Description
These Cheesy Beef Flautas are crispy, flavorful rolled tortillas filled with seasoned ground beef, cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, and melted pepper jack cheese. Perfect for a quick and satisfying meal or appetizer, they can be baked, air fried, or pan fried to achieve a deliciously crunchy exterior. Serve them with your favorite toppings like guacamole, salsa, and sour cream for a crowd-pleasing Tex-Mex dish.
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 (1 oz) packet taco seasoning
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup salsa
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Wraps
- 8 flour tortillas (or corn tortillas for taquitos)
Toppings (optional)
- Salsa
- Tomatillo Avocado Salsa
- Homemade Pico de Gallo
- Sour Cream
- Guacamole
- Queso
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven or Air Fryer: Preheat your oven to 375°F or your air fryer to 350°F for baking or air frying the flautas.
- Cook the Ground Beef: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the lean ground beef, breaking it apart with a spatula until no longer pink. Drain any excess grease if desired. Stir in the taco seasoning until well combined.
- Add Creamy Ingredients: Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and salsa to the skillet with the beef. Stir constantly until the cream cheese melts and the mixture is heated through. Then fold in the shredded pepper jack cheese and remove the skillet from the heat.
- Soften Tortillas: If the tortillas are too stiff to roll, lay them flat and heat in the microwave for about 10 seconds to make them pliable and easier to work with.
- Assemble Flautas: Spoon two heaping tablespoons of the beef mixture onto one side of each tortilla. Roll tightly and place seam-side down on a baking sheet to prevent unrolling.
- Bake for Crispy Flautas: Optionally brush the rolled flautas lightly with oil for extra crispness. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes until tortillas are golden and crispy.
- Air Fry Option: Alternatively, brush the flautas with oil and place them in the air fryer at 375°F for 3 to 4 minutes until crisp.
- Pan Fry Option: Heat about half an inch of oil in a shallow skillet over medium-high heat. Fry 2 to 4 flautas at a time, turning to brown all sides until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels after frying.
- Serve: Serve the hot, crispy beef flautas immediately topped with your favorite salsa, guacamole, sour cream, queso, or fresh cilantro for a delicious Tex-Mex meal or appetizer.
Notes
- Flour tortillas provide a softer wrap and crisp nicely when baked or fried; use corn tortillas for a more authentic taquito style.
- Brushing tortillas with oil before baking or air frying greatly enhances crispiness.
- Drain excess grease after cooking the beef to reduce fat content.
- Customize toppings to your preference for heat and flavor variety.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, opt for corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.
- Leftover filling can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
