These Shredded Beef and Cheese Taquitos are an incredible, easy, and freezer-friendly weeknight dinner from the From Freezer to Table cookbook, written by my friends at Thriving Home!
Today is such an exciting day! My friends, Polly and Rachel from Thriving Home blog, recently released their second cookbook, From Freezer to Table and I'm thrilled to be sharing a recipe from it. These Shredded Beef and Cheese Taquitos have proven to be a monthly freezer staple for me ever since I tried the recipe. I knew that they would be perfect to share on the blog since you all love meal prep recipes that make for an easy dinner option!
You can find my top 10 freezer-friendly meals here for more options as well.
What I love about the From Freezer to Table cookbook:
- All of the recipes in this book feature wholesome, whole food ingredients that are accessible, approachable and easy to find at the grocery store. I'll bet you have many of them stocked in your pantry and/or fridge already!
- For every recipe, there are instructions for cooking it in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. Polly and Rachel have made it really simple to get dinner on the table based on how much time you have and what is in your freezer.
- There are freezing, thawing, and reheating instructions for both cooking methods included with every recipe. Their expertise in this area really shines in the instructions, and I know you will learn some things about freezing and cooking in slow cookers/Instant Pots that you did not know!
- All of the recipes have been rigorously tested and approved by adults and kids alike! Seriously. They literally had hundreds of testers that provided feedback in the development and editing process for the cookbook. And both Polly and Rachel are cooking for kids, so the recipes are very family-friendly.
Ingredients
- Beef roast, beef broth, and taco seasoning - all of these are combined together and cooked in either the slow cooker or Instant Pot. You can also substitue shredded cooked chicken, pork, or turkey for the beef. Just mix the meat with some taco seasoning and perhaps a drizzle of avocado oil and you will be good to go.
- Cream cheese and salsa - once the meat is cooked and shredded, a little bit of cream cheese is folded into the beef with your favorite salsa.
- Shredded cheese and tortillas - the meat mixture is topped with shredded cheese, rolled up tightly in a tortilla, then frozen for later or baked to golden brown perfection! My favorite tortillas to use for this recipe are whole wheat tortillas or the low-carb flour tortilla version. The low-carb tortillas make this taquito recipe diabetic-friendly and a good keto option.
- Toppings - these are optional of course but could include sour cream, yogurt, avocado, taco sauce, or a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Tips
- Let the filling cool before assembling in tortillas - this is important if you want to freeze some of these for later. Freezing foods that are still warm can cause condensation to form in the food and the container you freeze in, which can lead to ice crystal formation. In the end, this can affect the texture of the reheated food and the freshness.
- Roll them up tightly - to keep the taquitos closed, you will need to roll them up tightly and tuck in with your fingers as you roll. This will be much easier with a flour blend tortilla - corn tortillas will be harded to fill and roll and may not crisp up as well. You will bake the taquitos with the seam-side down which will create a nice seal on the bottom.
- Spritz with cooking spray to create a crispy and golden exterior - a nice fine mist is best!
Serve with
You can find my top 10 freezer-friendly meals, and these can help you build out a successful meal-prep strategy if that is your goal.
Recipe
Shredded Beef and Cheese Taquitos
Reprinted from From Freezer to Cooker. Copyright © 2020 by Polly Conner and Rachel Tiemeyer. Published by Rodale Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
Tried this recipe?Mention @sweetcayenne5 or tag #sweetcayenne!
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Servings: 16 taquitos
Ingredients
- 1 (about 3 pounds) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning, homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup mild or medium salsa
- 16 (8-inch) whole-wheat tortillas
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Cooking spray
- Optional toppings: salsa, guacamole, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
Slow cooker instructions:
Make it now:
- Place the roast in the slow cooker and rub the taco seasoning over all sides of the meat. Add the broth.
- Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 5 to 6 hours, until the meat easily shreds. Transfer the beef to a cutting board and discard the liquid in the cooker. Using two forks, shred the meat and return it to the cooker.
- Add the cream cheese and salsa and stir until the cream cheese has melted.
- Arrange the tortillas on a flat surface. Using a slotted spoon, top each tortilla with an equal amount of the beef mixture, leaving a little room at the edges so the filling doesn’t spill out. Top each with about 3 tablespoons of the shredded cheese. Roll up the tortillas very tightly. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and position the racks in the upper and lower thirds. Spray two rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray or line them with parchment paper. (Alternatively, use one baking sheet to cook half the taquitos and freeze the rest to bake later.)
- Arrange the taquitos seam-side down on the prepared baking sheets, squeezing them in side by side. Spray the tops with cooking spray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, switching the pans from top to bottom halfway through the cooking time, until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are golden brown.
- Serve warm, with your favorite toppings.
Freeze for later:
- Follow steps 1 through 4. Place the rolled taquitos seam-side down in even layers (separated with parchment paper, if needed) in one or two gallon-size freezer bags or containers. Seal and freeze.
Prepare from frozen:
- Note: Have your favorite toppings on hand to complete this meal. Two options:
- Thaw. Follow steps 5 through 7.
- Do not thaw. Follow steps 5 and 6, but cover the frozen taquitos with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more, until golden brown and completely warmed through. Follow step 7.
Instant Pot instructions:
Make it now:
- Cut the beef into 2 × 2-inch pieces, trimming off excess fat as needed, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the beef in the 6-quart Instant Pot, sprinkle the taco seasoning over the beef, and toss to combine, coating all sides. Add the broth.
- Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a cutting board and discard the liquid in the pot. Using two forks, shred the meat and return it to the pot.
- Add the cream cheese and salsa and stir until the cream cheese has melted.
- Arrange the tortillas on a flat surface. Using a slotted spoon, top each tortilla with an equal amount of the beef mixture, leaving a little room at the edges so the filling doesn’t spill out. Top each with about 3 tablespoons of the shredded cheese. Roll up the tortillas very tightly. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and position the racks in the upper and lower thirds. Spray two rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray or line them with parchment paper. (Alternatively, use one baking sheet to cook half the taquitos and freeze the rest to bake later.)
- Arrange the taquitos seam-side down on the prepared baking sheets, squeezing them in side by side. Spray the tops with cooking spray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, switching the pans from top to bottom halfway through the cooking time, until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are golden brown.
- Serve warm, with your favorite toppings.
Freeze for later:
- Follow steps 1 through 4. Place the rolled taquitos seam-side down in even layers (separated with parchment paper, if needed) in one or two gallon-size freezer bags or containers. Seal and freeze.
Prepare from frozen:
- Note: Have your favorite toppings on hand to complete this meal. Two options:
- Thaw. Follow steps 5 through 7.
- Do not thaw. Follow steps 5 and 6, but cover the frozen taquitos with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more, until golden brown and completely warmed through. Follow step 7.
Serving: 1taquito | Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.5g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 17.3g | Saturated Fat: 7.8g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 764mg | Potassium: 230mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 0.8g | Calcium: 226mg | Iron: 4mg
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