Whole Wheat Taco Cups

I know that everyone and their dogs have probably made these taco cups already.

I blame Pinterest: the mistress of blog land.

Even so, giving these cups a try has always been on my list. And well worth it, I say. They were the perfect little size, melted with gooey cheese in every bite, and we loved how we could customize our little cups with whatever toppings we wanted. 

If it was up to me, I would have dumped the whole dang can of olives in one cup and called it good. My obsession with olives is beyond any type of therapeutic cure. Ryan, on the other hand, can't even stand a small slice of olive within smelling distance. So as you can see, I am officially the yin to his yang.

Oh, definitely make these, btw, etc, etc, etc. Kids eat this stuff up - literally. And Ryan, the whole-wheat-hater, gobbled these right up as well. So I guess all the pinning and repinning was for good reason.

So pin on, sailors. Pin on.

And happy weekending. 

Whole Wheat Taco Cups
makes about 24 cups

Ingredients:
a bunch of whole wheat tortillas, cut into 4-inch circles
1 lb ground beef
1 t salt + 1/2 t pepper
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1 8oz can tomato sauce
2 C shredded taco blend cheese (Monterrey jack/pepper jack/cheddar)
Taco toppings: shredded romaine hearts, avocado, sliced olives, sliced tomatoes, sour cream

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease your muffin tin (24 cups). Using your cookie cutter, knife, or the top of a cup, cut a circle out of the tortillas. If you have larger tortillas, you might be able to get more than one circle out of them, but if you have smaller ones, maybe just one per. Save the scraps for crisping for a salad later. etc.
3. Microwave cut tortillas for 10 seconds each and nestle one tortilla in each up, gently pressing them in until the bottom is filled and cup stays in place. Set aside.
4. In a large skillet, cook ground beef, season with salt and pepper, over medium heat until pink is gone, about 5-8 minutes. Drain any excess grease. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and tomato sauce. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Scoop a spoonful of meat mixture into each tortilla cup, filling about halfway. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and back until tortillas are lightly golden around the edges and cheese is bubbly - about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cups from the muffin tin and serve with taco toppings of your choice.

Recipe idea from: mel's kitchen cafe