The weekend I made these muffins was a get-‘er-done sort of weekend. We ran errands and crossed to-dos off the list that had been languishing there for ages. On day two of the weekend – that would be Saturday here – a song came on that reminded my dear husband of one of our favorite restaurants in Houston, Texas. “Let’s go to El Jardín for dinner!” he says. “You are a cruel, cruel man,” I responded. What we wouldn’t give to be able to eat at El Jardín anytime!
When my elder sister first started working in Houston, using her relatively freshly earned law degree, her office was just down the road from what would become our favorite Mexican restaurant, in a part of town that is not the most upscale, if you know what I mean. But the margaritas are inexpensive before evening dinner service and the food is deliciously prepared and served with a smile. The décor is cheerful, with brightly painted wooden chairs with straw-covered seats, colorful tile-topped tables and lots of tissue paper flowers and banners of papel picado, those decoratively snipped Mexican folk art tissue squares.
Even when we are in Houston, El Jardín is still a hike from our home but we make a point of going there whenever we get the chance.
So, the short end to this long story is that we had to have Mexican food for the dinner that night. Had to. That’s all. It wasn’t El Jardín but tacos with all the fixings were the best I could do on short notice, after two long days of getting ‘er done.
When you brown more than 500g (1.1 lb) of ground beef for tacos and you have only two people for dinner, you are going to have leftovers. These muffins are the perfect use for the leftover spicy beef, extending your Mexican meal through breakfast or brunch or even lunch the next day.
Leftover taco meat? Make Spicy Beef Cheesy Corn Taco Muffins!
Think of them as portable tacos. No leftover meat? Next time, make extra, just so you can make these muffins. You won’t be sorry.
Ingredients
1 cup or 150g fine yellow cornmeal 1/2
1/2 cup or 65g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 225g sour cream
1 1/4 cups or 10 oz or 280g Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies
2 eggs
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil
7 oz or 200g (about 1 1/2 cups) leftover seasoned ground beef for tacos
8 oz or 225g extra sharp cheddar or half cheddar and half Monterrey Jack cheese
Method
Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and grease your muffin pan liberally with non-stick spray or butter.
Grate your cheese, if not already grated. Put a handful or so aside to top the muffins before baking.
Measure your cornmeal, flour, salt, baking soda and grated cheddar into a large mixing bowl and mix well.
Measure the sour cream and oil into a small mixing bowl. Add the eggs and the can of Ro-Tel tomatoes – juice and all. Whisk to combine.
Fold your wet ingredients into your dry ones until just mixed.
Set a little of the seasoned ground beef aside for topping the muffins before baking and fold the rest into the batter.
Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups.
Sprinkle the top with the reserved cheese and beef.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until you can see that the sides are turning golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Remove from the pan, loosening gently with a knife if necessary, and cool further on a wire rack.
Enjoy!
Like spicy foods with a Mexican flair? You might want to try my chicken and black bean enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce, my easy breakfast Chilaquiles Rojos con Huevos Revueltos – Tortillas with Salsa and Scrambled Eggs or my Sopa Seca de Fideo - Spicy Mexican Noodles. All three are delicious and will satisfy your spicy cravings.
And if you love tacos as much as we do, you are going to be a huge fan of this week's Sunday Supper. Check out all the delicious taco recipes we are sharing today. Many thanks to our event manager Em Beitel for all of her hard work.
Breakfast, Dessert, and Alternative Tacos
- Jalapeño Cornbread Taco Pie by Soulfully Made
- Loaded Taco Tots by Gourmet Everyday
- Naked Egg Breakfast Tacos by Palatable Pastime
- Spicy Beef Cheesy Corn Taco Muffins by Food Lust People Love
- Veggie Packed Mouth-Watering Cauliflower Breakfast Tostadas by Bites of Wellness
Lunch and Dinner Tacos
- 1970s Style Tacos by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
- Asian-Spiced Black Cod Tacos with Kimchi and Avocado-Sriracha Mayo by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Beef and Bean Tacos plus planning Taco Tuesday: An Easy Family Meal by Hardly A Goddess
- Buffalo Chicken Tacos by A Mind Full Mom
- Chorizo Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa by Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Cinnamon Beef Tacos by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Easy Fish Taco Recipe by Sunday Supper Movement
- Healthy Ground Turkey Tacos by Mid-Life Croissant
- Low Carb Beef Tacos by Our Good Life
- Salmon Tacos with Watermelon Pico de Gallo by Pies and Plots
- Sloppy Joe Tacos by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Slow Cooker Asian Pork Tacos with Cabbage Slaw by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Slow Cooker Korean BBQ Tacos by Cricket’s Confections
- Steak Tacos with Chimichurri Sauce by The Freshman Cook
- Surf and Turf Tacos by The Weekend Gourmet
- Walking Chili Cheese Tacos by Bottom Left of the Mitten
Pin it!
