Baked Chicken & Bean Taquitos
This recipe makes A LOT of taquitos, which is a great thing. Whether you’re having some friends over or just binge eating while watching Love is Blind, these are the perfect base for all your favorite Mexican toppings :)
Baked Chicken & Bean Taquitos
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded fully cooked chicken
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 8 ounce brick of Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 4 green onions, trimmed of the root ends, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- Handful of cilantro, chopped
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 30 small corn tortillas, plus extras in case of breakage
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil, dull side up, and set aside.
- Place a heavy skillet or saucepan over medium low heat. Pour in the oil and heat through.
- Combine the chicken, beans, shredded cheese, green onions, garlic, cilantro, chili powder, and kosher salt in a large mixing bowl until everything is evenly distributed.
- Ease one tortilla at a time into the hot oil. Using tongs, flip the tortilla over immediately and heat for another 10 seconds. Use the same tongs to carefully lift the oily tortilla onto a plate. It will be quite greasy, but that is desirable so long as the tortilla is hot and flexible.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the filling in a line in the center of the hot tortilla and roll the tortilla up around the filling. Place seam side down on the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
- Bake for at least 10 minutes, but up to 20. The longer the taquitos stay in the oven, the crispier the final product will be. I almost always go all the way to 20 minutes for seriously crisp taquitos.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the taquitos cool until they are comfortable to handle before transferring to a serving plate.
Notes
Don’t give in to the temptation to overstuff the tortillas!
Beef & Cheese Enchiladas
After high school, I spent almost a year at the University of Colorado. For a myriad of reasons, that was a really bad move for me, but what wasn’t a bad move was trying Monica Jimenez’s beef & cheese enchiladas when she made them in our dorm on campus. Until I tried these, I had really only ever eaten cheese enchiladas. And I certainly couldn’t conceive of how to make enchiladas. These are flat out good on their own, but the pickled onions and YES, the black olives, give it a little flare and send this tasty dish over the top. So so good.
Beef & Cheese Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 dozen corn tortillas
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 pound Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
- 1/2 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 can sliced black olives
- 1/2 red onion, small diced
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cans red enchilada sauce
- Lettuce (optional)
- Sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Halve onion and thinly slice. Place slices into bowl and pour lemon juice on top, to marinate. Place in refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
- Cook and drain ground beef. Mix olives and cheeses into beef, reserving 1/2 cup of each of the cheeses. Fry tortillas in oil until limp and wiggly; drain on paper towels.
- Pour enchilada sauce into wide, shallow bowl.
- When drained, dip tortillas, one at a time, into enchilada sauce to cover both sides and place into 9x13” baking dish. Put 2 T of the beef mixture across the middle of each tortilla and roll.
- Once all tortillas are rolled, spoon extra sauce evenly over enchiladas. Sprinkle cheeses on top.
- Bake in oven at 350°F for 20 - 25 minutes.
- Serve with pickled onions, shredded lettuce and sour cream.
Notes
These reheat really well. Like anything else, they get a little more spicy when they’re reheated, so keep that in mind when selecting your level of spice with the enchilada sauce.
Beef Enchilada Casserole
I can’t believe how many Dinnerly recipes I have on here! I just love enchiladas…which is to say…I must just love enchilada sauce. This recipe is a very simple take on traditional beef enchiladas.
Beef Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/4-ounce Tam-pico de gallo
- 2 1/2-ounce can tomato paste
- 2 poblano peppers, cut into 1/2" pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, coarsely shredded
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Kosher salt & pepper
- Olive oil
Instructions
- In medium saucepan, combine tam-pico de gallo spice blend, tomato paste, sugar and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until slight reduced, to 1 3/4 cups, about 4-6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
- Heat 1 T oil in large skillet over medium-high. Add chopped poblanos and cook until crisp-tender and browned in spots, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beef and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, breaking up into pieces, until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
- Meanwhile, place tortillas directly on center oven rack, and toast until crispy, flipping halfway through, 2-3 minutes per side (watch closely).
- Place toasted tortillas on top of beef mixture (the tortillas will slightly overlap), and pour sauce over top, making sure to coat the tortillas.
- Top with grated cheddar and bake on the center oven rack at 450ºF until sauce is thickened and cheese is golden and bubbling, about 8-10 minutes.
Notes
Top enchiladas with fresh pico de gallo: diced tomatoes, red onions, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper.
Cheesy Black Beans with Crispy Rice & Tomatoes
If you know me very well at all you know that I generally like meat and am generally ambivalent about vegetables. I mean they’re fine…as like…accessories to a meal. But I don’t get very jazzed up about a vegetarian meal. It’s like the old Wendy’s commercial growing up…where’s the beef!? That being said…this meal kit from Dinnerly was fantastic. I’m surprised I ordered it, even more surprised how much we liked it and I’ll be shocked if you don’t like it too.
