Mini Carne Asada Taco Recipe with Calbacitas – Game Day Recipe

Sponsored post by Mirum Shopper. All opinions are my own.

Earlier this month I went on a trip to Gatlingburg, Tennessee with several other bloggers and artists on an adventure to Dollywood. We rented a cabin and took turns cooking each night of our stay. Of course, I made tacos on my night to cook! I made 24 tacos and there were no crumbs left after our meal. I think they liked them *wink wink*. We love traditional tacos, like the ground beef tacos I made on the trip, but really, you can make tacos with all kinds of unique flavors. What about calbacitas? With fall here, squash is plentiful and just at the end of the season, so it's a perfect time to make calbacitas for the family. This mini carne asada taco recipe has the flavors of calbacitas without the texture. The carne asada give the tacos a hearty taste but you can make these without any meat if you like. I nearly ate this entire plate of mini tacos all by myself. Imagine if fried zucchini, tacos, and jalapeño poppers were all in one dish. It's heaven and you can totally make these mini tacos at home, with Knorr!

When I was growing up, we never ate calbacitas at home. My grandma would make it and that's how I came to know the dish even existed. In our house, my dad just wasn't having it – he didn't like the texture of the zucchini with the cheese and chiles. It's the same reason why my husband Xaver doesn't like okra. Sometimes vegetables like zucchini and okra can get a slimy texture that is a big turn off to some people. If you're someone who avoids zucchini recipes for this reason, I feel you. We got you covered! In this recipe, we grill the zucchini so that it's firm, flavorful, and has a texture that's really enjoyable. These mini tacos feature the flavors of calbacitas without the squishy texture.

First things first, though; for a party food like mini tacos, you need a dip. Knorr's Creamy Chipotle Dip recipe. This dip is a perfect compliment to these tacos. The tacos have an additional punch of flavor because we added a dollop of the dip inside of each mini taco before cooking. That's where that jalapeño popper flavor really comes to life, with the melty gooeyness of the warm dip inside the tacos. Let's get started on this trip to flavortown with Knorr's Creamy Chipotle Dip recipe:

Creamy Chipotle Dip Recipe

Make this Creamy Chipotle Dip Recipe to use for dipping with these yummy mini tacos!

Mini taocs are just as good as regular tacos (but mini!) and even more so flavorful with the calbacitas, carne asada, and Knorr Creamy Chipotle Dip filling.

These mini tacos are totally the bomb but we love regular sized tacos just as much. Knorr Bouillon is perfect for making flavorful taco recipes like our Ground Beef and Potato Tacos recipe featuring Knorr Caldo de Tomate con sabor de Pollo.

Mini Carne Asada Tacos with Calbacitas Recipe

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Mini Carne Asada Taco Recipe with Calbacitas – Game Day Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Mini tacos with a secret ingredient: zucchini!

• Author: Xaver Priest
• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 30 min
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 36 tacos 1x
• Category: Main Dish
• Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 36 street taco size corn tortillas
• spices
• 1/2 lb carne asada (beef flank steak or flap meat, seasoned and marinated)
• 4 medium zucchini
• 2 poblano peppers or 3 Anaheim chiles
• olive oil
• 1/4 lb shredded cheddar cheese

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Instructions

1. Toss with spices and olive oil to coat.
2. Toss poblano peppers in olive oil.
3. Place carne asada and poblano peppers on the grill. Place zucchini in a grill pan on the grill.
4. When cooked, remove the peppers, wrapping them in a damp towel. This will steam them in their own heat from grilling, making it easier to remove the peels.
5. Put on gloves and peel, seed, and de-stem the peppers. Dice the peppers into 1/2″ cubes.
6. Dice the carne asada and zucchini.
7. Shred the cheese.
8. Spoon small amounts of each ingredient onto mini corn tortillas (street taco size).
9. Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan on medium-high temp until 365º F.
10. Using tongs, lower the folded taco into the oil. Lay taco on one side and cook until golden brown. Flip onto the other side.
11. Carefully remove the taco with tongs, avoiding tilting the taco. It's tempting to tilt the taco to let the oil run out into the pan but small bits of the taco and water from the insides can drip into the pan and cause the oil to pop.
12. Tilt the taco in a bread pan lined with paper towels to allow the oil to drain down into the paper towels.
13. Serve with Knorr's Creamy Chipotle Dip.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2
• Calories: 90
• Sugar: 1.1 g
• Sodium: 215.1 mg
• Fat: 5g
• Carbohydrates: 8.9g
• Protein: 2.9g
• Cholesterol: 7.6g

Keywords: Mexican Food, Tacos

Slice zucchini into long spears. Toss with spices and olive oil to coat.

Toss poblano peppers in olive oil to coat.

Place carne asada and poblano peppers on the grill.

Place zucchini in a grill pan on the grill. Grill carne asada to desired doneness. Grill zucchini until cooked but still firm.

When cooked, remove the peppers, wrapping them in a damp towel. This will steam them in their own heat from grilling, making it easier to remove the peels.

Put on gloves and peel, seed, and de-stem the peppers. Dice the peppers into 1/2″ cubes. You can use canned green chiles for this step but the grilled poblanos or Anaheim chiles give a more rustic, flame-grilled flavor to the dish.

Dice the carne asada and zucchini. Shred the cheese. Prepare the Creamy Chipotle Dip.

Spoon small amounts of each ingredient onto mini corn tortillas (street taco size).

Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan on medium-high temp until 365º F.

Using tongs, lower the folded taco into the oil.

Lay taco on one side and cook until golden brown. Flip onto the other side to brown for 1-2 minutes.

Once cooked, carefully remove the taco with tongs, avoiding tilting the taco. It's tempting to tilt the taco to let the oil run out into the pan but small bits of the taco and water from the insides can drip into the pan and cause the oil to pop.

Tilt the taco in a bread pan lined with paper towels to allow the oil to drain down into the paper towels.

Serve with Knorr's Creamy Chipotle Dip and lime wedges. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro for a gorgeous party platter. These will be a hit at your next party or game day get-together!

Head into Walmart and stock up on Knorr Boullion to create this recipe and the Creamy Chipotle Dip. 

What's your favorite way to eat tacos? I'd love to hear more in the comments!