Taco Seasoning Mix

As you can probably tell, our family loves Mexican and Spanish flavors.  A lot of our recipes call for a Taco Seasoning packet, but we have our own stash of homemade Taco mix. It's a  lot less sodium than the packets, and you know exactly what goes into it. From here on out, any future recipes will call for "Taco Seasoning Mix". Since we use a lot of salsa, I used a cleaned & dried jar as the container.

Each batch yields about 8 servings. 

Ingredients

• 4 tbsps. chili powder
• 4 tsps. corn starch
• 4 tsps. oregano
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Measure & combine all seasonings and mix well. Store in an air-tight container.
2. Use in place of a packet of taco seasoning.
3. Use 2 tablespoons of seasoning per pound of taco meat.
4. When you make tacos, brown meat and drain excess fat. Add in 2 tablespoons seasoning per pound of meat along with 2/3 cup water.

Spices + clean jar.


Pretty spices, all measured out!


Labeled!


Whisk everything together until well blended.


Mix added to airtight container. I even made a cute label! These pictures show a doubled recipe (about 16 servings).


Here's a cute label you can use. I just made it from MS Word with the Avery 5163 setting.

Southwest Cheeseburger Pasta

This is a dinner that is made in our house on a weekly basis. Our kids gobble it right up.  It's super easy to make and is only a few ingredients. It is comfort food at its finest.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 package (1.25 oz.) Taco seasoning mix
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 (16 oz.) jar Southwest style salsa
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 pound small pasta, cooked

Directions

1. Prepare pasta according to directions.
2. Sauté ground beef and drain fat.
3. Add entire taco seasoning packet and the 3/4 cup of water. Mix thoroughly and allow to thicken (about 5 minutes).
4. Add salsa and mix thoroughly.
5. Add shredded cheese and mix until completely melted.
6. Add cooked pasta and fold into meat mixture.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Pictures (with comments)

Ingredients lineup: Pasta (tonight we're using shells), taco seasoning, southwest style salsa, cheese, and ground beef.


Sauté ground beef and drain fat.



Add taco seasoning mix and water; mix and allow to thicken (about 5 minutes).


Add salsa and mix together.


Add shredded cheddar cheese and mix until well melted and the mixture takes on an "ooey gooey" consistency.


Cooked shell pasta.


Add cooked pasta and fold into meat mixture.


Serve and enjoy!

Chicken Burrito Bowls

Time for an extremely easy and yummy dinner.  Combine the tastiness of burritos with the simplicity of a slow cooker. The results are mouth watering. We like to make our own bowls, so we included directions to make them in addition to the chicken mixture.

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 (15.25 oz.) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (15.5 oz.) can black beans
• 1 (16 oz.) jar Southwest Salsa
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• 2 cups dry rice (we're using Basmati)
• 8 corn tortilla bowls. Click here for instructions
• 8 oz. shredded chedder cheese
• 1/2 bunch cilantro

Directions

1. Add everything except rice, cheese & cilantro to a slow cooker along with 1/4 cup of water (I used the salsa jar to get all of the extra yummy stuff). Stir everything and make sure chicken is covered.
2. Secure the lid of slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. When there is about 1 hour left of cooking time, add the fresh cilantro.
4. Near the end of cooking time, cook the rice according to package instructions (we use a steamer to make our rice).
5. After 8 hours of cooking, remove the slow cooker lid. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be tender and will shred easily).
6. Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, and shredded cheese. Add a sprig of cilantro for garnish.

Pictures (with comments)

3 chicken breasts. I used ones that were frozen.


Beans, corn, salsa, water and dried spices right on top. Cook on low for 8 hours!


Chicken mixture is finished! The chicken pulls apart and "shreds" easily with a fork.


Cooked Basmati rice.


Finished bowl. This is one of the larger flour tortilla bowls.


Finished little corn tortilla bowls.

Corn Tortilla Taco Bowls

Ingredients

• 8 6-inch corn tortillas
• Canola oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Heat tortillas until warm. In the microwave, Wrap a stack of 7 tortillas in a barely damp, clean kitchen towel (or paper towel); microwave on High for 30 to 45 seconds.
3. Coat each side of 3 heated tortillas with cooking spray. (Keep the remaining 5 tortillas covered.)
4. Turn a 12-cup muffin tin upside down. Nestle a tortilla in the space between 4 cups to form a “bowl”. Repeat with 2 more tortillas, making 3 bowls total.
5. Bake until firm and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining 5 tortillas.

Pictures (with comments)

Muffin tins to create little taco bowls.



Nestled bowls to form the tortilla bowl.


I had a combination of large flour tortillas and small corn tortillas. The results were still the same: Perfect taco bowls!