10 Ways to Recycle Leftover Taco Meat Filling


10 Tasty Ways to Recycle Leftover Taco Meat Before it Spoils.

Our crack team of recipe testers here at the Café love two things:

  1. Sleeping in
  2. Having leftover taco meat filling in the fridge

Number one is obvious. But did you know that there are 10 ways to re-use leftover taco filling – and that one of those ways can convince a friend to help you move a sofa bed up a flight of stairs?

Wait, what? Keep scrolling⬇

#1 Evil-Genius Nachos

We understand the evil addictive-nature behind melted cheese and fixings served on top of salty tortilla chips. Add delicious leftover taco meat as part of the fixings and it’s evil-genius!

Nachos with cheese salsa and leftover taco meat filling

#2 Make Sloppy Joe’s To Move a Sofa Bed

Everyone knows that if you want a friend to help you move, you have to bribe them with food.

Now, if that certain friend happens to be a hungry-meatatarian, use your leftover taco meat to make 5-Ingredient Sloppy Joe’s (see image below).

Just the site of this delicious sandwich will be convincing enough that their sore back afterwards is worth the delicious reward!

5 ingredient sloppy joes. Leftover taco meat, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 4 oz canned green chilies, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

#3 Satisfy Your Carb-Cravings

To satisfy a carb craving – with extra flavor – you need to be strategic. Like playing a game of tic-tac-toe. Which basically means it’s the low-intensity kind of strategic-thinking (my favorite).

  • First move: Make mac and cheese.
  • Next: Mix in leftover taco meat filling
  • Final move (for the win): Grab a fork.

You did it! Enjoy your Tic-Tac-Taco Mac and Cheese! 🧀

Tic-Tac-Taco Mac and Cheese

#4 Satisfy Your Carb-Free Cravings

Want to eat less carbs on Leftover Taco Filling Wednesday?

If so, simply wrap the leftover taco meat from Tuesday, with some choice fixings (suggestions in image below), in a big crisp leaf of lettuce!

Lettuce Wrap Taco Verde: lettuce leaf, leftover taco meat, salsa verde, red bell pepper, pineapple, green onion

#5 Create Edible Food Art

For when you want to tap into your artistic side! ⬇

Spread the leftover taco meat on a large plate and heat in the microwave. Scatter shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, jalapenos, crushed tortilla chips and cheese on top. Then go all abstract art on it by splashing on your favorite salsa and hot sauces. It’s a work of art and it’s delicious! 🎨

Flavor Canvas: sauce, leftover taco meat, something sour, savory or salty, something red, something green on a plate.

Every Artist (Even The Cooking Kind) Needs an Apron!

We like this one because setting the right tone is half the recipe. 🤣 ⬇️

No Bitchin’ In My Kitchen Apron

U.S: https://amzn.to/4mgZ2fM
CDN: https://amzn.to/4gzNqn1
The Café receives a small commission if you purchase using the links above.

No Bitchen in My Kitchen - Cooking apron

Okay, keep scrolling because you can make money off our next idea!

#6 Tex-Mex Your Egg Sandwich

When a certain popular franchise gets wind of how good your morning Tex-Mex Egg Sandwich tastes, they will probably want to buy the recipe formula from you. You’ll make a killing! You’re welcome. 💰

Tex Mex McMuffin: 2 Eggs, 2 Tbsp milk, leftover taco meat, salsa, green onion, shredded cheese, English muffin

#7 Meat-Up The Marinara

The worst part of adding ground meat to pasta sauce is NOT having to cook the ground meat.

It’s forgetting to take the ground meat out of the freezer the night before to thaw it out. 😢

With leftover taco meat; problem solved!

5 Minute Meat Sauce: leftover taco meat, tomato sauce, dried oregano, salt and pepper.

#8 Make Your “Other” Favorite Chili

Considering that everyone believes they make “the best chili”, it would be silly to suggest you mess with your secret chili recipe.

But if you’re interested in a time-saving back-up version, then look no further than your stash of leftover taco meat to make it happen in minutes!

Mexicana Chili: leftover taco meat, black beans, frozen corn, canned diced tomatoes, green onions, salsa, cilantro, chili powder, lime juice

#9 Grilled Cheese

Now imagine it stuffed with leftover taco meat, 2 tablespoons of chili sauce and of course – melted cheese. Okay, it doesn’t sound as appetizing when written that way, but let the flavor be the judge!

*If you don’t have chili sauce, make your own by mixing 2 tablespoons of ketchup with 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. 

Taco Grilled Cheese: 2 slices bread, cheese, chili sauce, leftover taco meat

#10 Make More Tacos!!!

A top ten list inevitably means that there will be ten items on the list. But sometimes the person creating the list (aka me) comes up short on ideas because his recipe testers only shared 9 ideas before they went back to sleep. 😴

So, in an attempt to wiggle out of this dilemma, the person provides some lame, obvious item on the list – like I have done here in number 10.

Then again, having leftover taco meat does make it easier to make more tacos. Just sayin’. 🌮

I’ll try harder next time. Promise.

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Brent Garell (hey that’s me!) is the founder of College Recipe Cafe. He is the author of The Cook-a-Palooza Experience, 15-Minute Money Saving Meals for Students and your guide inside the Cafe’s online cooking school Cooking Pro Jumpstart.

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