Cheesy Puffy Tacos Recipe
If you're looking for a bit of a twist for your Taco Tuesday, then look no further than this recipe for cheesy puffy tacos. These babies are filled with ooey, gooey cheese that will be sure to satisfy both your belly and any cheese cravings you may have. Instead of using a tortilla to put the taco together, you'll be using a puff pastry — a puff pastry plus lots of cheese that is, which will result in a massive hit for both kids and adults. This recipe yields 18 servings, which means that there are more than enough cheesy puffy tacos to go around for a perfect crowd-pleasing dish.
This recipe only requires about five minutes of prep time, which is always a win. The dish also only needs 25 minutes of cook time. Stephanie Rapone of Pantry Top Plate Meals is the brains behind this Mexican delight. She says that her favorite thing about this dish is the serving style. "It's great for kids or a finger-food type event like a cookout, party, or tailgate," she raves. "No utensils required, and it's still yummy at room temperature."
This dish is always a great choice. Cheesy taco puffs taste great and look great on a platter. And don't hesitate to prepare them for dinner along with a side salad. The family will be anxious for you to whip them up again and again. Keep scrolling to find out how to put the recipe together with step-by-step instructions and photos.
Gather the ingredients to prepare cheesy puffy tacos
Surprisingly, this recipe looks like it would be fancy to make with lots of ingredients, but it only calls for a handful of items. It's quite possible that you may have several in your pantry already. You will simply need either vegetable or canola oil, ground beef, taco seasoning, and mild taco sauce. In addition, get water, shredded cheddar cheese (or Monterey jack), puff pastry, sour cream, and adobo sauce. Garnishes are optional, and they include some fresh cilantro and green onion.
Once you have everything laid out in front of you, it's time to get making your cheese taco puffs!
Thaw the dough
Before you start to prepare the recipe, the puff pastry needs to thaw before using it. About six to 24 hours before you're ready to cook, take the puff pastry out of the freezer, and place it in the fridge to thaw. You can just leave it in the box and don't even need to take it out.
Sounds easy enough, right? Puff pastries are truly easy to work with, and they have such a beautiful and flaky crust that takes this dish to a whole new level. Not to mention, buying puff pastry saves on so much prep time and is one of the ingredients that make this finished recipe look as though you spent much more time preparing it than you did.
Preheat the oven, and cook the beef
When the dough is thawed and ready to work with, it's time to preheat your range. Set the oven to 400 F. In the meantime, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and set them to the side for use in a bit. Next, chop up your onion, and set it aside. If you opt to use the fresh cilantro and green onion for garnishes that are listed, wash them and chop them well, too, and keep them for later.
Now, take out a large skillet. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it's hot. Make sure that it doesn't smoke, because if it does, that means it's a little bit too hot. Add in the onion, and cook until it's translucent and starts to brown. When you get to that point, add the ground beef into the same pan, and use a spatula to break it apart. Pour the taco seasoning on top. Mix everything together really well so the ground beef is evenly coated with taco seasoning, which gives the dish a punch of flavor. Mixing it well will assure each bite is as tasty as the next. Cook everything together for about five to seven minutes until the meat is cooked through and brown.
Add the taco sauce and water
Once the beef is done, add more to the skillet. Next, add in the taco sauce and water. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to low. Set your timer for five minutes, and then turn off the heat. Take the skillet off the burner, and add the cup of cheddar and pepper jack, and mix until the cheese melts. You're almost done with the prep work, so feel free to give yourself a pat on the back. Your kitchen will smell so good, and with that will come very curious and eager family members who cannot wait to try your masterpiece!
It's pastry filling time
Now it's time for your pastry sheets to shine. Unfold them, and cut the sheets into thirds. To achieve this, you just need to follow the fold lines. Then, cut into thirds crosswise. When all is said and done, you should have nine even rectangles.
Now is the exciting time of this recipe, because you are going to fill each puff up. To do this, spoon about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of taco meat in a diagonal from the top left corner to the bottom right of each square. Then, fold the two opposite corners of each square over the filling. Press the edges to seal and ensure that the beef mixture won't spill out while it's cooking. Use the rest of your cheddar, and press it into the puffs. You're going to love the way these little pastry bundles look at this point. Since they look so great now, just wait until they come out of the oven!
Bake the cheesy puffy tacos, and enjoy
Set your timer for 15 to 18 minutes, and bake these delights until the tops of the puffs turn golden brown. While the puffy tacos are baking in the oven, it's the perfect time to combine the sour cream and the adobo sauce together in a small bowl for some awesome dipping sauce.
When the timer goes off and you take your golden brown puffs out of the oven, let them cool for about five minutes before enjoying. These cheesy puffy tacos pair super well with a "larger Mexican themed menu — chips and guacamole, elote, corn salad, etc," Rapone shares. You can stick them in the fridge for up to five days and use as leftovers, but just note that the puff pastry texture changes once they get cold. Plus, they are so delicious, there's a more than good chance they will be gone right after you serve them.
The good thing is, now you know how to put these together. You can pull out this recipe the next time you have to make something fun, easy, and delicious! But for now, call the family to come in for dinner. They've been patient enough, and it's time to enjoy some really fun and unique tacos.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 1 pound ground beef (85% lean)
- 1 (1-ounce) package taco seasoning
- 1 cup mild taco sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (or Monterey jack cheese)
- 2 sheets (17.3-oz package) puff pastry
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from chipotles in adobo)
- fresh cilantro
- green onion
- Six to 24 hours before, remove puff pastry from the freezer, and place it in fridge to thaw.
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the onion, and cook until it's translucent and starting to brown.
- Add the ground beef, and crumble with a spatula. Then, add the taco seasoning, and cook, crumbling with a spatula for 5 to 7 minutes until the beef is cooked through. If needed, drain the excess fat.
- Add the taco sauce and water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to low. Simmer for another 5 minutes, then turn off heat, and set aside.
- Add 1 cup of the cheddar and all of the pepper jack cheese to the ground beef mixture, and mix until melted.
- Unfold pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into thirds (follow the fold lines), then cut into thirds crosswise so you have nine even rectangles.
- Spoon 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of the taco meat in a diagonal from top left corner to bottom right corner of each square. Fold two opposite corners of each square over the filling, and press edges to seal.
- Place on baking sheet with about 2 inches between each "puff." Top with remaining cheddar, and press into the puffs.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown.
- While baking, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce in a small bowl for dipping sauce.
- Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving.
| Calories per Serving | 320 |
| Total Fat | 24.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9.3 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.4 g |
| Cholesterol | 40.7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 14.5 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.7 g |
| Total Sugars | 1.4 g |
| Sodium | 358.9 mg |
| Protein | 10.8 g |
