Remember Meximelts? Seasoned beef, melty cheese, and fresh pico de gallo tucked into a warm tortilla. I made mine with ground beef and improvised the tomato sauce because apparently I can never have every ingredient in the pantry at once.
Ingredients
Pico de Gallo
Also see my separate Pico de Gallo recipe for a step-by-step video.
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ jalapeño, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Beef & Assembly
- 1 lb ground beef (hamburger)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ small onion, minced
- 2 tbsp minced red bell pepper
- ⅓ cup water
- Tomato sauce substitute: ¼ cup tomato paste mixed with ¼ cup water (makes ½ cup)
- 1½ tbsp taco seasoning (Everything Taco Seasoning works here)
- 8 taco-size flour tortillas
- 6 oz shredded Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or Mexican cheese blend (about 2¼ cups)
Directions
- Combine the pico de gallo ingredients. Refrigerate while you prepare the beef, then drain off extra liquid before assembling.
- Brown the ground beef in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, breaking it into crumbles with the Mix ’N Chop. Drain excess fat if needed. Stir in taco seasoning.
- Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, ⅓ cup water, and the tomato paste-water mixture. Cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and cook another 3–5 minutes, stirring, until the filling is thick rather than watery.
- Warm tortillas briefly so they bend without tearing. Divide the shredded cheese, beef filling, and drained pico de gallo among the tortillas. Fold the sides inward and roll them up.
- Wrap each Meximelt in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave about 1 minute, or until the cheese melts. Serve warm.
Yield: 8 Meximelts.
Laura’s Tip: Out of Tomato Sauce?
I used ground hamburger instead of turkey. I was also out of canned tomato sauce, so I mixed equal parts tomato paste and water. Dinner saved, grocery trip avoided.
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