My husband doesn’t cook.  He leaves the food stuff to me but it wasn’t always this way.  Believe it or not, when my husband and I first met, close to 15 years ago, I did not know how to cook all that much. Yes, I knew how to bake and in college, I was known as the best cook amongst my roommates and friends (but that’s not saying much when you are in college).  One evening, while paying a visit to my then boyfriend (now husband), he decided to make me authentic mexican refried bean taquitos.  I had never had taquitos before so of course, I was intrigued.

While on the phone with his mother, I watched my sweetheart whip up a batch of taquitos while I served as his prep cook.  Before I knew it, I was sitting in front of this amazing plate of homemade taquitos and with one bite I was sold.  Not only did I love them because my honey had made them for me, but they were so yummy.   However, my husband never made the taquitos again.  That was the one and only time he ever made them and since then, I have been making the taquitos for our family (and loving them) ever since.

This recipe made seem overwhelming at first, but don’t let the idea of making taquitos at home scare you.

My recipe below takes you through all the various steps for successful taquitos.  I begin first with how to make the bean mixture needed to fill the taquitos.

I also offer tips on how to make the tortillas a bit easier to work with and how to keep your taquitos rolled nice and tight.  Think cigars.

And, this is not one of those recipes for the health conscious.  Yes, I am sure you could bake these but I am certain they will not taste as tasty as the recommended pan-frying method.

The taquitos would not be complete without tomato salsa and toppings.  If serving as an appetizer, I recommend arranging the taquitos in a circle and placing the toppings in the center for dipping.  If serving as an entrée, pile on the toppings and be prepared to get messy.

Pictured below is how they look as an entrée, served with the tomato sauce (recipe below), shredded cabbage, crumbled contijo cheese and my secret, special hot sauce.

 

 

So delicious.  Maybe try this recipe for Cinco de Mayo or just as a fun, diversion from the everyday dinners.  Enjoy and Ole’!