Taquitos Two Ways

Superbowl. Sunday. It’s not a holiday exactly, but it kind of is. It ranks up there with Thanksgiving and Christmas as times when it is perfectly acceptable to gorge yourself. In fact, it is expected.

What makes the perfect Superbowl snack? It has to be filling. It has to complement beer. You have to be able to hold it in your hand (Unless it is chili. Exceptions are made for chili.)

I’ve made a few things on Macheesmo that I think would qualify as excellent Superbowl snacks. You could try chips, dips, or cream cheese treats.

Oh what’s that? You want wings? Well, I haven’t posted any wing recipes (yet) but check out these Honey-glazed wings (@ The Recipe Girl) or Asian chicken wings (@ White on Rice Couple).

If you want something a bit different though, might I suggest these guys:

I don’t think that these guys are any more work than enchiladas, but they are perfect for something like the Superbowl. You can walk around with them, cheer with them, or hurl them. Plus the recipe makes a bunch.

I decided that I would make a vegetarian and traditional version because vegetarians like football too.

Taquitos Two Ways
(Makes 35-40 taquitos. 15-20 of each kind.)

- 40 corn tortillas
- 1 Cup canola oil (approximately. You need enough to coat each tortilla.)

Beef filling
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 jalepeno
- Seasonings: I used 2 Tablespoons paprika, 1 Tablespoon chili powder, salt, and pepper. Adjust according to your tastes.

Vegetable filling
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 1 jalepeno
- Same assortment of seasonings as above or use different ones. Go crazy!

Cheater’s Guacamole (Just combine these two things)
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 Cup salsa

I also used extra salsa and Greek yogurt as dips. Sour Cream would be the traditional, but I like Greek yogurt.

The fillings are not hard to make. For the beef, just add all the ingredients to a sautee pan and cook until the meat is nicely browned. Season it well. Adjust the seasoning to your personal taste.

The same goes for the vegetable filling. Make sure you cook down the veggies until they are nice and soft. You will need to add some oil to this pan. Probably about 3-4 Tablespoons. It’s a lot of veggies. They probably need at least 15 minutes on medium-high heat.

Once both of those are done, you have to roll all of these guys. This is really the only mildly hard part of the recipe. My advice: Give yourself some extra time and extra tortillas, don’t do this in your church clothes, have a beer and relax.

This is the process I used:

Pour 1/4 cup oil into a saute pan and get it warm. Throw in one tortilla or once you get the hang of it you can do 2 or 3 at a time. Cook them literally for a few seconds a side. You just want to get them warm, flexible, and coated in oil.

Then, using tongs or maybe a spatula, transfer them to a plate, put a few tablespoons of your preferred filling directly in the middle, and roll it up.

Don’t worry if some of the filling falls out the ends. That’s to be expected. Put the rolled taquito seam-side down on a baking sheet. Continue until you have:

You want to bake these guys for 30-40 minutes at 375. The longer you cook them the more crispier they will get. Hint: Crispy is awesome.

While you are waiting you can prepare your dips and clean up a bit so you will be all set when the party arrives.

As an aside, I’ve officially decided I’m rooting for Arizona on Sunday. I’m fairly that the Steelers will win and I always like to cheer for the little guy.

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