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A few weeks ago, John.e and I stumbled upon these super awesome tortilla bowls by OLD EL PASO. My mind immediately shifted into creative mode and started to think about what ingredients I could use as a filling. The possibilities are endless for these bowls! Oh, and get this, Dear Reader – they come in minis too! I’m in the process of developing an appetizer-sized dessert recipe using the mini bowls as a vessel – stay tuned for that! I found these tortilla bowls at Loblaws; you can find a Loblaws store close to you here.
In the meantime, let’s focus on the regular-sized tortilla bowls. I decided that a classic taco-flavoured dish would be best for my recipe. I love the flavours of a good taco, and gladly accept shortcuts whenever possible. I’ve always been a huge fan of OLD EL PASO products, and will often use the brand’s seasoning packets in my recipes. In fact, my mom used OLD EL PASO when I was growing up. Both of my parents worked every day, so weeknight dinners needed to be quick and easy and something the entire family would enjoy. The hard shell taco kits were very popular with my mom – they came with everything she needed to pull together a great tasting dinner! And the best part was that we could all get involved. Mom would cook the beef, while my sister chopped the lettuce and cut the tomatoes. I would shred the cheese while my brother set the table. Everyone pitched in! Fond memories, indeed.
By the way, if you’re not fully aware of the product line, click here for a complete run down! For this particular recipe, I did take advantage of the mild taco seasoning mix. I can handle a little more spice than John.e, but I thought it best to be safe and use the mild. If you’re feeling more adventurous, there is a hot and spicy mix as well.
I’ve eaten salad served in a tortilla bowl before, but the bowl was fried until crispy. That was good, but like a good burger bun, I prefer tortillas to be soft. These tortilla bowls are soft and pillowy – just the perfect vessel to hold all of the goodness you can throw at it! As you can see from the photos, I like a lot of filling; I piled ours high with lots of ingredients, and the bowls held up to the weight and the moisture!
This is such an easy recipe – basically, if you can prepare a few veggies by cutting and shredding, and if you can open a can and use a skillet, you can make this recipe. It’s fool proof; I swear! I really wanted the taste and texture of taco-flavoured beef, but opted for a vegetarian version, which is why I substituted in the tofu. Many people don’t realize that when fried, tofu takes on a meat-like texture and can absorb just about any flavour you pair with it – hence, the perfect ingredient to take on those strong taco flavours from the seasoning packet. Get the kids involved when making this for dinner – trust me; it’s a very family-friendly recipe. And, each person at your dinner table can top the bowls their way – no fighting! 😉
I can’t wait to hear from you! Be sure to come back and send me a message telling me what you stuffed your bowls with! Cheers!
Tofu Taco Bowls
Pin Recipe Save Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 package OLD EL PASO Tortilla Bowls
- 1 package OLD EL PASO Taco Seasoning Mix
- 1 jar OLD EL PASO Salsa
- 700 grams extra firm tofu, crumbled into small bite-sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 1/2 large red onion, diced
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup canned corn, drained
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 whole limes
- 1/2 bunch green onion, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 100 degrees. Remove the tortilla bowls from the packaging, and place individually on a baking sheet. Place in oven to warm - do not bake - just warm!
- Begin by heating the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the crumbled tofu and stir to coat with the oil. Allow to sauté for 15 minutes, stirring often. At the 15 minute mark, add the taco seasoning mix and stir well to coat. Sauté for 5 minutes more.
- In the meantime, prepare all of the veggies and toppings as per the ingredient list and place in separate bowls (if you plan family assembly style)
- To assemble, add the lettuce to the bowl, followed by the tomatoes, red onions, black beans, corn, and avocado. Spritz with the fresh lime juice.
- Next, add the tofu, a small amount of the shredded cheese, a tablespoon or so of sour cream and salsa, a little more shredded cheese, and garnish with the green onions.
- Serve with a bowl of chips with extra salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Cyn says
I love the idea of adding tofu into this and your tips for it were great! I agree with you that the option of having the bowls soft is perfect for me. It’s fantastic that they hold up under a lot of fillings! #client
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Cyn. I had so much fun experimenting with these bowls. They are now in our dinner rotation. 🙂
Whitney says
How AMAZING do these look?!? Those bowls are super handy, I need to get some!
Brian Jones says
These look fabulous, such great pictures… I really don’t know a great deal about Mexican inspired food and have planted a few new crops this year and read a few books over winter to kinda gimme a push in the right direction. Seems odd that the European food scene is so incredibly diverse but aside from the occasional nasty chain selling bad burritos there is very little Mexican food on this side of the Atlantic.
Paige @ Where Latin Meets Lagniappe says
I love these adorable taco bowls! And I think my kids would love them too!!
Yan says
Hello! thank you for your recipe!
I have a question though: did you add the water prescribe in the Old El Paso seasoning mix?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Yan… thanks for dropping by! No, I did not add the water; I added the seasoning to the tofu in dry form.