I remember how excited my mom was when one of her recipes was featured in our local newspaper. She gained some prestige as a great cook amongst family and her circle of friends because of that recipe. We knew what a good cook she was, we got to enjoy her cooking each and every day. Except her creamed spinach…it was horrid! Sorry mom, I loved just about all your cooking except for that. I still can’t eat creamed spinach to this day, my mother’s scarred me for life, it was that bad.
When I came across a grainy, yellowed picture on the internet of a Tacorita recipe carefully cut out of a newspaper I knew I had to give it a try. It made me think of my mom’s recipe that was featured in the paper all those years ago. You know when it’s dotted with food splatters, yellowed with age and wrinkled; that someone actually took the time to carefully cut it out of the newspaper and save it for decades, it’s gonna be dog gone good! This recipe was submitted to the Colorado Springs, Gazette Telegraph, by Marcia O. Burg.
You may be asking, so what exactly is a Tacorita? It’s what you get when you combine all the best parts of a taco with the meaty heartiness of a burrito and the melty cheesiness of an enchilada. This is an easy to make, delicious Mexican inspired meal that is sure to please both adults and kids alike. It’s the perfect meal for all your Cinco de Mayo celebrations!
Start by making the toppings. Shred some lettuce, dice tomatoes and chop up some fresh cilantro. Set aside.
NOTE: The original recipe calls for placing the shredded lettuce inside the flour tortilla with the filling. These Tacoritas are baked in the oven and it seemed to me the lettuce would get soggy and limp being baked, so I opted to top each Tacorita with a fresh salad; the shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, and cilantro after I pulled them out of the oven so the salad stayed fresh and crisp.
These Tacorita’s get their Mexican inspired flavors from common everyday Mexican inspired spices; garlic powder, oregano, chili powder and cumin. These are spices that most of us always have in our arsenal. No need to go out and purchase any expensive spices you may never use again for this meal. Gotta love that!
Brown a pound of ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up into crumbles with a spatula as it cooks. Drain off any excess fat.
Stir in chili powder and garlic powder. Set aside.
In a sauce pan combine cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese soup, water, cumin and oregano. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is heated through and smooth and creamy.
Stir half the cheese sauce into the reserved cooked meat mixture to make the filling.
Ladle some of the cheese sauce into the bottom of a 13×9 inch casserole dish to coat the bottom of the dish.
Next it’s time to assemble the “enchiladas”. Place about half a cup of the meat mixture onto a ⅓ of a flour tortilla.
Add some diced onion and shredded cheese.
Roll up the tortilla and place it, seam side down, in the prepared casserole dish. Continue until all the meat mixture has been used up.
Cover the tortillas completely with the remaining cheese sauce.
Top with a generous layer of shredded cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly, golden brown and completely heated through.
To serve, top each plate with some shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro.
Meaty, cheesy, and creamy, with a fresh flavor profile from the topping of fresh veggies. These Tacoritas are so very, very good! My guys gobbled them up like nobody’s business! Both my son and the hubs went back for seconds. I know I have a hit when they grab seconds. They are even better reheated the next day for lunch. I know these will be making an appearance on the dinner table often. Give them a try, I think you will love them as much as we do.
Tacoritas
Equipment
- 13×9 inch casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 can cheddar cheese soup
- 1 can cold water
- ½ large onion, diced
- 8-10 flour tortillas
- 3 cups Colby Jack cheese, grated
- shredded lettuce, for garnish
- diced tomatoes, for garnish
- cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Brown ground beef in a large skillet, breaking it up into crumbles as it cooks. Drain off excess fat.
- Stir in chili powder and garlic powder. Set aside.
- In a sauce pan combine cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese soup, water, cumin and oregano. Bring two a simmer and cook over low heat until heated through and sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Stir half the cheese sauce into the meat mixture to make the filling.
- Ladle some of the cheese sauce into a 13×9 inch casserole dish.
- Place some of the meat filling mixture on a ⅓ of a flour tortilla.
- Add diced onion and shredded cheese. Roll up tortilla and place in prepared casserole dish seam side down.
- Continue until all of the meat mixture has been used up.
- Top tortillas with remaining sauce and a layer of shredded cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until heated through and golden brown.
- Serve topped with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro.
Did You Make This?
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