The go to meal at my house is definitely tacos. When we don't know what to make, we make tacos. When we were busy hustling from one activity to another in the evening, a meal that you can grab and go while you are driving down the road. That is why these taco sticks are perfect for busy weeknights. Taco sticks take taco meat from ground beef and taco seasoning and wrap it in pizza dough with a Colby-jack cheese stick. Sprinkle the dough with garlic salt, and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. The baked cheesy taco sticks are like homemade taco hot pockets.
While these cheesy taco sticks are perfect for a busy weeknight meal, cut into pieces can make them into bite-sized appetizers. This isn't the first handheld sandwich I have turned into a hot pocket. The sloppy Joe sticks and the Frisco melt sticks have been huge hits over the years.
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Ingredients for Taco Hot Pockets
Five basic ingredients and less than 30 minutes to have dinner on the table
- Pillsbury Pizza Dough - A tube of Pillsbury pizza dough is perfect for this recipe. You can use the classic or thin crust tube of dough.
- Ground Beef - Hamburger is the go-to meat for tacos, but whatever ground beef your family uses will work in this recipe.
- Taco Seasoning - Whether you make homemade taco seasoning or buy the taco seasoning, your normal go-to taco seasoning is fine. Penzeys Bold Taco Seasoning is my preferred seasoning.
- Colby-Jack Cheese Sticks - We like colby jack cheese the best, but cheddar cheese sticks are also good in this recipe.
- Garlic Salt—Garlic salt or garlic powder makes a great topping for pizza dough for these taco sticks. I use garlic salt with parsley flakes in it, too.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for How to Make Taco Sticks
Begin making the taco sticks by preheating the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Then stir in the taco seasoning and water and cook down the water.
Pop open the can of pizza dough and stretch the dough out on a baking sheet. Then cut into eight rectangle pieces.
Spoon the taco meat on the rectangles and then top with a cheese stick.
Wrap the hamburger meat and cheese in the dough. The seam for the dough can be on the top or the bottom. Sprinkle garlic salt over the top of each taco stick.
Bake the taco sticks for 10 minutes at 425 and check them for doneness. When the pizza crust is golden brown, the taco sticks are done. Remove from the oven and loosen from the pan with a metal spatula.
Serve them up with salsa, sour cream or guacamole. Let cool before serving. Cutting the cheesy taco sticks in half allows them to cool quickly.
Hint: For an even more buttery crust, mix the garlic powder with melted butter and then brush on top of the pizza dough.
Substitutions for Taco Hot Pockets
The ingredients for these taco sticks can be changed up based on your dietary needs or preferences. Here are some ideas on how you can substitute the ingredients.
- Ground Beef - you can use ground turkey, ground pork, or ground chicken instead of ground beef.
- Dough - If you don't have pizza dough, wrap the meat pockets in crescent rolls instead.
- Cheese —The colby-jack cheese can be replaced with any cheese you prefer. Cheddar cheese sticks or queso quesadilla cheese pieces can also be used.
If you need gluten-free or dairy-free ingredients, substitute the preferred gluten-free crust and dairy-free cheese you enjoy.
Variations to Cheesy Taco Sticks
Change up the seasonings, cheese, and sauces for variations to this easy weeknight meal for cheesy taco sticks.
- Sloppy Joe Sticks - change up the ground beef filling by making a sloppy Joe sauce for sloppy Joe sticks.
- Cheeseburger Sticks - Add hamburger seasoning to the browned beef to make cheeseburger sticks. Make Frisco sauce for a Frisco melt cheeseburger stick recipe.
- Pizza Sticks - For a pizza stick version of this recipe, use Italian sausage instead of ground beef and a string cheese stick. Dip the sticks in pizza sauce for the ultimate pizza stick!
See these ham and cheese crescent rolls for a hot ham and cheese handheld.
Essentials for Quick Weeknight Dinners
Well stocks kitchens make it so much easier for dinners on the fly. Here are the essentials from equipment to ingredients you need to make the cheesy taco sticks.
Storing Leftovers and Reheating
Leftovers are great for lunch or snacks the next day. Here are how to store and reheat the taco sticks.
- Refrigerator—Store the sticks for up to 5 days. Reheat them in the microwave or air fry them to enjoy the leftovers quickly.
- Freezer - Taco sticks can be thrown in the freezer and thawed out later for a quick freezer meal when you don't want to dirty the kitchen with cooking.
Top tip
For the best results for these taco sticks try these tips:
- Drain extra grease off the brown hamburger before adding taco seasoning.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough for more even stretching.
- Like the cookie sheet with a piece off parchment to keep from sticking to the pan.
FAQ
Taco sticks can be from pizza dough, taco meat and cheese.
Taco sticks are baked hot pockets or pillow of dough filled with taco meat and cheese.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- High Protein Cottage Cheese Egg Bites
- Ham and Cheese Croissants
- Crock Pot Hawaiian Roll Ham Sandwiches
- Frisco Melt Sticks - Stuffed Frisco Melt Burgers
Other Taco and Mexican Recipes
These are my favorite Mexican recipes I make on busy weeknights:
- Mexican Zucchini and Yellow Squash Skillet
- Smoked Corn Dip with Sausage, Cream Cheese and Poblanos
- Crock Pot Smoked Pork Chile Verde
- Arroz con Carne Asada: Mexican Rice, Steak, and Queso
๐ Recipe
Taco Sticks
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- ยผ cup water
- 1 tube refrigerator pizza dough
- 8 sticks colby-jack cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown until beef is completely cooked. Drain any grease from the meat.
- When beef is cooked, add taco seasoning and water. Stir to combine.
- Roll out the pizza dough on a cookie sheet. Cut in half lengthwise and then cut three times widthwise to form eight rectangles.
- Spoon the taco meat evenly over the eight rectangles. Then top with the cheese sticks.
- Roll the dough around the meat and cheese stick closing off the seams at the top and ends. Flip the dough over to have the seam down on the pan. Combine the butter and garlic salt and brush over the dough.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Drain extra grease off the brown hamburger before adding taco seasoning.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough for more even stretching.
- Like the cookie sheet with a piece off parchment to keep from sticking to the pan.
Nutrition
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