Taco "Cupcakes"

After the Lasagna Cupcakes I made a few weeks ago were a huge success, I started thinking that the same concept could be applied using Mexican ingredients, with equally mouth-watering results. After receiving a big cooler of goodies from Wholly Guacamole this week (check back soon for a chance to win your own!) it seemed like a good time to test this theory. I’m pleased to say the results were outstanding! These individual “cupcakes” pack a ton of flavor and spice into every bite. The chili oil adds heat, the chunky, juicy salsa adds flavor, the gooey queso dip oozes onto your tongue with each bite, and the beef and black bean mixture gives the cupcakes texture and makes them hearty and filling.

I loved the spiciness of these cupcakes on their own, but adding a dollop of Wholly Guacamole (pictured above) provides a cool, creamy contrast, so feel free to add some guacamole or sour cream if you want to balance the heat (adding these toppings will affect the P+ value). These are easy to make and great for portion control. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

*For more information or to convert this recipe to mini-muffin sized appetizers, visit the Wonton "Cupcakes" section of my FAQs page!*  

Taco "Cupcakes"

Source: Emily Bites Original

Ingredients:
1 ½ t chili oil (found near the Asian ingredients)
½ lb 95% lean ground beef
1 T taco seasoning
¾ c canned black beans, drained and rinsed
16 wonton wrappers (found in the produce section)
5 T + 1 t of queso dip or salsa con queso (I used Wholly Guacamole Queso Blanco)
1 c chunky salsa (I used Wholly Guacamole Medium Salsa)
1 c reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese (I used Weight Watchers brand)

Directions:
1.    Pre-heat the oven to 375. Lightly mist 8 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
2.    Heat chili oil in a sauté pan or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and taco seasoning and brown beef, breaking it up with a spoon. Add black beans and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until warm.
3.    Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the muffin tin. Spoon a teaspoon of queso dip into each wonton wrapper and spread across the bottom. Follow by spooning some of the meat/beans mixture into each cup (using about half the total mixture) and then splitting ½ cup of the salsa evenly into each cup. Sprinkle about half the shredded Mexican cheese evenly over the top of each cup. Press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients.
4.    Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

Yields 8 taco cupcakes. Weight Watchers Points Plus: 4 per cupcake (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per cupcake from myfitnesspal.com: 164 calories, 12 g carbs, 7 g fat, 12 g protein, 1 g fiber