Supper Time is Fun Time with Taco Biscuit Cups

Taco Biscuit Cups are super easy to make, fun to eat and unbelievable filling. One or two “biscuits” is more than enough for even the largest appetites. My guys loved them. Hubby said he could eat Taco Cups several times a week. They are that good.

When I first saw the recipe on a Pillsbury recipe site, I got all excited. Loved the idea. They reminded me of so many other taco dishes, only with a lot less prep work. I put the cups on the menu and off to the store we went with our trusty list of ingredients. Now I did make a few minor changes to the ingredient list – using Black Beans rather than Pinto Beans and fresh peppers from the garden rather than a salsa. Little things that made the cups more to our liking.

The day came to cook up the Taco Biscuit Cups. I had everything gathered on the kitchen counter, all organized and ready to go. Well, almost all organized and ready to go. It was one of those “Oh No!” moments. The recipe said to spray outside bottom and sides of 8 (6-oz.) custard cups lightly with nonstick cooking spray. These would be used to form the biscuit cups. Oh sure, I have custard cups. I have oval cups and round cups, but mine are larger than 6-ounces. Look at my custard cups compared to a 1-cup measuring cup. Yeah, those would not due.

Hum, what to do . . . muffin tins to the rescue. I have four 12-cup muffin tins. Those would work. Why spray the bottom side rather than simply press the biscuit dough inside the tin? Size. The outside diameter is larger than the inside, and the dough had room to expand. Trust me, this works perfectly.

Taco Biscuit Cups
1 1/2 lbs Ground Chuck
15 oz Spicy Chili Beans, undrained
1/4 cup Taco Seasoning
1/2 cup Water
Cooking Spray as needed
1 can Pillsbury Grands Southern Biscuits

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.

Add chili beans, taco seasoning mix and water; mix well. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 minutes or until ground beef mixture is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, turn muffin tins up-side-down so that the bottom (underside) of the tin is facing up. Lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Roll or pat each biscuit to form 4 1/2-inch round. Place rounds over outside of sprayed tins; press to fit over bottom and down the sides of tins. Stagger the biscuits so that they are not touching. I used 2 tins.

Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the pan and bake another 3 minutes or until golden brown.

While the cups are baking, prepare the ingredients for the garnish.

Garnish
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup Roma Tomatoes
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Fresh Peppers, optional
Sliced Melon, optional for garnish or side as desired

Shred cheese from a block of mild Cheddar or Longhorn cheese. Set aside. Stack some lettuce leaves together, roll into a cylinder like a cigar and slice to shred. Set aside. Finely dice tomatoes, set aside. Chop a few jalapeno and Serrano peppers, if desired. Have the sour cream at the ready.

If you are serving melons on the side, slice and arrange on plates.

To Assemble and Serve: Remove pan from oven. Carefully remove biscuit cups from muffin tins. Place biscuit cups, right side up, on a platter. Spoon beef mixture evenly into each cup.

Top as you would like a taco with cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and salsa.