Texas Fiesta Bowls

Potluck meals aren’t my thing. When we have friends or church groups over to the house, I would rather choose a theme and ask everyone to bring a side dish or ingredient.  One year, for the Care Group from our church, we did a “Mashed Potato Martini Bar.”  Another year we all constructed our own pizzas. Of course, tacos are an easy favorite. This year, I think we’ll have Texas Fiesta Bowls.

Not only can I make everything ahead of time but I can assign all the condiments.

I recently saw instructions for making  baked tortilla bowls with an upside down muffin tin in one of my favorite magazines, Real Simple. No frying necessary!

I already have a favorite ground beef recipe that will make a tasty filler.  Served over rice or lettuce, diners can customize their own plates with condiments such as cheese, sour cream, avocados, beans and salsa. Perfect for picky eaters.

By the way, this meat mixture is versatile and convenient. Try pouring it over chips and cheese. Or spaghetti. Prepare it ahead or freeze leftovers in small packages. Makes a great lunch wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. And of course, I like it over the top of my salad in a jar.

Form each tortilla into a loose bowl shape and tuck between cups of an upside down muffin tin.

Texas Fiesta Bowls

 

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Flour tortillas baked into the shape of a bowl and filled with a Tex-Mex meat mixture over rice or lettuce. Serve with cheese, avocados, tomatoes, etc

Author: Meat mixture adapted from Super Suppers Cookbook by Judy Byrd

Recipe type: Entree, Party

Serves: 8 bowls

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• ½ cup sliced pitted black olives (chop finely if serving to olive haters)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder (more if you like it spicy)
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 8 tortilla bowls

Instructions

1. Brown ground beef in large skillet. Dip off excess fat. Add onion, mushrooms and garlic and cook until softened.
2. Stir in undrained tomatoes, olives, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Simmer 3-5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Serve with shredded cheese, sliced or chopped avocados, refried or black beans, sour cream, chopped cilantro and/or salsa.

Forming bowls

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Soften 4 tortillas by wrapping in foil and placing in oven until warm and pliable. Alternately, wrap in a towel and microwave until warm and pliable. Start with about 20 seconds on HIGH and add time as necessary.
2. Lightly spray small (6 or 7-inch) cooked flour tortillas on both sides. Form each tortilla into a loose bowl shape and tuck between cups of an upside down muffin tin. Press tortilla down in the middle so shell will have a flat bottom to sit on. Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes. The shells should be golden brown and crispy all over–no soft places or they will be difficult to eat.

3.1.09

Other Tex-Mex Delights you might enjoy….

Tamale Pie

Hearty Tortilla Soup

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