Vegetarian Taco Cups

This post has been sponsored by Albertsons Companies. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Host friends for an at-home football party and serve Individual Taco Cups to all! These vegetarian nachos are the perfect bite-sized appetizer for a crowd and incorporate Tostitos Scoops and more ingredients from Tom Thumb. Makes 10 servings.

It’s that time of year again: Tom Thumb Stock Up Sale – the perfect time to stock up on all your favorite tailgating snacks including the must-have ingredients for these tasty taco cups!

When we lived in Baton Rouge after college and law school, our house was the “tailgate house.”

Meaning, we stored all the tailgate items. Every weekend, friends came in from out of town and procured said items for every home game. Then, on game day, they’d hit campus early and we would spend the day together before heading into the stadium for the game.

But when we moved to Dallas, we stopped the whole tailgating thing. (In all honesty, it’s kind of hard when you live a state away from your alma mater. And since we now have small kids, tailgating for any stretch of time sounds impossible.)

So, instead of tailgating these days, we host friends, make food, and watch the game together at home. Homegating, if you will.

And these taco cups? They’re the perfect homegate appetizer because you can throw ‘em together and pop them in the oven just as guests arrive. And they’re incredibly easy to eat, too!

More game day recipes: Pepperoni Pizza Rolls / Caprese Skewers / BLT Bruschetta / Boudin Breakfast Sandwiches

So, where can I get all the items to make these Vegetarian Nachos?

I headed on down to my local Tom Thumb to grab the ingredients for these individual nachos because Tom Thumb is right there next to my neighborhood. Not only do I love the convenience but I also enjoy the shopping experience at my local Tom Thumb.

Their mobile app also makes the shopping experience that much easier, allowing me to clip coupons, see what’s on special, and more!

Not only did I purchase Tostitos White Corn Scoops and other ingredients for these taco cups, I also went ahead and purchased a few bags of Cape Cod Original Potato Chips, Snyder’s Pretzels in the Mini Pounder, and a 10-pack of the Original Perrier Sparkling Water. Because, in my opinion, those are all great to have on hand for any fall entertaining.

Also, it’s Stock Up Sale time at all the Albertsons Companies Family of Stores. You can learn more about it here. (ß add link to Stock Up Sale)

What does this mean? The products mentioned in this post are on sale at the Albertsons Companies Family of Stores from October 2^nd through October 15^th. Products on sale at Albertsons Companies retailers may differ.

You can find some of our favorites like Cape Cod Chips, Snyders Pretzels, and Perrier – perfect snacks for game day or everyday!

So you should definitely, definitely, definitely head in to your local Tom Thumb to see what’s happening for Stock Up Sale!

I purchased these products and more at my local Tom Thumb, but you can also shop the Stock Up Sale and save at any of the Albertsons Companies Family of Stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Shaw’s, Star Market and Carrs/Safeway. Visit the Tom Thumb website to find a store near you and discover some fun meal-prep tips and recipe ideas!

What will I need to make Taco Cups at home?

Equipment-wise, you’ll need to have on hand…

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper (to line the baking sheet)
• Measuring spoons to scoop the ingredients into the Tostitos Scoops
• A sharp knife to slice the tomatoes and the avocado

Ingredient-wise, you’ll need to purchase the following from your local Tom Thumb…

• 1 bag of Tostitos White Corn Scoops
• A can of refried beans
• A can of black beans
• 1 lb. of your favorite cheese, shredded (I used a combination of sharp white cheddar and hot pepper jack cheese)
• 1 jar pickled jalapenos
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 avocados
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1 small jar salsa verde

How to make Vegetarian Taco Cups

Prep the ingredients for the nachos

This recipe is hands-on and time intensive, but you can make it go by faster if your ingredients are prepped in advance.

What should you do?

Rinse the black beans, and place them in a bowl. Measure out the refried beans, too.

Shred your cheese of choice—I recommend a combination of sharp cheddar and pepper jack, but you do you!

Remove the pickled jalapenos from their jar. Transfer them to a bowl (without the liquid) so that you can easily grab and place them on your nachos.

You can also prep the toppings that go onto the taco cups after they bake.

Slice the green onions (and add as many of ‘em as you like because they add a lovely pop of flavor!) Measure out the salsa verde, and reserve a special spoon to drizzle that on top of the nachos.

Dice the tomatoes. And just before it’s go time, wash and slice the avocados, too.

This way, you’re setting yourself up for success and also making so these can be put together as quickly as possible.

Prepare the Taco Cups for baking

Preheat the oven, and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. (You’ll potentially need to have a third baking sheet if you’re making more than one bag, but try to do one at a time. You can fit a lot of chips on each baking sheet, assuming they aren’t smaller sheets.)

Place the Tostitos White Corn Scoops on the prepared baking sheets and space them out evenly.

Add in a teaspoon of refried beans to each chip, and top that with a teaspoon (ish) of black beans, too.

Next up, sprinkle cheese over the beans and add a jalapeno on top of those.

If you’re serving people who don’t eat or enjoy spicy foods, leave the jalapenos off.

