Easy Vegetarian Taco Cups (ready in 20 minutes!)
Posted: 09/23/2015
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These easy vegetarian taco cups are a great meal for nights when you don’t have a lot of time to make dinner – you can customize them with any of your favorite toppings.
Ever have one of those nights where it’s 4:30…and then 5:00…and then 5:30…and you still have no clue what you’re going to make for dinner? (I have a feeling today is going to be one of those days for me.)
I try my best to meal plan and avoid those last minute decisions but…I have two toddlers. Sometimes the day gets away from me and I still haven’t decided what I’m going to make for dinner. Or perhaps I’m completely exhausted and want to ditch my original plan for an easier, quicker meal.
Thankfully, I usually have a stocked fridge and pantry (unless I need to make a trip to the grocery store). I was talking to someone recently who said that she doesn’t keep the pantry stocked with canned tomatoes – she only buys them when she specifically needs them for a recipe. It blew my mind! If I didn’t have canned tomatoes, I’d know it was time to go the store. Same thing goes for tortillas, cheese, and beans – three of the main ingredients in this recipe.
When Azteca Foods reached out to me to develop a recipe using their No Artificial Preservative flour tortillas, I knew right away that I’d be making these fun little vegetarian taco cups. Apparently, I think my muffin tins need more use – did you catch the turkey sausage and broccoli egg white frittata muffins I posted earlier this week? I’ve also put macaroni and cheese in muffin tins. Twice. Okay, three times. And even quinoa. And mini meatloaf! Oh…and sometimes I even use them for actual muffins.
To make these taco cups, I used a biscuit cutter to cut rounds out of the tortilla (which, by the way, contain no high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors or flavors). If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, find a bowl or glass with an opening slightly larger than your muffin tin openings. Place that on the tortilla and then use a knife to cut around the edge, making a circle.
Once you have the rounds cut out, spray the muffin tin, and press the tortilla rounds into the muffin tin. Fill with desired fillings (if you plan ahead, you could use homemade refried beans!). This would also be a great meal to use up leftovers after taco night. I don’t know about you, but I don’t love eating the exact same thing two days in a row. You could repurpose the beans (and meat, if you want!) into these taco cups. Viola! It’s basically a whole new meal.
PS: I snuck in a layer of spinach under the beans. You don’t need to precook it at all, it cooks while the taco cups cook. It’s a great way to add a little extra nutritional value and my kids chowed them down. Okay, E chowed them down. N doesn’t eat anything but macaroni and cheese and bananas but we’re working on it.
PPS: FINGER FOOD. What kid wouldn’t love these? Besides my picky little man, of course. But we can’t use him as a barometer of kid-friendly food. Because, again, he dislikes everything.
More fun ideas for tortillas:
Looking for delicious ways to use that package of tortillas in your fridge? Here’s a few ideas for you:
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
taco cups (4 servings)
These easy vegetarian taco cups are a great meal for nights when you don’t have a lot of time to make dinner – you can customize them with any of your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
- 4 supersize Azteca No Artificial Preservatives flour tortillas
- 10 ounces vegetarian refried beans
- 1/2 cup loosely packed baby spinach
- 3/4 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
- Toppings: Shredded lettuce, sliced scallions, diced tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, avocado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cut circles out of the tortillas that are slightly bigger than muffin tins – you should be able to get three large circles out of each tortilla. Use a biscuit cutter or a small bowl – if you use a bowl, place it upside down and trace around it with a knife to cut out the circle.
- Place the tortilla circle into a muffin tin, forming a cup. Repeat until all 12 tins have been filled with a tortilla.
- Into the bottom of the tortilla cup, place 3-4 leaves of spinach, then 2 teaspoons refried beans, and then top with 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese. Tap down gently on counter to settle the cheese down.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortilla is crispy around the edges.
- Serve with all your favorite taco toppings!
Notes
With tortilla scraps, you can make chips! Place scraps on sheet pan single layer – spray with olive oil spray, sprinkle with salt – bake at 400°F for 5-6 minutes until crispy and golden brown.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 3taco cups, Calories: 290kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 587mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 3g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Husband’s take: Ben adored these. He’d probably be annoyed that I used the word “adored” though.
Changes I would make: None at all!
Difficulty: So easy!
The No Artificial Preservative flour tortillas are part of Azteca’s better-for-you options, which includes tortillas with added Calcium and Vitamin D, a tortilla option made with Ultragrain® Whole Wheat Flour, Organic, Whole Wheat, Low Carb and more.
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Azteca Foods. I was compensated for my time to create this recipe. All opinions are always my own. Thanks for supporting my blog by reading about brands I use and love.
Georgia Neame says
The bottoms were soggy and wouldn’t come out of the tin without falling apart. I didn’t use the spinach
Rachel Gurk says
Hmm, I’m sorry these weren’t a success! What brand of tortilla did you use? Did you use canned refried beans?
georgia Neame says
Can’t remember the brand of tortillas but I used canned refried beans
Rachel Gurk says
Hmm. Sorry again it didn’t turn out! They’re always nice and crispy for me.
Querino de Freitas says
I LIKE THE IDEA,,USEING MUFFIN TINS,, A PARTY TIT BIT….I WILL TRY IT..
Rachel Gurk says
I hope you love them!
Patty K says
I’m such a fan of bite-sized food!
Michelle @ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Love this idea. I will have to check to see if Azteca makes any gluten-free tortillas so I can make these!
Jessica - The Novice Chef says
Oh yum! This sound so good and is almost like a nacho cup too! I can’t wait to try these, Rachel!
Miss @ MIss in the Kitchen.com says
This is right up my alley! Although I would have to fight for them, my boys would make them disappear in 2 seconds.