Chicken Taco Cups

Whether you are looking for an appetizer, a quick dinner, or just a different way to enjoy the taste of tacos, Chicken Taco Cups are a great option. I love how easy they are to make and everyone can top theirs just the way they want.

Chicken Taco Cups
(makes 24 cups)

1/2 pkg wonton wrappers (the brand I use has 48 in a package)
1/2 cup shredded cheese
8 oz chicken, shredded

taco toppers

Place your wonton wrappers into a mini muffin pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray, folding to form a cup.

Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes.

Combine your shredded chicken and cheese in a small bowl and mix together.

Fill your cups with the mixture, dividing equally between the cups.

Bake for another 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the filling heated through.

Serve with chopped tomatoes, lettuce, onions, sour cream and all of your favorite taco toppings.

I used the shredded chicken that I make up for chicken tacos, so it was preseasoned. Alternately, you could use cooked chicken and chop it up into small pieces - if so, I would add taco seasoning. The recipe would also work with ground meat or beans, if you want a vegetarian option. If your filling meat is pre-cooked, this meal can be ready to eat in about 15 minutes - perfect for those busy sports filled nights.

These were a hit with the family and next time, I will make up a second pan by doubling my filling recipe.

Disclaimer

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Even though it has been busy lately and we haven't been having typical meals, I was finding myself without appealing ideas for dinner this week, so as I sat down to do my menu planning, I clicked around on Pinterest. One meal that I found that sounded very good to me was Chicken Enchilada Pasta, which had been Pinned from The Kitchen Life of a Navy Wife.

Much like my Taco Stuffed Shells, I liked how this dish combined to family favorites, Mexican and Pasta. I made it for dinner, incorporating a few minor tweaks to the recipe to lighten it up. By my approximation , there are about 12 servings of the sauce, each with about 140 calories. So, with our typical pasta added, it is about 350 calories per serving. I think the extra sauce would freeze fine and of course, would work well for a leftover meal later in the week.

It was voted a definite keeper by all.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion minced
1 red bell pepper diced
1/2 anaheim pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
20 ounces green enchilada sauce
2/3 cup red enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup light sour cream

Pasta

Garnishes: tomatoes, jalepenos, green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese

Cook chicken, chop and set aside.

Boil pasta according to package.

Heat olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and both enchilada sauces. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Reduce heat. Slowly add the sour cream. Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

Drain pasta.

Serve pasta topped with chicken enchilada sauce and garnish with desired toppings.

Disclaimer

Taco Filled Pasta Shells

When it comes to family dinner, the one thing that I like to do is to take familiar ingredients and combine them into different dishes. Being married to an Italian, pasta is a staple in our diet. I didn't grow up eating a lot of pasta - I think we might have had spaghetti every couple of weeks and occasionally, some lasagna. As such, I feel the need to find different flavors for pasta so that I can include it more frequently in the menu.

(must not have snapped a picture after adding the cheese and baking!)

Taco Filled Pasta Shells

20 ounces ground turkey
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
4 ounces neufchâtel cheese
1/2 (12-ounce) box American Beauty Large Shells (15 shells)
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup multi-cheese shredded cheese
1 ounce crushed tortilla chips (24 chips)

Cook the meat until no longer pink, drain. Add taco seasoning, following packet instructions. Add cream cheese to the pan, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until melted. Transfer to a bowl and allow to chill for an hour.

Cook shells according to package directions. Drain, toss with butter.

Spoon salsa into a greased 9" square baking dish. Fill each shell with meat mixture. Set into dish on top of the salsa. Repeat. Once all shells are filled, top the dish with the taco sauce.

Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish, sprinkle with cheese and crushed ships. Bake 15 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and onion.

According to my recipe software, a serving, of 3 shells is just under 500 calories.

Disclaimer

Beef Taco Skillet

This recipe was inspired by Campbell's Beef Taco Skillet. A few weeks ago, they had a recipe in the Parade magazine that I snipped out with plans to make it. As I made it, I thought it needed a bit of pizzazz and so I modified the recipe to make it more my own.

Beef Taco Skillet
1 # Ground Meat
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup
1 c Salsa
1/2 c water
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 green chili (canned), diced
5 flour tortillas, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Brown your ground meat and drain. Add in the taco seasoning packet and cook down according to packet directions.

Stir in soup, salsa, water, tomatoes, and chili.

Mix and then add tortillas mixing them into the sauce. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

I had already prepared, seasoned taco meat in the freezer, so this meal was very quick to put together. I pretty much put everything in, brought to a boil, and then cooked 5 minutes. So, in about 10 minutes, I had dinner on the table. The salsa and chili pepper gave it a really nice flavor. I served it with chips on the side.


Disclaimer