Totally Tubular Tortillas

The name comes from Mr. Unwired... go figure. The recipe was influenced by the rolled tacos of my Southern CA youth; the technique came from a recipe I read in Six O'Clock Scramble.  "Three rolled tacos with guac" ring a bell to any San Diegans out there?

I squeezed eight of these into an 8x8 Pyrex dish, and cooked them in my large toaster oven to avoid heating the kitchen-- it was really hot today and the air conditioning didn't need any competition from the oven.

Totally Tubular Tortillas
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup ground beef
1 cup refried beans (I buy them at Trader Joes)
1-2 Tbsp salsa
3/4 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
8 flour tortillas (6 inch size)

1. Turn oven on to 400 degrees.  In a non-stick pan, warm vegetable oil over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until soft, 3-5 minutes,

2. Add meat and cook, breaking it up with a spoon until all the pink is gone, about another 5 minutes.  If desired, drain the fat from the pan at this stage.  Remove from heat.

3. Stir in the salsa and beans, mixing well to combine.

4. In each tortilla, scoop about 2 Tbsp of the meat mixture, placing it in a line down the middle of the tortilla.  Top with cheese, and roll.  Place in a casserole dish seam side down.  Continue with remaining seven tortillas.

5. Bake at 400 degrees until the tops of the tortillas are crunchy, about 15 minutes.

These were a quick and easy dinner, served with a big bowl of fruit, salsa and guacamole.

Update:  For crunchy tubular tortillas, bake them on a cookie sheet with a little space between.  Twenty minutes should get them to crunchy perfection!

Update #2: To save time, you can mix up a bunch of filling at once (through step 3 above) and freeze it.  On cooking day, defrost the filling in the microwave until soft, but not hot.  Start at step 4 above, and you'll have dinner on the table in little more than the cooking time.