Spicy Beef Taquitos
These Spicy Beef Taquitos are the perfect handheld snack for a football viewing party, Taco Tuesday dinner with the family, or food for any fiesta or casual day at home, really. They are super easy to put together, totally crave-worthy and packed with spicy, beefy, cheesy goodness. I really recommend taking a minute to mix your own taco seasoning. It’s spicier and so, so flavorful. The tortillas in this recipe get nice and crunchy and it’s easy to see why taquitos are such a popular freezer food option. To view your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
I love spice, but if you’re looking to dial back the heat you can use mild salsa, swap the Pepper Jack for Cheddar and halve the red pepper flakes in the seasoning. It’s also easy to double or halve the recipe, so if you’re hosting a huge bash for the big game or eating them for a solo meal, you should be able to adapt this one to meet your needs. Serve with salsa, guacamole or sour cream for dipping!
Spicy Beef Taquitos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lb 95% lean ground beef
- ½ cup salsa, I used medium heat, but feel free to adjust to your preferences
- 3 oz 50% reduced fat Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (I used Cabot)
- 16 6-inch corn tortillas, I used Mission Extra Thin Yellow Corn
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil and then lightly mist it with cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper in a dish and stir together to make your own taco seasoning. Set aside.
- Bring a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef. Cook while breaking up with a wooden spoon until beef is completely browned and broken into small pieces. Drain any grease from the pan. Add the taco seasoning from step 2 and the salsa and stir together until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the shredded cheese. Stir to combine.
- Place about half the tortillas between two paper towels and microwave them for 30-60 seconds until they are warm and pliable. Place a tortilla on a clean, dry work surface and then scoop two rounded tablespoons of beef filling onto the bottom third of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up from the bottom to surround the filling and once it’s rolled into a tube, place it on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat steps with the remaining ingredients (including microwaving the other half of the tortillas when you get to them). When all the taquitos are rolled and on the baking sheet, mist the tops of the taquitos with cooking spray.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until tortillas start to get golden and crispy.
Notes
2 PP per taquito, two taquitos are 5 PP (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Emily Bites Original, taco seasoning mix is from allrecipes
These look awesome! And I literally have every single one of the ingredients needed without having to stop at the store! That NEVER happens! Thanks so much for this!
I going to make these tonight – they look so yummy and easy!
My husband would love this! Yummy
just loved these! will be making them for Superbowl for sure.
Oh yum!! Made them tonight and they were so good. I also loved how quickly they came together.
Just made these and they were delicious.. I didn’t roll the tortillas too well, but they still came out awesome.. My son devoured them…
I’m so happy you both loved them! 🙂
I’ll be trying these this week. Thank you Emily!
These were so yummy, easy, and filling! I just used regular taco seasoning, but would highly recommend this recipe!
So glad you loved them! 🙂
My husband would go crazy over these- definitely pinning!
Made these tonight, so good! I used a little less cheese and didn’t use a full 2 tablespoons. My husband and daughter deemed them better than tacos! All their faves come from you!
How would I warm these up if I cook them several hours ahead of time?
If you’re going to have access to an oven then instead of reheating them I’d just prep them all the way until the step when you put them in the oven and then stick them in the fridge until you want to serve them hours later. Then you can just bake as usual. Depending on how you’re storing them in the fridge you may want to seal each roll with a toothpick. Hope that helps!
I misread this recipe and thought I needed 16.6inch tortillas. My husband couldn’t find corn in that size so we ended up with 12 inch flour tortillas. While cooking them I realized it was 16 – 6 inch. Big difference. Haha. Well I ended up with 8 – 12 inch taquitos so I counted 1 as 2 though for a few more points. Either way they were very good. I will try it with the right size next time.
Can I ask where you found the 6 inch corn tortillas? I also live in Buffalo and ive looked at Wegmans and Walmart and can’t find them! Also, do you find them with the taco stuff? Or with the bread? Thx!
They sell them at Tops :). I have seen them in different sections depending on the location I go to, but it’s actually usually on a display rack near the deli/fancy cheese area in my closest store.
Just made these & they were perfect. I used cheddar cheese instead but left the rest of the recipe as is. Just enough spice for me . I will definitely be making these for the next party we have.
My partner has been craving taquitos for quite a while and this absolutely hit the spot. We had enough calories left in our day to have 4 each, and we were totally stuffed. The flavors, the crunch…it felt like we were cheating. Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s going in our regular rotation.
I’m so happy to hear you both loved them!! 🙂
Can you freeze these after making them? And if so, how would you reheat them?
I’m sure you could freeze them after filling them and wrapping them, though I haven’t done it. I wouldn’t bake them before freezing, I’d bake them after and just play around with a longer cooking time if you don’t have time to defrost them first.
Made these this weekend with ground turkey and reduced fat cheddar since that is what I had on hand. They came out great. I served them with a side salad and grilled pineapple. Another keeper recipe!
So happy you loved them! Now you have me craving grilled pineapple…YUM.
These were AMAZING! I took the spice level down a notch and used mild salsa and Mexican blend cheese just to suit my family. My kids, my husband, and myself were crazy for these and I will never buy the premade frozen guys from the store again! Thanks for a winner of a recipe!
Yay, I’m so thrilled to hear they were such a big hit! Thanks Kerri 🙂
Can I do these the day before and eat them at room temp? If not, is there an appetiser recipe that can be done ahead of time and eaten at room temp? Thanks.
I’ve made these four times so far and LOVE them. A few tips I’ve learned – use tortillas that are one day stale or leave fresh ones out overnight. Always heat them for the full minute before filling and rolling. Both of those things make them way less susceptible to cracking as they cook. And definitely don’t skimp on spraying oil-that makes them perfectly crispy. These are my go-to food for office potlucks and parties now. They’re so easy and everybody loves them!
Great tips! Thanks for posting 🙂
These were fabulous! We routinely buy the frozen taquitos for ease/comfort and these were way better than anything I’ve ever had. Very easy to make. Thank you!
This is a definite keeper recipe. It is quick, easy and so flavorful. I made these for a Super Bowl party and they were a HUGE hit. Several of the people in attendance requested to make them again for book club that I’m hosting in a few weeks. WOW!! Thank you
Even though I warmed the tortillas they all split open before I could get them in the oven. What did I do wrong?
I am excited to try this recipe. My TWO CENTS about WARMING CORN TORTILLAS – in my experience the best way is to dip them in water and warm them in in a pan on the stove top or electric flat top. It takes longer, but is less frustrating in the long run.
Made theses and added a frozen corn, black bean and pepper mix into the meat. Was good! All of my tortillas broke open and kept breaking, but alas I added a salad so it made it a taquito salad!
I made these last week. I substitute turkey for the ground beef. They were delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Would it be okay to use flour tortillas?
Sure!
I was wondering if you could use the air fryer to cook these? If yes, at what temperature and For how long?
I make these often! (or sometimes one of my “tweaked” versions) Delicious every time! Pretty easy too! The tortillas sometimes crack in the oven, but delicious nonetheless!