This leftover tacos recipe is the perfect excuse for you to eat tacos and use those leftovers from yesterday and even the day before. You can get very creative with the toppings according to whatever you have in your fridge.
At home, we call them leftover tacos because I make them when there are some leftover dishes in the fridge like picadillo, tinga, chicharron in salsa verde, green mole, or milanesa, just to mention a few options. The two things that are essential to this recipe, besides any leftovers you may have, are some corn tortillas and red Mexican rice.
Leftover Tacos Recipe
The best way to use leftovers; Leftovers Tacos!
Many years ago, when I lived in Villahermosa, Tabasco, there was a woman that would sell these "Leftovers tacos" at a small stand slice to the municipal market, although she didn't actually use leftovers to make them. The tacos were served in corn tortillas with rice and the filling of your choice; she would then top them with shredded cabbage and slices of onions and tomatoes. At the serving, one would choose their own salsa to put on them.
These tacos are a little similar to the popular "tacos acorazados" from the State of Morelos, although those tacos use 2 tortillas (per taco) with rice and slices of hard-cooked eggs, plus your selection of fillings.
I hope you get inspired to get a good use of those leftovers in your fridge and transform them into something delicious! At home, we love these tacos with leftover chicken, or leftover grilled meat, even leftover picadillo (ground beef hash), and they are never the same since they depend on the leftover options in my fridge. Enjoy!
How to make Leftover Tacos Recipe
NOTES:
- * As mentioned above, the fillings can be any leftover dish you have in your fridge.
DIRECTIONS:
- Heat oil in a skillet or griddle. Warm both sides of each tortilla on the skillet until they are warm and soft. Set aside on a plate. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Top each tortilla with about 1 tablespoon of rice, and 2 tablespoons of the filling of your choice.
- Garnish with the shredded cabbage, onion, and tomatoes. Finally, add the queso fresco and drizzle with cream (if using any of these). Serve with a spicy salsa.
In our culture, like in many other cultures, there are many uses for leftover food. Other ways to take advantage of leftover savory dishes are to use them as a stuffing for gorditas, sopes, and tortas (sandwiches); we also use leftover bread to make bread crumbs for cooking, to make our cinnamon-flavored bread pudding, and to make the sweet bread called "stones", which are comparable to scones. Do not throw today’s leftovers; instead, make something delicious with them!
If you're looking for more ideas for tacos, check out this recipe for Mexican Style Potato Tacos and Ancho Pepper Shredded Beef for Tacos.
For recipes in Spanish, visit our website: México en mi Cocina.
📖 Recipe
Leftover Tacos
Ingredients
- 8 Corn tortillas
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 Cup of leftover rice Mexican style rice
- 1 Cup leftover Picadillo*
- 1 Cup leftover salsa Verde pork stew
- 1 Cup shredded cabbage
- ⅓ Cup finely chopped onion
- 1 Small tomato, diced
- ⅓ Cup Mexican Queso fresco optional
- ¼ Cup Mexican cream to drizzle the tacos also optional
- Spicy salsa of your choice
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet or griddle. Warm both sides of each tortilla on the skillet until they are warm and soft. Set aside on a plate.
- Top each tortilla with about 1 tablespoon of rice, and 2 tablespoons of the filling of your choice. You’re going to have enough filling to add extras to your tacos.
- Garnish with the shredded cabbage, onion and tomatoes. Finally, add the queso fresco and drizzle with cream (if using any of these). Serve with a spicy salsa.
Frank D.
Great use of leftovers! Thank you for such a cool idea.