Normally, I’ll just bake these with the jalapenos on—but I have also not put them on the nachos and instead placed the jalapenos in a bowl for the people at the gathering who do like a bit of heat.

Once the nachos are arranged, transfer them to the preheated oven and bake until the chips are extra crisp and the cheese is melty and delicious.

Garnish and serve the Vegetarian Taco Cups

When the taco cups come out of the oven, it’s go time for garnishing and serving.

Immediately, top the individual nachos with the diced tomatoes and avocados.

Drizzle on that salsa verde, too, for extra color and flavor.

Finish ‘em off with the sliced green onions and serve them up!

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

These individual vegetarian nachos are great for entertaining on a game day! We love these because they cook up easy and also fit a wide variety of tastes.

Here are some fun ways to incorporate these nacho cups in at-home entertaining:

• Bake the taco cups and turn them into a NACHO BAR by letting guests add their own toppings. So, set those out in bowls and let guests pick and choose!
• Nachos as dinner? You can totally transform these taco cups into a fun family dinner. The added bonus is getting your kids involved, letting them measure out beans or sprinkle cheese. The process will take longer, but it’s a lot of fun to get kids involved in the kitchen. Just know that different age groups can complete different tasks, and what you decide to do should obviously based on what you feel is appropriate for your child.
• Serve them at a kids’ birthday party! (Keep in mind that kid tastebuds are sometimes different than adult ones, so leave off the jalapenos or other toppings at your discretion.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add meat to these taco cups?

If you’re serving people who like to eat meat, absolutely!

You could easily take the meat portion of my Ground Beef Tacos and sprinkle that into these nacho cups. If you do this, you’ll have to use less of the bean mixture, but you can absolutely make it happen!

Is there any way I can make this recipe in advance?

Unfortunately, no.

The taco cups will become soggy if they sit for an hour or two, so I suggest prepping all the ingredients in advance so that the only thing you have to do is to put them together and bake them.

Which, I know, is the most labor-intensive part, but that’s how this recipe is, and there’s no way around it.

Here are some things you can do to work in advance:

• Rinse the black beans.
• Shred the cheese.
• Remove the pickled jalapenos from the jar.
• Slice the green onions.
• Measure out the rest of your ingredients so everything is ready to go when it’s go time.

Quick tips for making Vegetarian Taco Cups

• Prep the ingredients in advance and put them into bowls to make the hands-on process of these nachos a little faster.
• If you don’t like jalapenos, tomatoes, or avocados, leave them off. But if you’re feeding a crowd, serve them in small bowls next to the baked nacho cups so others can add them (if they like them!)
• Salsa swap alert: Substitute red salsa for the salsa verde.
• Add a drizzle of sour cream for extra decadence before serving!

Vegetarian Taco Cups

Erin Parker, The Speckled Palate

Host friends for a football party and serveIndividual Taco Cups to all! These vegetarian nachos are the perfect bite-sized appetizer for a crowd.

5 from 2 votes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Servings 10 servings

Calories 427 kcal

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

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• 10 oz. Tostitos White Corn Scoops
• 2 cups vegetarian refried beans
• 2 cups black beans rinsed
• 4 cups shredded cheese I used a combination of sharp white cheddar and hot pepperjack cheese
• 1 ½ cups pickled jalapenos
• 2 tomatoes diced
• 2 avocados diced
• ½ cup salsa verde
• ½ cup green onions sliced thin

Equipment

• Rimmed sheet pan

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Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place the Tostitos White Corn Scoops on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them out evenly.
• Add 1 teaspoon of refried beans into each chip.
• Add 1 teaspoon of black beans to the taco cups, too.
• Sprinkle cheese over the beans, then top each with a jalapeno. (Leave off the jalapenos on some of them if you’re serving people who don’t like spice.)
• Bake in the preheated oven for 11-15 minutes or until the bottoms of the tortilla chips are crisp.
• Remove from the oven, and immediately top with the diced tomatoes and avocados.
• Drizzle the salsa verde on top, and add the green onions before serving immediately.

Video

Notes

Refried beans are not always vegetarian, so please read the packaging of your refried beans to ensure you’re purchasing the right kind—especially if you’re hosting vegetarians at your gathering.

You should not make these taco cups in advance because they will become soggy. Instead, focus on prepping the ingredients so that all you have to do close to party time is put them together and bake them.

You can do the following in advance:

• Rinse the black beans.
• Shred the cheese.
• Remove the pickled jalapenos from the jar.
• Slice the green onions.
• Measure out the rest of your ingredients so everything is ready to go when it’s go time. 

Nacho Bar? Heck yes! If you’re serving guests with various tastes, serve the nachos straight out of the oven and let guests add toppings at their discretion. While the nachos bake, divide the toppings into bowls, and set them out so everyone can choose their own.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 427kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 18gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 1077mgPotassium: 537mgFiber: 10gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1076IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 297mgIron: 3mg

Keyword appetizers, baking recipe, easy appetizer, game day recipe, handheld appetizer, Vegetarian

Course Appetizers & Starters

Cuisine American, TexMex

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