Southwest Hamburger Taquitos

I am not a fan of egg rolls, never have been, never thought I would be. About a year ago we went to a friends house and she made some southwest egg rolls that I have been drooling over since. I didn't have the recipe and I couldn't find one online that looked like it matched hers. The other day I wanted to make some, so I did what I do best and started searching online, I googled, looked up pintrest, and just couldn't find anything that sounded as good as hers. Most of the recipes called for chicken and I had chicken, but it was frozen, and I hate that frozen chicken usually ends up being tough so I resorted to just making something up. We had hamburger so I decided we would make taquitos instead. Then I got this bright idea to add some of the southwest flare to them. My family loved them!  It has been added to the "make again" list. These are quick and easy, and make great leftovers too.

Southwest Hamburger Taquitos:

Time: 30 minutes. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 10-15 minutes.

Yield: 4-5 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Hamburger
• 1 cup frozen corn 
• 1 can Black beans
• 1 Tbs Taco Seasoning*
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup onion minced**
• 1 Jalapeño (seeded for less heat)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups cheese
• 1 tsp Accent
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 8-10 taco shells

In a large skillet cook hamburger meat, once meat is mostly cooked add in onions, corn, beans, jalapeño, taco seasoning, accent, and pepper. once everything is cooked and warm add the cheese. Once the cheese has melted completely set aside. Turn your oven onto 350 degrees. 

Now take your taco shells and layer them between paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds, then flip the entire stack over and microwave another 30 seconds. This will steam the shells just enough to allow for folding without breaking or tearing the shell. Once you have your shells steamed scoop your hamburger mixture into the shells. I like to stuff ours fairly full so there isn't too much shell to the mixture. Wrap shells and place on cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. Watch them closely so you do not burn them. Where the hamburger is all cooked you are really just cooking these in the oven to have them become crisp. Once slightly golden they are done. Serve with ranch, sour cream, salsa, or any other taco dressing of your choice, and enjoy! 

* Taco Seasoning: I try to be as frugal as possible. I don't by taco season, I just home make it with the spices I have in the cupboard. It helps so those don't go bad, and it saves on money. The recipe I use for the taco seasoning I found online on allrecipies.com. You can either click on the link or scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe. 

** Minced Onion: I don't know if you have ever heard of the product Thrive but my husband and I get shipments from them every month. There are times when I don't happen to have things around the house or in the fridge ready to use, I will go down to my thrive food storage and usually I can find it there. I did not have any onions for this recipe so I did use my Thrive onions. They are awesome, and they add the same flavor as an actual onion without you having to shed a tear while cutting!

Taco Seasoning: 

Ingredients: 

• 1 Tbs chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Mix it all together, and enjoy! (I do make this in one or two batches and store in an old spice jar that I have washed and cleaned out for spices that I make like this. )