Bowls are a hip food these days. They’re the new cupcake. But what if you want to try something different? What if you don’t have time for that bowl baking project, or can’t find bowls in your kitchen cabinet? Fear not! This recipe is perfect for those who love Mexican cuisine but don’t have the patience to make traditional tortilla bowls and salads. All it takes are some store-bought ingredients, a microwave oven, and a little bit of creativity! I’ll show you how easy it is to create Mini Tortilla Bowl Salads – delicious and ready in minutes!
Before we get to the good stuff, let’s talk a little bit about tortillas. Which kind of tortilla? Plain or flavored? Is it possible to do this with corn tortillas instead of flour ones?
Put down that knife and step away from the fridge! We’ve got you covered for all your taco needs – Mini Tortilla Bowls are here. Whether you’re looking for easy weeknight dinners or want a healthy packable lunch idea, these bowls are perfect for any occasion! They take just 15 minutes (or less!) to whip up and can be topped off with anything your heart desires: lettuce leaves, cheese cubes, cooked vegetables like broccoli florets and cauliflower pieces etc., beans…the possibilities could go on forever.
These little tortilla cups make transporting food so much easier – no need to worry about spilling your lunch on the way to work. Plus, they’re great for entertaining too!
Let’s begin with the ingredients
* Flour Tortillas- I used Mission Carb Balance Low in Carbs. You can use any flavor or brand you like as long as they are low carb and gluten free tortillas. We will need one for each person (one per bowl)
* Avocado, diced tomato, sliced onion, chopped cilantro leaves, lime juice- For toppings of your choice – mine were avocado, tomatoes and a few onions slices with a squeeze of lime juice over them just before serving up my dish. It was fresh! But feel free to make these bowls part vegetarian by adding things such as black beans or corn kernels instead of meat if that pleases you more. These would also be great topped off with shredded lettuce.
* Ground beef/ chicken or any other meat – I cooked up a pound of ground beef. The key is to make sure your dish has enough protein for the person eating it. A serving would be about one ounce per person, so this recipe makes four servings and you can adjust accordingly based on how much food you want in each bowl.
* Taco seasoning mix- For me that was some chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic salt and paprika with a little bit of brown sugar sprinkled over them just before they were ready to cook into my taco filling. Use as many spices as desired (and we all know there are no wrong answers when dealing with tacos). Again feel free to use whatever spice blend pleases you.
* Lime juice- I squeezed the juice of one lime over my taco meat mixture before it had gone into the oven and that was all. Some people also like to add in a little bit of soy sauce, but there is no need for this if you are letting your filling bake before eating it.
* Taco bowl mold- Even better than just using a muffin tin or some other small dish with high edges would be something more visually appealing such as these mini tortilla bowls which come from Amazon and make four at once! They feel sturdy enough to last through repeated uses too so they should not break easily when cooking them in the oven either even though you’re only going to be putting a small amount of taco meat and corn in with them.
* Corn- I used canned, but you can also use frozen or fresh if you prefer that better to the canned variety! If using frozen make sure it has thawed first before adding it into the dish so that your veggies are not cold when eaten. You could also add peppers too for some additional color as well as more flavor since they would need to cook along with this mixture which should take about 12 minutes depending on how hot your oven gets at its maximum setting.