We’re not sure about you but when we have a football party on Saturdays and Sundays, we like to turn our appetizer game up to 11. Dips, salsa, chili, and snacks of all shapes and sizes are always represented. After all, you don’t want your game day crew to go hungry.
But, with a full spread like this, you need to plan smartly. Nothing is worse than being stuck in the kitchen at kickoff getting food around for everyone.
Rather than dealing with all that, having easy, tasty, and fun to make appetizers ready to serve when they arrive gives you time to cheer on your favorite team with the rest of your crew! These fast and easy taco pizza cups can be prepped in advance and popped in the oven right as your guests arrive, making them an ideal game-day snack.
Setting up a toppings bar makes it easy for everyone to make theirs just the way they like it. We always like to feature the classic: lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa, and jalapeno peppers, but be sure to include whatever your guests will enjoy.
While we’ve included taco meat in this recipe, the flavorful refried beans using our Randall Pinto Beans steal the show and could just as easily carry the recipe on their own if you’re looking to include a vegetarian option for your football party. With our ingredients measured to make one dozen individual taco pizza cups, this recipe can be easily doubled or tripled to feed a larger crowd. Sit back and relax while your snacks score on their own!
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups Randall Pinto Beans
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 4.5 oz jar of diced green chilies
- 1 dozen street taco sized flour tortillas
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 tsp. each onion powder, garlic powder, and ground cumin
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
- Lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream, hot sauce, salsa, and/or diced jalapeños to top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Bring a skillet to medium high heat on your stove top and brown ground beef until cooked through, 8-10 minutes or when no longer pink. Follow seasoning packet directions to finish. Drain and set aside, no need to wipe pan clean.
- Add Randall Beans into the same pan (liquid included).
- Add diced chilies, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground cumin, stirring well to combine.
- Cook beans over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. As you stir the beans, mash them roughly with cooking utensil to achieve the refried bean consistency. We like leaving some of the beans whole for texture. Set aside when desired consistency is reached.
- While refried beans are reducing, lightly grease muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place flour tortillas in the microwave wrapped in damp paper towels and warm for 45 seconds to 1 minute (This step is important to easily fitting tortillas in muffin cups without tearing).
- Push tortillas into muffin cups, pressing the seams where the layers overlap, creating a tortilla cup for filling.
- Cover the bottom of the tortilla cup with a large pinch of cheese.
- Top cheese with a scoop of taco meat, followed by a scoop of refried beans, leaving a little bit of room at the top for additional toppings after baking.
- Place muffin tray in the oven and bake for 8 minutes, or until edges of tortillas are lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool before moving cups to serving tray.
- Served topped with more cheese, sour cream, and any other desired toppings.
