Description
This recipe for Shredded Beef Taquitos offers an easy and healthier twist on a classic Mexican favorite by baking the taquitos instead of frying. Featuring tender, flavorful shredded beef combined with green chiles and melted cheese, wrapped in crispy baked corn tortillas, these taquitos are perfect for a crowd and serve as a delicious appetizer or main dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 2 cups Mexican shredded beef, drained
- 4 ounce canned green chiles, un-drained (fire roasted recommended)
- 2 cups finely shredded cheese (about 4 ounces, Monterey Jack cheese)
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Taquito Ingredients
- 20 corn tortillas
- Oil cooking spray or oil for brushing
Instructions
- Prepare the shredded beef filling: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced onions and cook for about 2 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Cook the beef mixture: Add the drained shredded beef, canned green chiles (with liquid), and salt to the skillet. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is slightly dried out.
- Cool and add cheese: Remove the skillet from heat and let the mixture cool slightly. Stir in the finely shredded cheese until well combined.
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: Preheat your oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line an extra-large baking sheet with foil and generously spray the foil with cooking spray or brush with oil.
- Soften the tortillas: Place 12 tortillas in a single layer on the baking sheet. Spray the tops of the tortillas with cooking spray or brush with oil. Bake for 4 minutes to soften and make them pliable.
- Prepare tortillas for rolling: Remove the tortillas from the oven and stack them on top of each other. Flip the entire stack so the sprayed sides are facing down to keep the tortillas moist while filling.
- Fill and roll the taquitos: Place about 2 heaping tablespoons of the shredded beef mixture near the bottom third of each tortilla. Tightly roll up the tortilla around the filling and place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Leave some space between each taquito to allow for crisping.
- Bake the taquitos: Bake the rolled taquitos for 15 minutes. If the taquitos look dry, spritz lightly with cooking spray before baking.
- Flip and continue baking: Remove the tray from the oven, carefully flip the taquitos over, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until they are lightly browned and crisp.
- Repeat or bake remaining batches: Repeat the softening, filling, rolling, and baking process with the remaining tortillas and beef mixture. Alternatively, heat remaining tortillas while rolling the first batch to save time.
- Serve: Serve the baked shredded beef taquitos hot with homemade guacamole, hot sauce, or your favorite toppings such as shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, diced tomato, and Mexican crema for a flavorful experience.
Notes
- If you want to skip cooking down the beef mixture to save time, use drained shredded beef directly but expect slightly wetter filling.
- Using fire-roasted green chiles adds a smoky depth of flavor, but regular green chiles can be substituted.
- Spraying the tortillas before baking softens them and prevents cracking while rolling.
- Stacking and flipping the tortillas after softening keeps them moist and pliable for rolling.
- Adding oil spray before baking helps create a crispy texture without deep frying.
- Because these taquitos are baked, they are a healthier alternative to traditional fried taquitos.
