Crispy Baked Beef Flautas with Pico De Gallo and Smoky Crema

If you love tacos but want to mix things up, these crispy baked beef flautas are the perfect change of pace. Instead of deep-frying, we bake the rolled tortillas until they’re golden and crunchy, giving you all the texture without the mess. The filling is a savory blend of seasoned ground beef and melted Mexican cheese, wrapped snugly in flour tortillas.

To finish, we top the flautas with a bright, chunky pico de gallo and a smoky red pepper crema that adds a touch of heat and creaminess. It’s a complete meal that’s as fun to make as it is to eat. Serve them for dinner, lunch or even as a party appetizer!

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Ingredients

1 unit OnionView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

10 ounce Ground BeefView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

4 tablespoon Smoky Red Pepper CremaView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 unit TomatoView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

6 unit Flour TortillasView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 unit Tex-Mex PasteView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 tablespoon Southwest Spice BlendView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

0.5 cup Mexican Cheese BlendView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

teaspoon (tsp) SaltView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 tablespoon (tbsp) Olive OilView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

2 teaspoon (tsp) Cooking OilView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

Instructions

1. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush with oil (or coat with nonstick spray). Wash and dry produce. Halve, peel and thinly slice onion; mince a few slices until you have 1 tablespoon (2 tablespoons for 4 servings).
2. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion; cook for 3 minutes. Add ground beef and Southwest Spice Blend; cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until beef is browned and onion is softened, 4-6 minutes. Stir in Tex-Mex paste and ⅓ cup water (½ cup for 4 servings). Simmer until mixture has thickened and beef is cooked through, 2-4 minutes more. Turn off heat.
3. Meanwhile, drizzle tortillas with 1 tablespoon olive oil (2 tablespoons for 4 servings); brush or rub to completely coat both sides. Place tortillas on a clean work surface. Once beef filling is done, add a heaping ¼ cup filling to one side of each tortilla, then sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon Mexican cheese blend. Roll up tortillas, starting with filled sides, to create flautas. Place, seam sides down, on prepared sheet. Tip: Make sure the flautas are snug on the sheet-this will prevent them from unrolling. Bake on middle rack until golden brown and crispy, 8-12 minutes.
4. While flautas bake, finely dice tomato. In a small bowl, combine tomato and minced onion. Season with salt. Divide flautas between plates. Top with pico de gallo and red pepper crema. Serve.

Recipe Tips

FAQ

Can I use corn tortillas instead of flour?

Yes, you can substitute corn tortillas, but they may be more prone to cracking. Warm them slightly before rolling to make them more pliable.

How do I prevent the flautas from unrolling?

Place the rolled flautas seam-side down on the baking sheet and pack them tightly together. The snug fit helps keep them closed during baking.

Can I make these ahead of time?

You can prepare the beef filling and pico de gallo ahead of time. Assemble and bake the flautas just before serving for the best crispiness.