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Mexican Appetizer

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Submitted by bfh1968

Layered Mexican tortilla appetizer with cream cheese, picante sauce, and dried beef stacked between flour tortillas. Chilled overnight and sliced into wedges. Make-ahead party food.

YIELD

10 servings

PREP

30 min

COOK

20 min

READY

510 min

This is throwback party food in its purest form. Soft flour tortillas get stacked like pancakes with a tangy cream cheese, dried beef, and picante sauce filling spread between each layer. After an overnight chill in the fridge, the whole stack sets into a torta that slices into clean pie-style wedges.

Dried beef is the unusual ingredient that makes this work. Its salty, smoky bite stands up to the rich cream cheese and gives the spread a meaty backbone. Buzz it in a food processor first for an even consistency that spreads cleanly without tearing the tortillas.

The overnight chill is essential. The tortillas soften slightly as they absorb the cream cheese mixture, and the layers compress into something that holds together when sliced. Skipping the chill means a stack that crumbles apart on the platter. Sprinkle with grated cheese and paprika before serving, and pair with extra picante sauce, guacamole, and sour cream on the side.

Kitchen Tips

  • Soften the cream cheese fully before mixing. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps that won’t smooth out and tear the tortillas during spreading.
  • Process the dried beef into fine pieces in a food processor. Big chunks puncture through the soft layers.
  • Spread the mixture all the way to the edges of each tortilla so every bite has filling.
  • Chill overnight, minimum 4 hours. Less time and the layers won’t bond enough to slice cleanly.

Variations

  • Swap dried beef for crumbled cooked bacon or chopped pepperoni for different salty cured options.
  • Add chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime to the filling for a brighter flavor.
  • Use spinach tortillas or sun-dried tomato tortillas for colorful layers when sliced.

Ingredients

1 1
PACKAGE PACKAGE CREAM CHEESE
softened (8 oz)
½ 0.5
JAR JAR PICANTE SAUCE
thick and chunky *
½ 0.5
JAR JAR BEEF
chopped, dried *
8 8
1 237
CUP ML CHEESE
grated paprika

Directions

Mix cream cheese, picante sauce and dried beef until creamy. (You may chop the dried beef in a food processor, then add the other two ingredients and mix.)

Place one tortilla shell on serving dish and spread with a layer of the mixture.

Repeat this process until you have a stack of 8 to 10 tortilla shells with cream cheese layers between.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Cut into wedges to serve.

Sprinkle with grated cheese and paprika.

If desired, serve with sour cream, guacamole, or extra picante sauce on the side.

The grated cheese can also be added to the cream cheese mixture rather than sprinkled on top.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 20g (0.7 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 187 81% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 17g 26%
Saturated Fat 11g 53%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 53mg 18%
Sodium 238mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars g
Protein 17g
Vitamin A 11% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 22% Iron 3%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Trans-fat Free, Low Carb, Sugar-Free
 
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