Until about 10 years ago, I kind of HATED avocados. The sad part is I’d actually only eaten them once or twice before I decided that I wasn’t a fan. Go figure Then, something or someone (I don’t remember back that far) prompted me to give them a second chance! I’m so glad I did! My reintroduction to the avocado came in the simplest way possible – chips and guac! OMG! I was totally hooked on both the guac AND the avocado. Nowadays, one of MY favorite ways to use this tasty little nugget of green goodness is in my easy 5 ingredient guacamole.

Just like most of my recipes, I have a handful of different guacamole recipes that I pull out depending on the situation. There’s the big batch guacamole recipe for when I need to serve a large crowd. I used that particular one at my son’s graduation party.

Then, there’s the ‘more stuff in the guac’ recipe that I pull out now and then. It’s filled with a bit more guacy (a Lori word) goodness than some of my others. Sometimes I like my guacamole a bit smoother and other times I like it chock full of stuff – just depends on my mood!

The easy 5 ingredient guacamole recipe I’m sharing with you today is what I often use for quick weeknight meals because I’m really the only one who likes guac in my house! It’s the ideal serving size for one or two people.

And personally, I like to use guacamole on nearly any Mexican recipe I make, from my taco pizza to my easy weeknight enchiladas to my one pot taco pasta. Yep – a little guac with the pasta is wonderful, believe it or not Or, maybe I’m just a bit of a weirdo when it comes to food Who knows?

Anywho, I hope you enjoy my easy 5 ingredient guacamole! You’ll have it whipped up in a flash and it’s the perfect portion for one or two servings.

Easy 5 Ingredient Guacamole

Quick and easy guacamole perfect for two. Just five simple ingredients and you'll have this whipped up in no time.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: guacamole, mexican

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 people

Author: Lori Wallace-Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 each avocados
• 1 each lime
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp red onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp diced garlic

Instructions

• Slice avocado and remove pit. Scoop avocado into medium sized mixing bowl.
• Mash avocado with fork.
• Mix in cilantro, onion and garlic. Add in juice of entire lime.
• Season with salt, to taste.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

1. Feel free to add jalapenos, chilis, garlic or diced tomato, if you prefer.

 

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to see!Share a photo and mention @quitesimplyus or tag #quitesimplyus!

The post Easy 5 Ingredient Guacamole appeared first on Quite Simply Us.

We love Taco Tuesdays at my place, but sometimes we get a little tired of the regular ole’ taco and need to try something else in its place. Right? You, too? Generally, I pull out one of my tried and true Mexican-inspired recipes to have in place of our beloved tacos. Sometimes it’s my one pot taco pasta. Sometimes it’s my copycat tortilla soup. This time, it was my easy weeknight enchiladas.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to compile multiple recipes for the same type of food. Take enchiladas for example. I’ve got a handful that I use routinely, depending on what I’m looking for. Some take quite a while to make, others are stuffed with different fillings and then, of course, there are my easy weeknight enchiladas. They’re filled with ground beef and are THE perfect choice for a Monday-Friday meal. Quick to make and quick to the table – what’s better than that?

What’s even better is that you can customize these bad boys to your own liking. Traditionally, enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, which I often use. Sometimes, though, I use flour. It really just depends on what I have in the pantry.

If you like things on the spicier side, use spicy taco seasoning in place of regular. Do you really need guacamole with your Mexican food? Umm…if you’re like me you certainly do Mix up a batch and slather on top if you’d like. Are you an olive lover? Feel free to mix them into your filling or scatter them on top before baking. Improvise. Have fun. That’s actually what cooking is all about

Anyways, I hope you’ll give my delicious and remarkably easy weeknight enchiladas a try and let me know what you think. I bet you’ll find them as tasty as we do at my house

Easy Weeknight Enchiladas

Quick, easy and on the table in less than an hour. The entire family will love these tasty enchiladas, filled with ground beef and the perfect spice!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: enchiladas, ground beef, mexican

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Author: Lori Wallace-Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beaf
• 2 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 (4 oz) can diced jalapenos, drained
• 2 cups shredded Mexican or fiesta blend cheese
• 1 (19 oz) can red enchilada sauce
• 6-8 tortillas (flour or corn)
• cilantro
• sour cream
• guacamole

