taquitos and then drizzled taco sauce as well. They were a great pairing.
How do I store taquitos?
If you don’t eat them all place the remaining taquitos, without the sauce on top, in an air tight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Put the sauce in a separate container and store in the refrigerator. Taquitos can be microwaved, though they won’t be crisp any more, or reheated at 300 degrees in either the oven or air fryer.
Jalapeno Beef Taquitos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 cup of canned or frozen corn
- 3 Tablespoons jarred jalapenos chopped
- 1 cup salsa verde divided
- 2 Tablespoon cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese
- 12 small flour or corn tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, and taco seasoning, and cook for 5-7 minutes or until there is no more pink.
- Remove from heat and add in the corn, jalapenos, 3/4 cup of the salsa verde, and the cream cheese. Mix well to combine.
- Place a few tablespoons of filling in each tortilla and roll up tightly.
- Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the sour cream and remaining salsa verde. Season with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle the sour cream mixture over top of the taquitos.
Notes
