Mini Taco Cheese Cups
Crunchy little cups of baked cheddar filled with spiced taco beef, sour cream and fresh tomato. A two-bite party snack where the cheese is the shell.
Nutrition per serving
4 taco cups- Net carbs
- 2.7g
- Calories
- 328kcal
- Protein
- 19g
- Fat
- 27g
- Total carbs
- 3.3 g
- Fiber
- 0.6 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Chicken taco cups: Ground chicken in the same taco spices makes a lighter filling that’s just as good under the sour cream.
- Heat the oil in the skillet and cook the chicken, breaking it up, until no pink remains (165°F/74°C), 6–8 minutes. Add the spices and water and simmer as written.
Parmesan shells: Grated Parmesan bakes into thinner, crispier, nuttier shells that hold their crunch longer once filled.
- Use a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan per round and bake 5–6 minutes at 375°F (190°C), until lacy and pale golden. Parmesan firms faster than cheddar, so shape the shells as soon as you can lift them.
Chorizo: Fresh Mexican chorizo brings its own chile and garlic for a richer, spicier filling.
- Brown the chorizo, breaking it into small crumbles, until cooked through with no pink (160°F/71°C), 6–8 minutes, and spoon off most of the red fat. It’s already seasoned, so add only the garlic powder, onion powder and a splash of the water if it looks dry.
- Cheese cups
- Taco beef
- Toppings
- Nice to have (optional)
- Cheese cups
- Taco beef
- Toppings
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Cheese cups
- Taco beef
- Toppings
- Nice to have (optional)
- Cheese cups
- Taco beef
-
2 tsp chili powderleave out -
1 tsp ground cuminleave out - Toppings
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $9.32 for 6 servings ($1.55 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment. Have a 24-cup mini muffin tin ready.
-
Drop the cheddar onto the sheets in 24 mounds of about 1½ tablespoons each, 2 inches (5 cm) apart, and pat each into a thin 2½-inch (6 cm) round.
-
Bake one sheet at a time for 6–8 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden at the edges. Cool 1–2 minutes, just until you can lift a round with a thin spatula but it’s still pliable, then press each one into a mini muffin cup to form a little shell. Leave them to cool and crisp for 10 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, brown the beef in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into fine crumbles, until no pink remains (160°F/71°C), 6–7 minutes. Spoon off excess fat.
-
Stir in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and water and simmer 2–3 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the meat looks glossy.
-
Lift the shells out of the tin, fill each with a spoonful of taco beef and top with a small dollop of sour cream, a little diced tomato and green onions. Serve right away.
Tips for success
-
Work quickly when shaping: the rounds harden within a couple of minutes. If they set too soon, return the sheet to the oven for 30 seconds to soften them. - No mini muffin tin? Drape the warm rounds over the back of the tin, or over a wooden spoon handle for taco-shaped shells.
- Fill the cups just before serving so they stay crisp, and swap in pico de gallo or guacamole for the tomato if you have some made.
Nice to have, not needed
- A mini muffin tin gives the neatest cups — without one, drape the warm cheese over an upturned tin or a spoon handle.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Warm the taco beef in a skillet or microwave, then fill the shells at room temperature.
Prep tip: Keep the shells and beef separate; the taco beef also freezes up to 3 months, so you can bake fresh shells and fill them in 15 minutes.
Store the cheese shells airtight at room temperature up to 2 days, and refrigerate the taco beef up to 4 days. Once filled, eat them within an hour or two.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosChicken taco cups
ProteinGround chicken in the same taco spices makes a lighter filling that’s just as good under the sour cream.
- ground beef (80/20) → ground chicken
- + 1½ tsp avocado oil
2.7 g net · 275 kcal · 19 g protein · 21 g fat · ≈$1.34 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
Parmesan shells
SwapGrated Parmesan bakes into thinner, crispier, nuttier shells that hold their crunch longer once filled.
- shredded sharp cheddar → finely grated Parmesan
2.3 g net · 280 kcal · 20 g protein · 21 g fat · ≈$1.99 per serving (−0.4 g net carbs vs the original)
Chorizo
ProteinFresh Mexican chorizo brings its own chile and garlic for a richer, spicier filling.
- ground beef (80/20) → fresh Mexican chorizo
- no chili powder
- no ground cumin
4.6 g net · 348 kcal · 17 g protein · 29 g fat · ≈$1.42 per serving (+1.9 g net carbs vs the original)
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