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°
• Brown ground beef in medium skillet. Drain.
• Mix in taco seasoning until well combined. Add in drained jalapenos and 4 ounces of the shredded cheese. Stir until melted.
• Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in bottom of 9"x13" baking dish.
• Spread about 1/4 cup of the beef mixture down the center of tortillas. Add additional shredded cheese to each enchilada.
• Roll tortillas tightly and place, seam side down, into baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
• Pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce atop the enchiladas, being sure to cover well. Cover with remaining shredded cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes.
• Add cilantro or any additional toppings you desire and serve immediately

Notes

1. You can use flour or corn tortillas, depending on personal preference. Don’t go any bigger than 8″.
2. Replace ground beef with turkey, chicken, lamb or any other ground meat you desire.
3. If you’d like, add a thin layer of cooked rice into the enchiladas before cooking.
4. Any additional toppings might include sour cream, salsa, olives, guacamole.

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to see!Share a photo and mention @quitesimplyus or tag #quitesimplyus!

The post Easy Weeknight Enchiladas appeared first on Quite Simply Us.

At my house, taco Tuesday is definitely a thing! Sometimes, it’s simple tacos with ground beef. Once in a while, we’ll do shredded chicken tacos. Other times, we’ll go for Taco pizza or enchiladas. Every now and then, I’ll pull out the one pot taco pasta.

I just love those one-pot wonders for weeknight meals! There’s nothing better than easy clean-up, no?

Honestly, this recipe couldn’t be easier and is quite perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Even though I don’t have littles in the house any more, I still love those easy weeknight meals that don’t require too much time. Sometimes, you simply have other things to do and don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen preparing a meal. Right? I mean, there’s cocktails to be had, after all

My one pot taco pasta is perfect for those nights when you need something on the table quick. And, the short list of ingredients makes it even better!

The recipe itself is really three short steps.

Brown

Start of by combining your ground beef, salt and pepper in a large skillet or dutch oven and cooking through. Be sure to use something large enough to cook your pasta in during the next step.

Mix the One Pot Taco Pasta

After draining the excess grease, mix in your taco seasoning, water, salsa and uncooked pasta. Cover and cook for approximately 15 minutes until pasta is tender.

Serve

Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese. Serve with any additional toppings you like.

Variations on One Pot Taco Pasta

There are lots of things you can do to tweak this recipe and make it your own.

Spice it Up

If you’re into spicier foods, add some diced jalapenos, use hot salsa or the hot taco seasoning packets.

Cool it Down

Mix in a dab of sour cream right before serving – I always do, especially because we usually spice ours up since my family likes things on the hot side.

Add Some Crunch

If you’re one of those folks who likes a bit of crunch, crushed tortillas will definitely fit the bill.

Veggies or Beans Anyone?

For those of you who want to add some veggies to the equation, a can of corn or even some black beans would work wonderfully in this mix.

At the end of the day, don’t be afraid to add your own twist based on your families preferences. Part of the fun of cooking is making it your own.

Anyways, I hope you’ll give my one-pot taco pasta a try on one of those crazy nights where you simply have too many irons in the fire and need to get a meal on the table fast! Let me know how it goes for you and what adjustments you made – I may want to copy

Until next time, bon apetit!

One Pot Taco Pasta

The perfect weeknight meal for busy moms!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: taco pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pack taco seasoning mix
• 1 cup salsa
• 2-¼ cups water
• 8 ounces uncooked pasta whatever style you have on hand is fine
• 8 ounces Mexican or Fiesta blend cheese
• Optional – diced tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, sour cream

Instructions

• Preheat a deep skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.
• Combine ground beef, salt and pepper and cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
• Drain excess grease.
• Mix in taco seasoning until combined.
• Add salsa, water and pasta and stir to combine.
• Bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender.
• Remove from heat and mix in shredded cheese.
• Serve, adding any additional toppings, if desired.

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to see!Share a photo and mention @quitesimplyus or tag #quitesimplyus!

The post One Pot Taco Pasta appeared first on Quite Simply Us.