Crescent Roll Taco Cups, 4 points+

As promised, I am back with the Tasty Taco Cups Recipe that I served up for Super Bowl Snacks last week.  I am not sure I could pick just one favorite food, but, I can say that given the choice, I could eat Mexican Food just about every day of the week and not just for the Chips & Salsa.  Who knew that combing sweet, flakey, melt in your mouth crescent rolls with a spicy, turkey and bean taco filling would make this appetizer over the top good.

There is just something so fun about having individual Taco cups that you can load up with your favorite taco toppers.  These tasty little cups are great as an appetizer or a main course and work well if you are trying to use up any leftover taco meat. 

I use Turkey and Beans in my mix, but, you could easily make these vegetarian by subbing out the turkey for Veggie Crumbles.

TACO CUPS (print it!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 Trader Joe’s Crescent Rolls (or your favorite brand)
• 1 cup cooked Turkey & Bean Taco Meat (see step 2 below)
• 2/3 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
• 1 1/2 cups romaine, chopped
• 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup green onions, diced
• 2 1/2 Tbsp.black olives, sliced
• Any of your favorite taco toppers, hot sauce, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray 8 cups in a standard muffin pan with nonstick spray.  Fill the remaining 4 cups with a 1/4 cup water. 

2.  Prepare the turkey and bean taco meat by browning 1 lb. of ground turkey with a diced onion and green bell pepper.  Add 1/4 cup taco seasoning, 8 oz. tomato sauce and a 15 oz. can of black beans (drained and rinsed).  Heat until warm, about 2 minutes.

3.  Separate the crescent rolls, flatten/roll out and press into the 8 prepared muffin tins. 

4.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add 1/4 cup turkey and bean taco filling to each cup.  Return to the oven and bake for 10 additional minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle each taco cup with 1 Tbsp. cheese and bake for an additional 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

5.  Remove the taco cups from the muffin tin and sprinkle with the lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, olives and any of other favorite taco toppers.

Makes 8 taco cups, 4 points+ each, SF+ 3 WPA

Nutritional information per taco cup calculated at caloriecount.com

STEP – BY – STEP:

The “secret” ingredient ~ Trader Joe’s Crescent Rolls.

I LOVE these rolls because they are made with real ingredients and free of transfats and high fructose corn syrup.

They are only 3 points+ each if you prefer to just each them straight up ~ I could totally eat the whole can ~ just sayin’.

Roll out the crescent roll package and separate the triangles into 8 pieces.  Flatten by hand or using a rolling pin and press into the muffin tin trying to press the roll up the sides of the cup.

Bake for 8 minutes and they come out looking a little puffy and abstract.  Don’t worry – this is ok because the filling will weigh them down as they cook.

I prepared the turkey and bean taco meat while the muffins cooked.  I browned 1 lb. of lean ground turkey with 1 chopped red onion and green bell pepper.  It cooks up in about 8-10 minutes.

Then, I sprinkled with about 1/4 cup homemade taco seasoning.

Added one can of drained and rinsed black beans with 8 oz. of tomato sauce.

Stirred it all up and cooked for about 2-3 minutes longer until everything was warmed through.

Top each muffin cup with a 1/4 cup turkey & bean taco filling.  This works great if you have leftover taco meat to use up too.

Bake for another 10 minutes.

Sprinkle each cup with 1 Tbsp. of cheddar cheese – finely shredded it makes it stretch further. 

Then, bake for another 2 minutes until the cheese is all melty and gooey all over.

When you remove the Taco Cups from the pan they have these incredibly tasty, crescent roll cups that are packed with spicy turkey and bean taco meat covered in melted cheese.

It seriously took all my will power to not just eat these as soon as they came out of the oven!

Top with all your favorite taco toppers.  I used my lettuce blend, tomatoes, green onions, olives and hot sauce.  I would totally add jalapeno next time just cause you can never have enough peppery spice.

I am off to chat it up with my hair dresser, drink Starbuck’s and have potstickers ~ fun times!

One more day ‘til the weekend and 6 more days until Australia!

Happy Friday Eve all!!!