Taco Pinwheels

Taco Pinwheels

 

Fluffy, flaky puff pastry dough filled with saucy taco meat, tomatoes and lots, and lots of gooey cheese! This appetizer is a cinch to make and always a crowd pleaser.

Oh Taco Pinwheels, I can’t stop, wont stop!! All you need is puff pastry, taco meat, tomatoes and cheese plus a few bowls of toppings like guacamole!

I LOVE appetizers at football parties and even for dinner. Yes, for dinner. I’ve totally ordered appetizers at restaurants as my main dish. Hello Cheesecake Factory Avocado Egg Rolls!

Taco pinwheels are a great appetizer that even the kids can help you make. Just watch how easy it is!

What is Puff Pastry

We often get emails when we use puff pastry and the subject is always the same, what is puff pastry and is puff pastry the same as crescent roll dough?

Puff pastry is one of the most beautiful doughs ever. It’s made from hundreds of ultra-thin layers of butter wrapped between hundreds of paper-thin layers of dough. In the oven, the liquid rapidly evaporates making the individual layers puff higher and higher. The butter also melts into the dough, turning it golden and crispy. It’s heaven.

Puff pastry is not the same thing as crescent roll. Crescent roll is like a bread dough with yeast and the butter layer is added before merely rolling it into a crescent roll.

Puff pastry is when the dough is wrapped around a hunk of butter, which is repeated multiple times and creates the most delicate flaky layers.


Store bought puff pastry is a must for us. It takes too long to make it from scratch, and the store bought is a great product. However, you must defrost store bought puff pastry on the counter. There’s no rushing that. Just let it sit out.

Cook ground beef with Homemade Taco Seasoning and a little water then let it thicken in the pan. That taco seasoning is the best in all the land. Make a big ol’ jar and store it in the cupboard. Bam!



Now spread the meat on the puff, add tomatoes and cheese, and totally feel free to throw on beans, corn or anything else your heart desires.
Carefully, and very tightly roll that sucker up and slice. Lay everything on a baking sheet and bake!

We love to serve these with cilantro lime ranch, guacamole, salsa or even just sour cream. Well, not me because I don’t love them in sour cream but apparently our friends do. I’m all about pleasing them too.
So stinking easy to make these taco pinwheels for lunch, dinner, appetizers or snacking during a party!

Ingredients:

    1 Package Puff Pastry Sheets (there should be two)
    1 pound Ground Beef
    2 Tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning
    1/4 Cup Water
    1 Large Tomato, chopped
    2 Cups Mexican or Cheddar Cheese, shredded
    1 Handful Chopped Cilantro for garnish
    Guacamole, Sour Cream, ranch, salsa for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2.  Allow the puff pastry to defrost on the counter with a towel over it.
    In a pan over medium high heat, add the ground beef and cook until almost completely browned. Drain any fat and add the taco seasoning and water, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes or until thickened slightly. Remove from heat.
3. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and roll the puff pastry in a rectangle. Repeat with the second sheet.
4. Spread the meat mixture over the top and sprinkle with tomatoes, then cheese. Starting with the small end, tightly roll into a log and seal the seam.
5.  Using a serrated knife, slice into pinwheels and arrange on a lined baking sheet.
6.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.
7.  Remove and cool for a minute before arranging on a platter with guacamole, salsa, etc for dipping or garnish them as you’d like before serving.

Enjoy!