Taco Tuesday: It’s as American as baseball and apple pie. But do you ever get tired of eating the same version every week? Maybe not, but I like to try and switch things up from time to time to keep it interesting, even if, like Taco Bell, I’m basically using the same ingredients and calling it a new dish!
We also generally rotate from the same list of sides with these dishes:
- Taco rice
- Refried beans
- Black beans
- Chips and queso
- Avocado
- Sour cream
Enchiladas
These homemade enchiladas are so, so easy! Anytime I make them, my husband announces that if we weren’t already married, he would propose on the spot.
Ingredients:
- 1Lb ground beef
- 10 medium tortillas
- 1 can mild enchilada sauce
- shredded cheese
- 10 toothpicks
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with nonstick spray. Brown the ground beef and season with onion and garlic powder (or whatever you want). Put 10 medium soft tortillas on a plate. Spoon about two large tablespoons of ground beef into each tortilla, wrap tightly, stick a toothpick in it, and place in dish. Pour can of enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas, and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for about 10 minutes to warm everything up and melt cheese.
Tamales
I do NOT make homemade tamales, although I want to try one day! I buy them from Sam’s Club or Costco and they are delicious. They cook in the microwave and are ready in minutes. My favorite restaurant tamales are from Mexico Lindo on Cedar Bluff, and they even sell them in bulk to heat up at home.
Chicken Tortilla Casserole
Ingredients:
- 1 whole shredded chicken or two large cans of chicken
- 1/2 small can diced green chiles
- 10 medium soft tortillas
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 small can sliced olives
- 1 can enchilada sauce or diced tomatoes for topping (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with nonstick spray. Cut tortillas into small strips. Mix all ingredients except enchilada sauce/tomato. Pour mixture into casserole dish, then top with enchilada sauce, or cheese, or tomatoes depending on what your family likes. Cook for about 35 minutes or until bubbly.
Burrito Bowls
For burrito bowls, just use all your favorite burrito fillings, but instead of wrapping the burrito, warm the tortillas for a few seconds in the microwave and lay them in the bowl, then spoon your filling inside! If I’m being honest, this was a ploy to keep burritos interesting for my four-year-old, and we all ended up liking it.
Taquitos
We love frozen taquitos; these are one of my go-to meals for when I don’t have time to cook and need something quickly. We dip taquitos in sour cream and mashed avocado. I buy the flour shell, not the corn ones.
So there you have it: five different ways we eat Mexican food at home during the week! The great thing is these dishes are easy to customize to your family’s taste. For example, my sister tops her enchiladas with salsa instead of enchilada sauce, and sometimes uses chicken instead of ground beef. You can also make the Chicken Tortillas Casserole way zestier — it just depends on how sensitive you or your kids are to spice!