Crispy Rice & Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
- 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lb. fresh plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 ounces sharp white cheddar, coarsely grated
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Rinse rice in a fine-mesh sieve until water runs clear. Add to a medium saucepan along with 3 cups water and 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil.
- Cover and cook over low until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 17 minutes.
- Heat garlic and 2 tsp oil in a medium ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium until fragrant, 1 minute. Add 1 T taco spice; cook, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, beans, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt, and a few grinds pepper. Cook until tomatoes are soft, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Wipe out skillet.
- Heat 2 T oil in same skillet over medium-high until shimmering; gently swirl to coat the skillet with oil. Add cooked rice. Using a spatula, press firmly into an even layer, pushing rice up the sides. Cook without disturbing until rice is fragrant and bottom is beginning to brown, 8-10 minutes.
- Preheat broiler with top rack 4-6 inches from heat source. Spoon beans and tomatoes over rice. Top with cheese. Broil on top oven rack until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, 2-3 minutes (watch closely).
Notes
Take it to the next level with pickled onions or shallots: marinate onion or shallot in lemon juice for 20-30 minutes (minimum).
Classic Fajitas
The traditional fajita dish. In my opinion, the key to great fajitas is getting a great sear on the meat so you seal in the juices but get some of that crunchy, charred meat taste on the outside. Yes, sir.
Classic Fajitas
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. thinly sliced chicken breasts or flank steak
- 12 flour tortillas
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 limes
- 2 avocados
- 2 red bell pepper
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons fajita spice blend
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Finely chop the cilantro leaves and stems. Cut out and discard the stem, ribs and seeds of the pepper; thinly slice lengthwise. Quarter the limes. Pit, peel and medium dice the avocados; toss with the juice of 8 lime wedges.
- In a medium bowl, combine the avocado, sour cream and 1/2 of the cilantro. Drizzle with olive oil. Using a fork, mash the mixture to your desire consistency; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish.
- Pat the meat dry with paper towels; transfer to a bowl. Season with salt, pepper and the spice blend; toss to coat. In a large nonstick pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned meat; cook, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate, leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan of reserved fond; heat on medium-high until hot. Add the pepper, sliced onion and remaining garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened and fragrant.
- Add the meat and 1/4 cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any fond from the bottom of the pan, 5 to 7 minutes, or until the water has cooked off. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish.
- While the filling cooks, stack the tortillas on a large piece of foil; tightly wrap the foil around the tortillas. Carefully place directly onto the oven rack; warm 6 to 8 minutes, or until heated through.
- Remove from the oven. Just before serving, carefully unwrap the warmed tortillas; transfer to a serving dish. Garnish the filling with the remaining cilantro. Service with guacamole and limes on the side.
Notes
Chilaquiles Pollo Rojo
Chilaquiles is one of a handful of dishes that I LOVE and am almost always disappointed with when ordering it in a restaurant (the other is biscuits & gravy), so I was thrilled when I figured out how easy it was to make at home. The key is the sauce. The sauce has to be flavorful and the right proportion with the chips. While I add a bunch of stuff to mine, you really can just make it with sauce and chips and a little Cotija. I created this recipe using red enchilada sauce, but it’s just as good with green enchilada sauce! And the best part is…you can eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Hell…you can eat it as a midnight snack. It’s that daggone good.
Chilaquiles Pollo Rojo
Ingredients
- 2 cups Enchilada Sauce
- 5 ounces Tortilla Chips
- 2 baked chicken breasts, shredded
- 1/3 cup Cotija or queso fresco cheese, crumbled
- 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
- 4 fried eggs, sunny side up
- 1 small lime, cut into wedges
- 1/4 cup chopped red onions
- Handful of cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat Enchilada Sauce in large skillet over medium heat.
- Once heated through, pour in tortilla chips and stir to completely coat.
- Add chicken and stir to coat.
- Divide chilaquiles onto plates. Top with cotija, onion, cilantro, and avocado. Squeeze lime wedge over top of plate. Top with fried egg(s). Serve warm!
Notes
Colorado Green Chili with Pork
When we first moved to Louisville, KY…I went to the Kroger to get some Stoke’s green chili so I could make some smothered burritos. They didn’t have any…weird. I went to Meijer…nope. What the hell is going on? Luckily we ran the catering and concessions program at the Louisville Zoo so I could get some from our Sysco food rep. Nope. No one knew what I was talking about. They kept wanting to give/sell me a can of diced green chilies. Fast forward several years and I finally figured out that ‘green chili’ is a Colorado thing. SO CRAZY! Especially because I don’t live there. Soo…I had to make some. This makes a big old batch and reminds me of those delicious burritos from La Loma. You can smother burritos or chile rellenos with it, or eat a bowl of it with a warm tortilla or two. Great, now I’m hungry….
