36 Tasty Tex-Mex Recipes To Bring the Fiesta To Your Family

Recipe: Beef Tamale Pie

We can't decide which part we love the most: the bubbly, super flavorful beef filling or the toasty cornbread topping (made with store-bought corn muffin mix!) dotted with jalapeños. 

Recipe: Chili Cheese Enchiladas

Instead of using a canned enchilada sauce, this recipe makes a Texas-inspired chili gravy that is insanely delicious. You can use ground beef, leftover chicken, or even a rotisserie chicken to add extra protein. 

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Carnitas Tacos

This convenient shortcut for crowd-pleasing carnitas tacos will totally transform Tex-Mex Tuesday. Broiling the meat on a sheet pan to brown and crisp the entire batch at once makes all the difference. 

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cowboy Beans

Throw pinto beans, bacon, bacon drippings (oh yeah), garlic, onion, chipotle, and other ingredients to a slow cooker and then forget about it. The result? The best Tex-Mex side dish ever. 

Recipe: Austin Diner-Style Queso

Every meal should start with a batch or two of this creamy cheese dip, but especially when there are little ones or extra company present. Add canned green chiles or jalapeños for extra heat if desired. 

Recipe: Pulled Pork Nachos

You'll love this easy-to-assemble recipe for a fun snack, quick-fix dinner, or party appetizer. To make it easy, grab some shredded smoked pork from your favorite BBQ joint.

Recipe: Cheesy Taco Casserole

Turn tacos into a quick and easy beef casserole supper complete with toppings everyone can pick and choose. 

Recipe: Queso-Filled Mini Peppers

Have you ever seen something cuter than these super cheesy mini peppers? They'll disappear before your eyes. 

Recipe: Frito Pie

Say hello to Texas' version of a walking taco filled with beefy goodness, like chili, crunchy corn chips, shredded cheese, and diced white onion. It starts with traditional West Texas Chili and ends with a happy belly.

Recipe: Creamy Tex-Mex Cornbread Bake

Cornbread? With Tex-Mex? Sounds about right with this Southern crowd. This skillet bake is surprisingly healthy yet hearty with ground turkey.

Recipe: Texas-Style Enchilada Casserole

Like a cross between a traditional enchilada and an easy casserole, this beefy supper recipe is bound to hit the table again and again. 

Recipe: Sheet Pan Fajitas

Don't sweat over the stovetop for this 20-minute recipe that calls for simply combining basic ingredients like chicken breasts, onion, bell peppers, and spices (cumin, chili powder, and paprika) onto a sheet pan. 

Recipe: Huevos Rancheros Bake

Because brunch deserves a Tex-Mex twist, too. The egg-topped skillet is a cheesy, layered dream.

Recipe: Creamy Grits Mexi-Casserole

This slow-cooker casserole is a hit from morning to dinnertime. Using tortilla soup broth gives it so much extra Tex-Mex flavor.

Recipe: Crock-Pot Salsa Chicken

This is the most versatile weeknight recipe to have on hand. Use it as a taco filler, put it over rice with toppings, or spoon over chips to make sheet-pan nachos. 

Recipe: Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

After tasting this super flavorful Tex-Mex soup, you'll know why it is one of Martina McBride's most popular recipes from her cookbook.

Recipe: San Antonio Beef Puffy Tacos

This puffy tacos are as fun as they are tasty. Filled with superbly seasoned beef and all the toppings, they're an easy favorite. 

Recipe: McGuire's Margarita

Say hello to every Tex-Mex taco's best friend. This simple recipe for a classic margarita on the rocks features the perfect ratio of sweet, salty, and boozy. 

Recipe: Texas Caviar Rice and Beans

A beloved Lone Star dip recipe gets transformed into a satisfying main dish, adding rice, cheese, and all the toppings—we recommend a hearty dollop of guacamole!

Recipe: Easy Steak Fajitas

This dependable recipe is ready after using only a handful of ingredients that work hard so you don't have to. Perfect fajitas coming right up. 

Recipe: Breakfast Enchiladas

This is the ultimate brunch recipe for when you're feeding a crowd or simply want plenty of leftovers. 

Recipe: Sheet Pan Nachos

Take this genius sheet-pan version of nachos straight from the oven to your table—and watch everyone go wild, family-style. 

Recipe: Brisket Tacos with Summer Salsa

Slow-cooker beef brisket and crunchy fruit salsa might be the most delicious duo you'll meet all year. These are company-worthy tacos. 

Recipe: Smothered Enchiladas

Southerners like anything when it's smothered, especially when smothered with cheesy, creamy, spiced Tex-Mex flavor. This simple recipe is all you need. 

Recipe: Smoked Chicken Tortilla Soup

Word on the street is that this soup is irresistible, made with tender chicken, black beans, corn, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, jalapeño pepper, and chiles. 

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

It's hard to beat shredded chicken tacos, and now you can turn them out without any huff or fuss using your trusty slow cooker. 

Recipe: Taco-Tot Casserole

The things we'll do with a bag of frozen tater tots...including this casserole bake filled with cheese, ground beef, corn, black beans, and green chiles. 

Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This casserole calls for layering corn tortillas as opposed to rolling each individual enchilada before baking, which is about to make your life a whole bunch easier. 

Recipe: Bacon-Pimiento Guacamole

Like regular guacamole—but make it extra Southern. We don't think any Texans would be against the addition of bacon and pimientos. 

Recipe: Spicy Watermelon Refresher

Tequila, fresh watermelon, and serrano peppers make the most fun trio you've ever met. This spritz is perfect for any cookout. 

Recipe: Tex-Mex Shrimp Cocktail

A citrusy hot pepper jelly mixture coats shrimp, mango, and chopped veggies in this fun take on a shrimp cocktail. Serve as a main dish or appetizer. 

Recipe: Taco Pie

This isn't your average taco casserole. Corn tortillas are partially fried before forming the base of the pie, which gives so much extra flavor and texture. Garnished with crumbly queso fresco, fresh cilantro, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime juice, this one is any Tex-Mex lover's dream.

Recipe: Flank Steak Tostadas

Tostadas are crunchy corn tortillas that are usually deep-fried and topped with yummy ingredients—in this case, tender flank steak and all the fixings.