Fried taquito night is everyone’s favorite! What can be more delicious than a fried tortilla filled with meat and cheese, right? My kids are now old enough to know what Taco Tuesday is, and a few months ago they started requesting tacos every Tuesday night. Finally, my kids want tacos!! Sigh, the little things.
Their favorite kind of taquitos are chicken, of course, but this time I wanted to change things up a little bit using ground turkey and cheese. They were a hit! I think they love these kinds of tacos so much because they can eat them with their hands, it’s just so casual and fun. I served these tacos two ways, mild: with queso fresco and sour cream for the kiddos (they love dipping) and Spicy: Salsa and fresh jalapeños for me and my husband.
Disclaimer: In the North of Mexico we call these little rolled tacos “flautas” but for me, flautas is a whole different dish. There are so many steps and layers of flavors in the traditional flautas that when I leave them out, they become taquitos. The end.
What you need to make Turkey and Cheese Taquitos :
olive oil
Ground turkey
Chopped onion
Minced garlic
Cumin, chili powder and salt
Tomato paste
Shredded cheese
Corn tortillas
Queso fresco, fresh jalapeño and cilantro for garnish.
What you need to know before you make Turkey and Cheese Taquitos
Here are some of the most common missteps while making fried taquitos and how to fix them:
“The tortilla breaks when you roll it” That is because the tortilla is not hot enough to be completely pliable. You need to heat up the tortilla until it is almost steaming hot. Just 30 seconds in the microwave will do the trick. I do this in batches of 5 tortillas, loosely wrapped in paper towels.
“The tacos unroll and the filling comes out” Once you get the tortilla very hot and pliable, the next step is placing the filling on one side of the tortilla and roll it tight. Real tight. Secure the taco with a tooth pick and keep going. I have made these hundreds of times and I can promise you, each time will get easier.
Ground turkey is a little dry and bland but with the right seasonings is totally delicious! The cheese in the filling will work as glue and will help the ground turkey stick together. A few pieces will fall out here and there but it is totally fine. Avoid over filling the tacos. And that’s it!
This was a very casual dinner so I served these tacos with fresh jalapeños and queso fresco, we ate them with our hands and they were perfect! You can also serve them with hot salsa, sour cream, rice or refried beans.
Some other recipes you might like:
Chipotle Black Bean Tacos – Marisol Cooks
Entomatadas de Queso (Queso fresco Enchiladas in Tomato sauce) – Marisol Cooks
Arroz a la Mexicana(Mexican Rice) – Marisol Cooks
Turkey and Cheese Taquitos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 12-14 corn tortillas
- vegetable oil for frying
- cilantro, queso fresco and jalapeño for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a medium skillet on medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil
- Add the ground turkey and cook until done, about 8-10 minutes
- Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Season the meat with the cumin, chili powder and salt.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to evenly coat the meat with the paste, cook for another couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool.
- Once the turkey is cool stir in the shredded cheese. Set aside.
- Wrap a few tortillas in a paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds until very soft and pliable. Add one tablespoon of the ground turkey to one end of the tortilla and roll tight to make the taquito. Secure it with a tooth pick. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas working in batches.
- Add about 1/2 inch of oil to a medium skillet and heat up on medium high heat. The temperature should be around 380 degrees. You can drop a tiny piece of tortilla in to the oil and if it sizzle and bubbles, it is ready.
- Fry the taquitos for about five minutes turning them two or three times to make sure they fry evenly.
- Transfer to a paper plate line with paper towels to drain the excess oil. Remove the tooth picks before serving.
- Garnish with queso fresco, jalapeño slices and fresh cilantro.
- Enjoy!