Colorado Green Chili with Pork
Ingredients
- 1 3-lb. pork tenderloin, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 head of garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 cups whole Hatch green chilies, chopped
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3-6 tablespoons medium-spiced salsa verde
- 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained
- 5 cups (40 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 6+ tablespoons Kentucky Kernel seasoned flour
- Bacon grease
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat oil/grease in a Dutch Oven pot on medium high heat.
- Add pork tenderloin pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir flour into the mixture until the flour absorbs the oil/fat.
- Add broth. Bring to a boil, stirring often, until the mixture has slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and salsa verde.
- Add the spices a little at a time until you get the taste you like, bringing the mixture to a simmer before each addition.
- Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until meat is tender and can easily come apart.
Notes
Serve alone with warm tortillas, or serve as a sauce over burritos or chile rellenos with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream.
Creamy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
When I can’t think of anything to make for dinner, and don’t have a lot of time/energy…I throw these bad boys together. The heavy cream may seem strange but they make the enchiladas puff up and then turn into these creamy, crispy, decadent logs of deliciousness.
Creamy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes and green chilies, drained
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut up and softened
- 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
- 8 flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 pint whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9x13 baking dish.
- Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add Ro-tel and sauté 1 minute.
- Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts.
- Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese, and drizzle with whipping cream.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 min.
- Take off foil and cook for another 15 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
Notes
These are VERY filling…start with just one per person.
Guacamole
The original ‘dip’ in our house. I have such fond memories of my parents whipping up a bowl of guac. And we didn’t eat out that much so it wasn’t until years later that Mexican restaurants started popping up and I realized how boring MOST guacamole is. Well this isn’t boring at all. This is hands down my favorite guac…and I literally just discovered TODAY that Bruce’s hot sauce still exists!! It’s just been renamed/rebranded to ‘Louisiana Hot Sauce’ by Bruce Foods. Hell yes. It’s the perfect hot sauce for the perfect guacamole.
Guacamole
Ingredients
- 4 ripe avocados
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Bruce's hot sauce
- Glob of sour cream
- 1/2 tomato, chopped
- Garlic salt, to taste
- Onion powder, to taste
- Bed of lettuce, finely shredded
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients, except the lettuce.
- Serve on the bed of lettuce with chips.
Notes
Mexican Stuffed Shells
Honestly, these are…meh. Still working on them. They need a little pizazz. I welcome suggestions…
Mexican Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 8 ounces jumbo pasta shells (about 25 to allow for breakage)
- 10 ounces enchilada sauce
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil
- Boil your pasta shells for about 10 minutes, or until cooked al dente, according to the package directions. Rinse shells when they’re done cooking.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Meanwhile, cook up your ground beef and onions over medium high heat until cooked thoroughly.
- Drain excess grease from the pan. Add in the taco seasoning and stir to mix.
- Mix in the cream cheese and cook until the cheese is melted throughout. Set aside.
- Combine your enchilada sauce and salsa in a small bowl.
- Pour about half of your enchilada sauce/salsa mixture into the bottom of a 9X13 pan and spread around to cover.
- Fill each jumbo shell with a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture and place into the pan with the sauce.
- Repeat until all the shells are filled or meat mixture is gone.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce mixture over the top of the shells.
- Wrap pan in aluminum foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and top with cheeses.
- Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes
I top mine with a dollop of sour cream :)
Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
One of my favorite meals I ate growing up, was steak fajitas…specifically from Goodfriends restaurant in Denver. I swear if I close my eyes I can still taste them. I have always have a soft spot for fajitas but really couldn’t imagine making them. Until I found this recipe. These are CRAZY easy to make. They aren’t steak, but they’re the next best thing…
Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1 small red onion, sliced thin
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- Several turns of freshly ground pepper
- 2 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- Limes, quartered
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
- Tortillas, warmed
- Sour cream (optional)
- Shredded cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- In a large bowl, combine onion, bell peppers, shrimp, olive oil, salt, pepper and spices; toss to combine.
- Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Spread shrimp & pepper mixture onto baking sheet.
- Bake for about 8 minutes, then turn oven to boil and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until shrimp is cooked through.
- Squeeze juice from fresh limes over fajita mixture and top with fresh cilantro.
- Serve with warm tortillas, sour cream and shredded cheese.
Notes