Food Corner
  • Home
  • About
  • Awards
  • Resources
  • Advertise / Sponsor
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Blogging Tips
  • Food & Travel
  • Health & Fitness
  • Reviews

Food Corner

  • Home
  • About
  • Awards
  • Resources
  • Advertise / Sponsor
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Tips

4 Mexican Dinners that Takes Less than 30 Minutes to Make

written by Amila Gamage Wickramarachchi June 24, 2018
4 Mexican Dinners that Takes Less than 30 Minutes to Make

Mexican food is enjoyed all over the world for its liberal use of spices and fresh vegetables alongside heavy meats and fried dough. That juxtaposition is somewhat that could have only come from the natural plants and rich culture of Mexico, but you don’t need to visit this Latin American country to get a taste.

Many Mexican meals are simple and can be put together in well under a half hour. Provided you have the ingredients and the know-how to assemble them, you can have a complex and rich meal for your friends and family as quickly as this very evening.

Not sure it can be done? Here are just four of the many Mexican dinners that can be made in less than 30 minutes.

1. Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

4 Mexican Dinners that Takes Less than 30 Minutes to MakeQuesadillas are one of those dishes that is simple to create, but far more difficult to master. The difference between a good and a great quesadilla all comes down to spices and temperature.

Start off with some fresh grilled chicken, cut small enough to enjoy but large enough to give a bit of structure to the inside of the quesadilla. Toss into a small bowl alongside beans of your choice, sliced jalapeños, and cheese. You’ll want to mash these ingredients together slightly, but just enough so that they stick together as opposed to crumbling apart.

Cook your quesadillas over medium heat, and on a wedged pan if possible. You’re going for a melted consistency on the inside and a golden to just-slightly-brown texture on the outside. The key once it’s finished, however, is not to set on a plate.

Keep a cooked quesadilla in an oven at about 200 degrees to keep things fresh. Don’t cut or slice the quesadilla until moments before serving. This will keep your tortilla crispy and the quesadilla warm throughout.

Serve with chips, rice, and dip of choice, and enjoy!

2.  Empanadas

Despite the popularity of Mexican food stateside, empanadas are often neglected as a dish.

Empanadas

Also referred to as pastelitos or turnovers in some countries, this fried pastry dish is a fan favorite in several communities for its versatile nature and crunchy texture. With the proper planning, making empanadas won’t take you thirty minutes, but less than five.

To make an empanada, you’ll have to start with an empanada disk. In America, these can be easily found in the international aisle of a grocery store. After securing your empanada discs, you’ll need whatever you’d like to fill it with. Beef and cheese are the common fillings, but chicken and shrimp are also great options. Just remember to pre-cook any meat.

Roll out your empanada disk to the desired size using a rolling pin and some flour. Then, place a good amount of meat filling in the center of the disk and fold in half. Using a fork, press several indentions into the dough to seal the filling inside the fold. You’ll need to run the perimeter of the folded edge of the empanada on both sides.

After this, all you’ll need to do is cook them! A deep fryer works best, but you don’t own one, fill as much oil into a pan as possible and heat on low. Drop in your empanada and cook until golden brown—flipping on each side when necessary. Be careful not to overheat the oil, as your empanada can burn quickly!

After cooking, serve with rice, beans, or just by itself for a filling meal in a crispy package.

3.  Pollo Rojo

Pollo Rojo, as the name implies, is chicken spiced with red peppers. This concoction is about as simple as it gets and great for anyone with little to no experience with making Mexican dishes.

To make Pollo Rojo, coat raw chicken with your favorite spices and grill. Place on a plate and coat with red pepper sauce. Serve with beans and watch your friends and family clear their sinuses with your easy dish.

Don’t have red pepper sauce? You can easily make it at home with roasted red peppers, heavy cream, butter, garlic, and spices. Blend your red peppers to make a smooth and deadly sauce, then use the butter to sauté some garlic. Pour in the red pepper mixture, season with spices, dilute with cream, and stir until thick.

Pollo Rojo will put some skin on your bones—especially if you go easy on the heavy cream. However, it’s a meal with enough of an impact to keep your dinner party wondering exactly how you managed to pull it off so quickly.

