If you've wondered, what to do with leftover taco meat? Make these easy taco pinwheels! Filled with a mixture of taco meat, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, diced red and green bell peppers! They only take about 15 minutes to put together. Place them in your lunch box with chips, guacamole, and fresh fruit for your new favorite meal prep.
Leftover Taco Meat Pinwheels aren't just a convenient option; they're flavor-packed, satisfying, and fun to eat. The combination of savory taco meat, gooey cheese, smooth cream cheese, and the freshness of bell peppers creates a mouth-pleasing experience. These pinwheels are not only tasty but also versatile, making them a great choice for lunchboxes, picnics, or a quick at-home meal.
If you love the flavor of tacos or are just a fan of all Mexican food, try a hot comforting bowl of Taco Soup.
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Why You'll Love Taco Pinwheels
Prep Time - These taco pinwheels only take 15 minutes to prepare! Change out the mix-ins and create a different taco pinwheel every week, and add these to your dinner rotation 🙂
Easy Meal Prep - Use your leftover taco meat to make these pinwheels! Place them in a lunch box along with some extra salsa, chips, and maybe a side of fruit or some more guacamole.
Make Ahead - Next time you make taco meat, double up on the recipe. You'll want extra taco meat to make these amazing taco pinwheels. Fun for game day snacks, too!
Ingredients You'll Need
Large flour tortillas - the perfect vessel for holding all the pinwheel ingredients together. Tip - use your leftover tortillas to make these Easy Chicken Quesadillas!
Cream cheese (softened) - gives a nice creamy texture to the taco meat.
Leftover cooked and seasoned taco meat - about a cup is what you need for this recipe (if you don't have any "leftover" taco meat, you can make a fresh batch and freeze the remaining taco meat for later use, or make a double batch of pinwheels). Alternatively, you can use leftover fajita meat.
Shredded cheese - cheddar or Mexican blend is the best! Shred your own for best flavor.
Diced red and green bell peppers - adds a nice fresh crunch and color. Leave them out if you don't like them!
Guacamole, salsa, and sour cream for serving (if desired) - if you can find the individual cups of these, they're so much easier to pack in a lunch box.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Switch out the taco meat for leftover fajita chicken (these are delicious, too!).
- Use spinach wraps instead of flour tortillas.
- Change up the taco mix-ins. A couple of my family's favorite mix-ins are lettuce, black olives, tomatoes, and my husband even loves to add some avocado to his!
How to Make Leftover Taco Meat Pinwheels
Step 1 - Combine the taco meat, diced bell peppers, cream cheese, and shredded cheese.
Step 2 - Evenly spread taco meat mixture on each tortilla.
Step 3 - Roll up each tortilla and refrigerate. Before serving, slice each tortilla into pinwheels.
Step 4 - For meal prep, place them in a bento lunch box like the one I used. Add guacamole, salsa, fruit, or chips.
Recipe Tips
- Set the cream cheese on the countertop for about 30 minutes to soften, which makes it easier to blend with the taco meat.
- Don't overstuff or your tortilla or wrap may rip.
- You'll want to store your taco pinwheels overnight in the fridge to keep them cold or with an ice pack until you are ready to devour them at lunchtime! I recommend storing taco pinwheels in an airtight container as well until you are ready to eat them. This will help keep moisture out so they do not become a soggy mess.
- You'll also want to keep the condiments like the guacamole and salsa separate as well. Individually packed condiment cups work well for keeping these extras apart from the taco pinwheels.
What to Serve with Them
Leftover Taco Meat pinwheels make a perfect main course for your lunch. But everyone loves a side. Tortilla chips and salsa are great choices. You can add in some leftover Mexican rice.
A slice of Mexican Cornbread is a tasty addition to these pinwheels. Other great sides for these taco pinwheels are fruit, a clementine, or blueberries and strawberries!
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course, but don't make them more than 24 hours in advance.
Yes, the taco pinwheels will get soggy if you do not eat them within 24 hours.
Yes, you will want to soften it to make it easier to spread on the wrap.
Pretty much anything you love in a normal taco will work in a taco pinwheel! Olives, tomatoes, lettuce, and rice are just a few suggestions. If you have tried other favorites. Leave them in the comments below!
How Long Will These Last in the Fridge?
You can keep the cooked taco meat in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I wouldn't make the taco pinwheels until you are ready to eat them within 24 hours though!
More Easy Recipes to Try
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Recipe
Leftover Taco Meat Pinwheels
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- measuring cup(s)
Ingredients
- 1 cup leftover taco meat
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ cup diced green bell pepper
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 4 burrito size flour tortillas
- guacamole, salsa, and sour cream for serving, if desired.
- for meal prep, add tortilla chips and fresh fruit (strawberries, grapes, mandarin oranges) to your bento lunch box. Use individual guacamole cups to keep your lunch box clean.
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the taco meat, diced bell peppers, cream cheese, and shredded cheese.1 cup leftover taco meat, ½ cup diced red bell pepper, ½ cup diced green bell pepper, 8 ounces cream cheese, softened, 1 cup shredded cheese
- Divide the taco meat mixture evenly on each tortilla and roll up tightly.
- Wrap each tortilla in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour or up to overnight.
- Before serving, slice each tortilla into 1-½ inch pinwheels.
- Serve with tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream, if desired.
- For meal prep, add chips and fresh fruit (strawberries, grapes, mandarin oranges) to your bento lunch box. Use individual guacamole cups to keep your lunch box clean.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2021 and was updated in 2023.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy to my readers. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't guarantee the accuracy of this data. The data may differ according to the brands I used versus the brands you use. To calculate the data yourself using your brands, try using an online nutrition calculator or app.
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