Taco cupcakes are a great choice for an appetizer or even a meal. These are always a big hit at our annual superbowl party. If you make a big batch, they can easily be frozen to eat later.
The last time I made these, I stuck three “cupcakes” each in a sandwich bag and then put all of the baggies into one freezer bag. You can nuke them frozen in less than 2 minutes, or thawed in about 45 seconds.
Taco Cupcakes Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 lb 95% lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed (I skip these, because black beans are gross!)
- 16 wonton wrappers (found in the produce section)
- 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of queso dip or salsa con queso
- 1 cup chunky salsa
- 1 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese
- Gaucamole or sour cream for serving
Optional Ingredients:
- chopped onion
- sliced black olives (I add these)
- Gaucamole or sour cream for serving
- whatever else you might like on a taco or in a burrito… maybe refried beans or even rice?!
Directions for Taco Cupcakes:
- First things first… always preheat the oven! Things cook unevenly when you don’t, ya know! So, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly mist 8 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a saute pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and taco seasoning, breaking it with a spoon or spatula. Add black beans (yuck) or an optional ingredient(s) of your choosing and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for a few minutes until warm. The beef should be just done, remember you’re going to be baking this, so it will continue cooking in the oven!
- Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the muffin tin. Spoon a teaspoon of queso into each wonton wrapper and spread across the bottom.
- Follow by spooning about a tablespoon of the meat (or whatever you just cooked in the skillet) into each cup. Add a little salsa on top of that and sprinkle with some cheese.
- REPEAT! That’s right, we’re going to do this again! These should be called two layer taco cupcakes, but that’s too long, I guess. So… press another wonton on top, press the edges down like the top of a pie and repeat the layering steps.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin. Or if you’re like me, remove immediately and burn your fingers and then take a bite (because you just can’t wait) and burn the roof of your mouth! (Seriously, just wait 5 minutes)
The recipe can easily be multiplied to make for a party or keep it minimal and have it for dinner.