4.  Nachos Supreme

Nachos Supreme

Finally, it wouldn’t be a list of traditional Mexican dinners without nachos. Nachos can easily blend into the background beside more showy dishes, but some strong nachos supreme will stand on its own without the need for sides and distractions.

For nacho supreme, chop, dice, and mince as many fresh ingredients as you have time for, including tomatoes, jalapeños, olives, and green onions. Where you can save time on this recipe is utilizing a meaty cheese sauce.

Using queso Blanco as a base, stir in browned ground beef and taco seasoning into your cheese. You may need to add a few seasonings, jalapeños, and a little extra salt to taste. This quick assembly will be the basis of flavor.

Set a bed of tortilla chips, add on some pinto beans, douse liberally in the meaty cheese sauce, and use the fresh ingredients on top. If you find the flavors too overwhelming, skip the chopped veggies and cover with grilled corn.

This meal won’t win any awards in a diet, but if you balanced your hearty cheese cause with enough of a crunch, these nachos supreme should be good enough to forgive the added caloric intake. Your local Henderson Mexican Restaurant has a unique take on nachos supreme that may or may not utilize many of these same techniques.

Mexican food is rich in history, filled with flavor, but luckily for the procrastinating chef, quick to prepare.

DinnerEasy to cookMexican
0 comment
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Amila Gamage Wickramarachchi

Amila Gamage is the blogger behind Food Corner. She is a Sri Lankan living in Singapore and shares her cooking adventures in this blog. Apart from recipes, you will also find travel, health and kitchen inspirations in this blog. She is the founder of Sihela Consultants. (www.sihelaconsultants.com) She started writing this blog in 2011 and still continuing.

previous post
Great Ways to Use an Instant Pot
next post
Sri Lankan Wambatu Moju (Brinjal Moju)

Related Posts

A Food Gift Guide for Your Employees This...

September 13, 2022

What Exactly Are Coffee Bags and How Can...

March 16, 2018

Five Best Ways to Store Wine

February 19, 2017

5 Basic Rules to Follow When Cooking Meat

September 19, 2016

Prepper Tip: How to Freeze Dry Food for...

April 6, 2014

Guide for Buying Panasonic Bread Making Machine

February 8, 2018

8 Time saving Tips to make Paleo Soups...

December 26, 2014

How to Make Grilled Vegetables

September 3, 2019

3 Tips and Tricks To Making Your Own...

July 19, 2017

How to Clean Vegetables and Fruits

July 28, 2018

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Recipe Rating




Welcome to Food Corner!

Hi! I am Amila. Enjoy Sri Lankan recipes throughout the site including other recipes and articles.Don't forget to leave me a comment before you leave :)

Subscribe for updates and grab this ebook FREE!

Recent Posts

  • Exploring the Cuisine of Ladakh: A Culinary Journey Through the High Passes
  • Flavors of Rajasthan Exploring the Rich Cuisine of India’s Royal Land
  • Mexican Rice: A Delicious Meal with Aztec Roots
  • This Orzo Recipe Will Help You Start With a Good Step The Mediterranean Diet
  • Check This Delicious Zucchini and Mushrooms Rice Recipe You Can Easily Make At Home

Categories

  • Air Fryer recipes
  • Appetizers and Snacks
  • Blogging Tips
  • Bread,Bun,Pizza and Baking recipes
  • Cakes and Cookies
  • Chicken Recipes
  • Desserts and Frozen
  • Drinks and Beverages
  • Egg Recipes
  • Fish Recipes
  • Food & Travel
  • Food Business
  • For Kids
  • Grilling
  • Health & Fitness
  • Indian Recipes
  • Kitchen Appliances
  • Kitchen Garden
  • Lifestyle
  • Microwave Recipes
  • Noodles and Pasta Recipes
  • Pantry Organizing
  • Pickle Recipes
  • Recipe Collections
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
  • Reviews
  • Rice Recipes
  • Salad Recipes
  • Sambola & Chutney Recipes
  • Seafood Recipes
  • Simple food garnishing
  • Slow Cooker Recipes
  • Soup Recipes
  • sri lanka
  • Sri Lankan
  • Sri Lankan Breakfast/Dinner
  • Sweets
  • Tips
  • Vegetables and Pulses

Archives

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google +
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube

@2011-2021 - Food Corner. All Right Reserved. Designed by K. Motif