Toss it in there Taquitos!

#leftovers

 

                            Boston butt w/ chorizo                   ground beef with verde salsa

Baked Taquitos are another easy, versatile, leftover creation. You pretty much just throw everything in there and bake it! But I’m going to walk you through how I did it and some tips to help make them great! With taquitos the sky’s the limit- pick out whatever ingredients you like and get them all ready first.  Some suggestions for fillers are:

-          Shredded chicken, ground beef, chorizo, pulled pork, steak, shrimp

-          Grilled/sautéed vegetables, black beans, rice, corn, refried beans, quinoa

-          Salsa, pico de gallo, onions…. Etc etc

The taquitos pictured above were created with leftover boston butt that was sautéed with chorizo and salsa. I’ve also recently done them with ground beef that I sautéed with verde salsa and onions- both were fantastic!!! Chicken with verde salsa or honey lime is a good choice as well…

Like I mentioned, get all of your ingredients ready first.

Here is what I did for the boston butt taquitos:

1.)    If you are using rice or quinoa go ahead and start that- some styles could take up to 20 minutes. *** special secret tip: instead of water use chicken or vegetable broth. You’ll never go back to regular rice again! ***

2.)    Cook/sauté your choice of meat (with salsa or other seasonings)  and set aside.

3.)    Sauté any vegetables (bell pepper, squash, onions) until soft but not caramelized, set aside   ( I often sauté with butter and fajita or taco seasoning to give some flavor)

4.)    Open/drain black beans or warm refried beans and set aside.

5.)    Once you have all your ingredients ready take out a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Arrange desired number of soft tortilla shells on baking sheet (its ok if they slightly over lap) and place in 425 degree oven. WATCH CAREFULLY!!!! When you notice the shells begin to bubble or show the slightest bit of color take them out!!!!

6.)    Now, be careful, but work quickly! Take each shell and fill it with desired ingredients. I always start with a light spread of salsa on the bottom, then beans, then meat, then rice, and top with veggies or onions. (you may add cheese too! We have a cheese allergy in my house so you’ll notice my recipes don’t have cheese) Roll taquito closed with seam on the bottom.

7.)    Spray baking sheet again and carefully transfer taquitos to sheet. Spray tops of taquitos or brush with butter so you get a nice golden crispy outside.

8.)    Place back in oven (still at 425) for about 10-12 minutes watching carefully. When the tops are golden and the insides are bubbling it’s time to take them out!

9.)    Let cool appropriately and enjoy! Serve with remaining rice and beans- add in chips if you’re feeling fancy and break out the margaritas!