chipotle black bean jalapeño popper taquitos
IT’S TAQUITO THURSDAY AMIGOS.
Though you wouldn’t necessarily know it by my actual posts this week, I’m on a big fat Mexican food fit. Like the Naked Man in How I Met Your Mother, it worked 2 out of 3 times. One recipe just photographed really poorly, the second and third I took 2 hours to style apiece but eventually came to love the photos and LOVED the outcome from a taste perspective. Get your bodies ready.
Food photography is a total shitshoot, people. I love it most of the time, and some of the time I just want to fling the whole pot off the balcony onto some poor stranger’s car. Ultimately, though, if I’ve nailed a flavor profile and just need to tweak the aesthetic a touch, I consider the recipe very successful. Unless it’s a cake. Then fuq that. I ain’t going through that shit again.
Way back when I featured a Mexican or Tex-Mex or Latin recipe on Wednesdays. Looking back, I would love to revamp some of them – I had some flawed conceptual designs and really some of the photos are balls. The beauty of recipes is that a little tweak can usually make a whole new delicacy. Cooking is a never-ending act of changing this and that, and that’s partly why I find it so much fun.
The flavors of Mexican cuisine are among my favorite, perhaps second only to Greek/Mediterranean. Cilantro lends freshness to a bold and saucy blend of chili powder, cumin, and oregano, among others, and a hearty heft of cheese gives creaminess to any dish you might create. Given the ingredient profile, Mexican food can be quite veggie-laden and healthy, depending on how you prepare your dishes.
These taquitos are oven baked to crisp perfection, using minimal oil, and stuffed with a black bean filling inspired by the classic jalapeño popper combination of diced peppers, cream cheese, cheddar, and spices. Serve them as an appetizer or for a finger-food dinner, and don’t forget to include the spicy cilantro ranch. I’m obsessed with this recipe and used it in my Baked Southwest Avocado Egg Rolls as well.
Pop-itos?
If I really wanted to get sassy naming these guys, I could’ve called them Pop-itos, I guess, but sometimes fancy isn’t the best strategy. So let’s stick to taquitos.
First, make sure your cream cheese is very soft. Fresh from the fridge will cause you to stab and break at your filling, which isn’t really cute. I pull mine onto the counter an hour beforehand, take it out of the foil wrapping (this insulates it more so it’d take longer to mellow), and set it on a plate or bowl.
Then, mix up the glorious blend of black beans, the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, all the spices, fresh cilantro, diced jalapeños, and green onions. I used both the white and green bits.
Warm the tortillas under a damp towel in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds, until pliable. Rub each with a big of oil and add around 2 tablespoons of filling to the center. Roll them up and set seam-side down on parchment-lined baking sheets. If the filling tries to escape, eat some of it, and stuff the rest back into the open ends. Easy peasy.
Bake the taquitos at 425 for 8-10 minutes. Flip them, and bake 8-10 minutes more. Eyeball them after 5 minutes to check browning. Once they’re golden and crisp all over, they’re done!
Ranch Life
Though my heart still lies with Caesar, this ranch is my casual side affair. So incredibly good, and any left over makes a bomb salad dressing, especially with spring and summer flavors upcoming.
Simply combine a blend of mayonnaise and Greek yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, garlic and onion powders, and a jalapeño if you want a little smack in the mouth. I thinned mine out with a few tablespoons of milk as well – use what you drink for this – until it was creamy but pourable.
To serve the taquitos, I added all the toppings and a big drizzle of ranch, with more on the side naturally. Pile on your favorites or leave the taquitos bare and smother them in the dressing. No wrong way to taquito. Just wrong if you don’t make them at all.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
More ways to black bean:
Fajita Black Bean Burgers with Honey Bourbon Pineapple BBQ Sauce
Black Bean Chili Dogs with Pickled Jalapeño Peach Relish
Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Black Bean Burgers with Tomato Corn Salsa
Puerto Rican Black Bean Tostadas with Nacho Spice Plantain Chips
chipotle black bean jalapeño popper taquitos
Ingredients
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp Chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 jalapeños, deseeded and diced
- 2 green onions, diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 4 oz cream cheese, very soft
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 16-20 corn of flour tortillas
avocado ranch
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used a vegan variety)
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 3-4 tbsp milk of choice
- 1/3 cup cilantro
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, fold together the black beans, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, jalapeños, green onions, cilantro, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Combine until evenly distributed.
- Microwave the tortillas under a damp paper towel for 20-30 seconds until pliable. Lay a tortilla on a flat surface and rub both sides with a bit of olive oil. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling into the center. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling. If any of the filling pops out, stuff it back in. Show it who's boss.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes on one side. Flip the tortillas and rotate the pans, then bake an additional 8-10 minutes until golden and crispy all over.
- To make the ranch, combine all ingredients in a food processor and whip until smooth and creamy. If the dressing is too thick, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve taquitos immediately with ranch, limes, extra cilantro, and sliced avocado, as desired.
