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Taco Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers

Course: Appetizer, Snack, Taco Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
A twist on the traditional Jalapeño Poppers, stuffing them with a taco meat & cheese filling instead of just the normal plain cream cheese
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 15-25 jalapeños depending on the size, Mine were HUGE
  • 1 lb. ground beef I personally prefer angus, Turkey could work also!
  • 1 packet taco seasoning *TIP* it’s less salty if you use lower sodium
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • ½ cup or half a block cream cheese, softened,
  • 4 eggs beaten
  • 1 diced medium white onion
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste, (in the video I said 2 teaspoons, but it was too salty with 2 teaspoons in my opinion, but you can add more the taco mix and test before stuffing the peppers)
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ cups flour mixed with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper
  • 4 cups crushed cornflake cereal
  • 1 cup finely ground cornflake cereal I placed mine in a food chopper to make it finely ground
  • 8 cups canola oil
  • fresh lime juice for seasoning (I didn’t use this)
  • salsa or ranch for dipping

Instructions

  • First, prepare the Jalapenos, slice down the center, I left the stem because it’s easier to hold to batter. Once sliced, pull apart but keeping the stem end connected, take a knife and lightly cut to separate the membrane from the stem, then using a teaspoon or measuring spoon “scoop” out the seeds and membrane
  • Next, mix the beef, cilantro, taco seasoning, salt and pepper together in a bowl.
  • Preheat your olive oil in a large pan or deep skillet, add in onions and sauté until almost translucent, then stir in the minced garlic.
  • Once onions become fully translucent, add in beef mixture and sauté until brown (about 8 mins) place the cooked taco meat in a large bowl and set aside to cool (or if you’re in a rush, just throw it in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it down)
  • Next, once the mixture has cooled, add the cream cheese and shredded cheese and stir until fully combined
  • Now take the taco/cheese mix and place it into a large zip top bag (cut off one of the corners) or a piping bag and “pipe” both sides of the peppers then press to close
  • Next, preheat your oil in a large pot until it reaches 325ºF
  • To prepare the batter, take 3 shallow bowls or deep plates and place seasoned flour in one, beaten eggs in the another, and the crushed & ground (mixed together) cornflakes in the last bowl
  • Dip one of stuffed peppers into the beaten eggs, then into flour and coat it well, dip it back into the eggs, then into the cornflakes making sure that it is well coated, once its coated dip one more time into the eggs and one last time into the cornflakes (this gives it an extra crunch and thicker breading)
  • Lastly, carefully place the coated pepper into the oil and fry until golden brown. Depending on the size will vary, it could take 3 minutes, it could take 8. My peppers were HUGE so mine too 7 minutes. You can also tell when they are done because the stems will wrinkle up and turn really dark in color. Remove with tongs or a metal slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack or plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.