Chipotle Beef Taquitos

A few weeks ago, our local grocery store had the London Broil roasts on sale, buy one get one free.  I don’t make beef dishes very often, so my family  rejoiced when they saw the big hunks of meat in our fridge.  As per my husband's request we ate an old-fashioned roast one day, but then had all the leftovers (plus a whole other roast) I needed to use up.  That’s where this recipe from the  Our Best Bites Cookbook came into play.  I had recently bought the cookbook after reading all the great reviews on it and falling in love with the bright full-color photos on almost every page.  After trying this recipe and several others from there, it has quickly become my new favorite cookbook! 

I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to track down the queso fresco, but it was just right there in our grocery store cheese case, in a little Mexican cheese section.  If you can’t find queso fresco or don’t want to go to the grocery store, you can substitute sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack, although I will say that I really liked the fresh tangy flavor that the queso fresco added. 

We made a double batch of these Chipotle Beef Taquitos and they were gobbled up in no time.  They weren’t too spicy (make sure you don’t get the chipotle seeds in there or they will be too spicy), but had plenty of flavor that pleased the burly men of the house,  the beef hatin’ mama, and even the picky little munchkins.  Definitely a keeper!

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:

3 cups cooked, shredded beef roast
1/4-1/2 tsp. minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (found in a can in the Mexican food section)
1 can (4-ounces) green chilies, undrained
1 Tbs. adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
zest from 1 lime
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 pkg. (around 12-ounces) queso fresco or Cotija cheese, crumbled  (I was worried about being able to find this, but it was easily available at both bigger grocery stores I frequent, in the regular cheese section)
about 20 6-inch corn tortillas
olive oil or cooking spray
1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Ranch dressing, salsa, guacamole (for dipping)


Directions:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice the shredded beef against the grain into pieces about 1/2-inch long.  Place in a bowl and set aside.

Working carefully, remove 1 chipotle pepper from the can, trying to leave as much sauce in the can as possible.  Slit the pepper open and scrape out the seeds.  Mince the pepper and use as much as needed.   (DO NOT leave the seeds or even a tiny amount will make it unbearably spicy!). 

Combine the chlies, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic powder, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and lime zest and juice in a bowl.  After stirring to combine, gently toss together with shredded beef. 

Wrap a pile of about 10 tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute to soften.  Repeat with remaining 10 tortillas.

Working with one tortilla at a time, crumble about 1 tablespoon queso fresco in a line across the center of the tortilla.  Top with 1-2 tablespoons shredded beef mixture and roll tightly.  Place seam-side down on a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  Spray tops of taquitos lightly  with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt ( I skipped the salt here). 

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden-brown.  Remove from heat and allow to cool a few minutes before serving. 

Enjoy! 

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Just in case you’re interested in purchasing the gorgeous, full-color cookbook that I mentioned at the top, I’ve included the link to the lowest price I could find (on Amazon).  It has a picture-of-almost-every-recipe and a sturdy, user-friendly binding that actually stays open to the page you need. 

(NOTE:  Just for the record, I played no part in creating this cookbook work of art, however if I ever do make my own cookbook, I want it to look just like this).