When I was little, in the days before widespread drive thru restaurants, there was a little taco stand in our town called Hi-Chic that served taquitos. I loved going there with my dad where he’d order me two taquitos and a side of their very cold, probably had been frozen, guacamole. It is a precious memory.
For the last few months, I’ve been experimenting with making my own taquitos at home. This past week, I think we found a winner. This is a great recipe because you can make a ton of beef taquitos, store them in the freezer, and then bake them up when you’re ready for a quick, easy, and delicious lunch or dinner.
Since I was bulk cooking enchiladas, shredded beef, and taquitos all at one time, it’s difficult to give you an exact amount on how much filling you’ll need. I can say that 7.5 pounds of chuck roast produced about 12 cups of shredded beef filling which I then stretched into 2 dozen enchiladas, 2 dozen taquitos, and 2 pounds of beef filling for sandwiches and tacos. My educated guess is that you’ll want at least 2 cups of beef filling for these taquitos. Having extra won’t hurt. Make more taquitos or freeze the extra beef for another meal.
Beef Taquitos
2 dozen corn tortillas
oil for softening tortillas
1 batch, or at least 2 cups, shredded beef filling
1 small can diced green chiles
2 green onions, finely chopped
toothpicks
In medium skillet, heat oil until shimmering. Using tongs, fry tortillas in hot oil until softened. Drain on paper toweling. Combine shredded beef with green chiles and green onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assemble taquitos by rolling about 1-2 Tablespoons of filling tightly into each tortilla. Secure with a toothpick and set on a tray.
If freezing, flash freeze until firm, but not so firm that you can’t remove the toothpick. If the toothpick gets stuck, that’s fine, but you won’t be able to store them as compactly in your freezer container. Once frozen, pack into freezer containers and store in the freezer.
If baking right away, leave the toothpicks in, and pop into a preheated 475° oven. Bake for about 10-20 minutes, turning at least once.
If baking from frozen, place taquitos seam side down on tray and bake at 475° for up to 25 minutes. Check for crispness.
Remove toothpicks. Serve with sour cream, Avocado Salsa, Guacamole, or Homemade Salsa.
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This is going on next week’s meal plan – thanks!
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My youngest daughter loves taquitos. She would always request them while we were shopping the frozen aisle. Very, very rarely did I buy them but she had a friend whose mother always had them in the freezer. Can you guess what the meal of choice was when she was at their house? Anyway, I eventually found a recipe I liked for homemade taquitos. Now that is the variety she prefers! Like you, I make a big batch and freeze them. They’re great for an easy lunch or a quick dinner when she’s on her own.
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Jessica Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 8:06 am
I would love to see your recipe!
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Nancy Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 11:06 am
i’ll email it to you later this week.
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Ever since you posted about your geezers cooking I’ve been dreaming of taquitos! Thanks for the recipe!
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Tracy Martin Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 6:51 am
Haha, “geezers cooking” funny typo!!! Freezer cooking!!!
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Jessica Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
well, I didn’t catch that one! That’s what you get for typing with a toddler on your lap.
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I don’t have a special taquito memory. Actually, they usually seem too bland to me. That’s why I love that you added green chilies to yours! I may have to try this out! Thank you for sharing!!
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I was just looking on your site for a taquito recipe the other day and was disappointed not to find one, so thanks for posting! can’t wait to try them!
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Yay! The taquito post I’ve been waiting for!!! We regularly have corn tortillas on hand that go to waste. I’m looking forward to trying this out. I always warmed the tortillas on the grill, but I never thought to fry them. Perfect!
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Oh, these are so cute! They are SO fattening in restaurants or in the frozen food aisle but these look SO much better! Thanks!
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Finally! Yeah. I’ve been waiting for your taquito recipe for a long time. I’m so glad you’ve finally perfected it. Thank you. I can’t wait till chuck roast goes on sale again and I can make some.
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Hi Jessica,
I was wondering how to prevent the corn tortillas from breaking apart? I followed your recipe for the crockpot shredded beef and then this recipe for the inside of the taquitos, when I started rolling the tortillas, they crumbled. I didn’t think I had to fry them…was this the problem? Thank you in advance for your help! I love both of your sites.
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Jessica Reply:
September 7th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Yes, you have to soften them in hot oil. Corn tortillas are very unforgiving.
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hi there…love this recipe! just wondering what kind of oil you used to fry the corn torillas? thanks!
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Jessica Reply:
January 17th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
I use whatever I have: peanut, olive, or canola.
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ok, thanks! always like to use olive oil for health benefits, but haven’t ever fried in it.
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