Taco Pinwheels
An easy, fun and tasty appetizer or meal, these Taco Pinwheels use an array of Mexican inspired flavors to create a crispy, meaty, cheesy treat!
A TASTY TACO APPETIZER
I love taking spins on taco ingredients and making them into different things. For example my Taco Spaghetti, Taco Pie and Taco Bake! These Taco Pinwheels are my latest addition to those taco-loving recipe. They make the absolute perfect appetizer or meal that comes together quickly with ingredients that are easy to find. With everything made in one pan, this really cuts down on the clean up as well! If you want to take a fun spin on tacos, then you have to try this Taco Pinwheel recipe.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
No, while we find this gives a nice crunch to this recipe you can also use crescent dough sheets or even pizza dough. Just make sure that everything is sealed nicely when you roll it up. Cooking times will vary so you’ll have to play that by ear.
Absolutely! If you don’t want to make your own seasoning mixture for this recipe you can use a packet of taco seasoning. Or you can make my Homemade Taco Seasoning and keep it on hand for later use!
Yes, this makes a smaller batch of about 12. If you plan on serving a larger group you can absolutely double this recipe which will work out great because puff pastry usually comes two per box and we only use one for this recipe.
Yes they can. You can prepare them and place them on the baking sheet and then cover with plastic wrap or foil until ready to bake. I wouldn’t store longer than 24 hours before baking. They can also be frozen at this stage as well covered in plastic wrap and foil where they will keep frozen for up to 2 months then defrost and bake.
Rotel is a brand name for diced tomatoes with diced green chiles. It comes in a 10 ounce can and you can usually find it near the other canned diced tomatoes in your grocery store. Or you can sometimes find it in the Latin food aisle near the taco products.
These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen. Place in a freezre bag or container and they will keep for up to 3 months. To defrost, remove to refrigerator overnight. These can be reheated in the oven or air fryer at 350 degrees F until heated through about 5-10 minutes.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- ground beef
- garlic
- chili powder
- salt
- pepper
- cumin
- onion powder
- dried oregano
- paprika
- Rotel
- puff pastry
- Mexican blend cheese, shredded
- optional garnishes: lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, green onions, cilantro, etc.
HOW TO MAKE TACO PINWHEELS:
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Place the beef into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and crumble meat until brown. Drain excess grease from the meat then place meat back into the skillet.
Add in the salt, pepper, cumin, onion powder, dried oregano, paprika and Rotel.
Then stir and mix everything well. Cook for 3-4 minutes, take it off the heat and set it aside.
Unroll the puff pastry on a flat surface. Roll or press it into a large rectangle (about 18 inches long). Set the rectangle so that the long edge is parallel with the edge of the counter.
Spread the meat mixture evenly all over the dough then sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.
Starting at the long edge closest to you, begin to roll up the dough (cinnamon roll style). Roll it up tightly and seal the edge all along the roll.
Use a serrated knife to cut the roll evenly into one-inch slices. (If the knife gets the filling on it, wipe it with a wet paper towel in between cuts.)
Place the taco pinwheels on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the pinwheels are golden brown.
These are best served hot. Serve with the optional garnishes of your choice (shown here with sour cream).
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Taco Pinwheels
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 10 ounce can of Rotel (do not drain) (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (usually comes in a package of two)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Optional Garnishes: lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, green onions, cilantro, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Place the beef into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and crumble meat until brown. Drain excess grease from the meat then place meat back into the skillet.
- Add in the minced garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin, onion powder, dried oregano, paprika and undrained Rotel. Then stir and mix everything well. Cook for 3-4 minutes, take it off the heat and set it aside.
- Unroll the thawed puff pastry on a flat surface. Roll or press it into a large rectangle (about 18 inches long). Set the rectangle so that the long edge is parallel with the edge of the counter.
- Spread the meat mixture evenly all over the dough then sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top.
- Starting at the long edge (closest to you), begin to roll up the dough (cinnamon roll style). Roll it up tightly and seal the edge all along the roll.
- Use a serrated knife to cut the roll evenly into one-inch slices. (If the knife gets the filling on it, wipe it with a wet paper towel in-between cuts.)
- Place the taco pinwheels on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between them.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the pinwheels are golden brown.
- These are best served hot. Serve with garnishes of your choice.
Notes
- This recipe can easily be doubled.
- You can use crescent dough sheets or pizza dough for this recipe.
- If you want to use a packet of taco seasoning you can.
- These can be frozen before baking or after, see my tips above.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
