Hi friends, hope your September is going well. I’ve got an easy entrée here for you today so I’ll get right to it. Taquitos are something we ate fairly regularly when I was a kid, although they were usually the kind out of a box because I wasn’t much into cooking back then. This recipe is an easy dinner as well as a delicious one, and you can easily tailor the filling and the tortilla texture to suit your preferences.

Ground beef (or deer, in my case) seasoned with salsa and chili powder and mixed with black beans and bell pepper includes some extra vegetables while being a very filling and rounded meal. Goes great with a side salad and/or fruit or they’re excellent just on their own. Tailor the heat by using a hotter salsa in the filling or let people dip their own if you have vastly different spice tolerances in the family. You could also chop up a jalapeno in there if you’re in to that sort of thing.

As for the outside, you only need bake them until they’re as crunchy as you prefer. Since the filling is already cooked the only oven goal is to bake the tortilla slightly. I did mine about 15 minutes because they cook a little slower on a silicon mat and I was aiming for them to be firm enough to pick up and dip, without getting too brown on the outside.

These are a great way to switch it up without a ton of extra work, and much easier to eat than tacos. They also work great as leftovers for an easily packable lunch or a convenient dinner. Heat them in the microwave if you’re in a hurry and don’t mind a soft tortilla, or over medium-low heat on the stove if you’re looking for the crunchy exterior.

If you’re wanting a quick meal for mid-week, you could probably do everything except bake them the night before, and then just pop them in the oven when you get home. Keep in mind they will probably need a little longer to bake in order to make sure they are heated all the way through. It also works well to only make the filling ahead of time, and then heat it slightly and fill the taquitos while the oven is preheating.

I’m sure these will become a new staple in our house, and I hope you enjoy them too. If you have any variations, I’d love to hear about them!

Baked Beef & Bean Taquitos

Adapted from Just a Pinch
Makes about 15

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped finely
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb ground beef (or deer, or whatever)

1 bell pepper, diced

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed
1 cup salsa¹ 
2-3 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste

1 package (about 20) 6″ flour (or corn) tortillas, room temperature²

Directions

1. In a large frying pan, combine oil, onion, and garlic. Saute over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until onion starts to soften.
2. Add the ground meat and continue to saute until it’s nearly all browned.
3. Add bell pepper and saute until the meat is completed cooked.
4. Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently for about ten minutes, or until mixture is hot.
5. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. When filling is hot, place about 1/4 cup in a tortilla and roll it up as tightly as you can without burning your fingertips. Place seam-side down on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until you run out of filling or tortillas.
7. Brush lightly with canola oil (optional) and bake for 8-20 minutes, until desired level of crunchiness is met.
8. Serve immediately with your favorite sour cream and salsa.

Notes

¹ The salsa flavor is fairly prominent so make sure you use one you like!

² I prefer flour tortillas but corn would work just fine. They will be much easier to roll if they are room temp, so if you normally keep yours in the refrigerator be sure to put them on the counter that morning, or heat them briefly in the microwave or on the stove before you start.

³ I doubled the batch so I’d have lots and it worked great to have leftovers.