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I am a mom to twin boys, full-time employee of a telecommunications company and wife to a professional musician. I work, do yoga, cook and try to squeeze in DIY projects and spending time with friends.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

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.

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