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MACARONI MAKES: TACO CUPCAKES

By Jennifer Hill, Fremont Macaroni Kid February 3, 2016

The whole family LOVES these! The kids think it’s fun that they get to eat “cupcakes” for dinner. Mom likes that she can make them early in the day and just stick them in the oven to heat up in time for dinner. The kids even take leftovers and eat them cold in their lunch the next day.

What you need:

  • 1 pound ground turkey, ground beef or ground chicken (I use turkey)
  • 1 package taco seasoning mix (1.25 ounce)
  • 36 wonton wrappers
  • 1 16 oz. can refried beans (I love BLACK refried beans)
  • Tortilla chips
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • Optional toppings: sour cream, diced tomatoes, guacamole, onion, black olives, cilantro

What to do:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray (or use cupcake liners) 18 muffin cups with cooking spray.
  2. Brown the ground meat and drain fat. Add taco seasoning mix and however much water is indicated on the sauce packet and simmer for about 5 minutes.
  3. Place two wonton wrappers in the bottom of each muffin cup – off-set from each other. Add a scoop of refried beans and a scoop of meat and about a tablespoon of shredded cheese. Crush a tortilla chip onto the top of each “cupcake.”
  4. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Remove from pan, top as desired and serve. OR as another option, put them into the refrigerator and then before dinner time, put them back into the oven to heat them up and make the wonton bottoms extra crispy, which is how we prefer them.