40 Sizzling Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes

Doctored with onion, chili powder and cocoa, canned sauce becomes a stepping-stone to something deeper.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

A Mexican standard and guaranteed backyard crowd-pleaser, our brown-sugar sheet cake is soaked in milky syrup, chilled, then topped with whipped cream and berries.

Tres Leches Cake

Our pan-fried tilapia is drizzled with garlic butter and lime juice. We garnished ours with fresh cilantro, fresh parsley and sliced pickled red onion. 

To quick pickle the onions, combine a sliced red onion with a generous pour of cider vinegar, a spoonful of brown sugar, toasted cumin seeds and a bit of salt. Let sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.

Garlicky Fish Tacos

Traditionally, this sweet drink is made by soaking rice (and sometimes blanched almonds, too) overnight in water, then pureeing and straining the mixture. We kept the seductively sweet, authentic taste, but skipped the drawn-out process. Our shortcut version uses purchased rice milk, and we could barely tell it apart from the real deal in side-by-side tests.

Horchata

All you need is a steak, a three-ingredient marinade, a few veggies and tortillas heated right on the grill. Boom. 

Grilled Steak Fajitas

The fastest way to downgrade a margarita (or any drink) isn't cheap tequila; it's bottled lime juice. Dig out that squeezer and pull up your sleeves. It's worth it.

Frozen Strawberry-Mango Margarita

Season fork-tender meat with oregano, cinnamon and coriander. Then, for an extra easy-yet-authentic flavor boost, top with cabbage, radish and queso fresco.

Beer-Braised Brisket Tacos

Rotisserie chicken, melty cheese or spicy chorizo? Your choice.

Pick-a-Filling Tamales

Cumin- and orange-perfumed pulled pork tastes great topped with sliced green onion, jicama and our salsa verde.

Slow-Cooker Carnitas Tacos

No-Cook Salsa Verde

The avocado in this piquant puree of lime, cilantro, onion and tomatillos gives the salsa some richness and body.

No-Cook Salsa Verde

Chicken tenders, Mexican-style four-cheese blend, green chile peppers and bottled green salsa fill these easy enchiladas. Buy hot or mild chilies to suit your family's taste for heat.

Quick Green Chili and Chicken Enchiladas

If American cheese has a purpose in life, this kicky, ultracreamy dip is it. 

Spicy Queso Blanco

A tiny bit of taco seasoning mix packs big flavor in this south-of-the-border twist on traditional chicken salad. Try it in a tortilla wrap with crisp romaine lettuce.

Mexican Chicken Salad

Chipotle peppers and broiled tomatoes make for a bold, smoky challenge to standard salsa.

Blackened Tomato Salsa

Slow-cook pork shoulder roast and Mexican spices to tender goodness, then serve with corn tortillas. Fresh cilantro, green onion and bottled green salsa add the finishing touches.

Mexican Tacos Carnitas

It's not just a salad—it's a crunchy, juicy, sweet, salty, tart, buttery, nutty potluck dazzler.

Mexican Citrus Salad with Avocado

This salsa is the zestiest way to get your five a day. For the best results, chop the fruit and vegetables evenly into a 1/4-inch dice.

Pineapple-Cucumber Salsa Pico de Gallo

Once you have the method down, you can improvise aguas frescas with almost any soft fruit.

Any-Fruit Agua Fresca

Pair Mexican flavors with pasta for this comfort-food casserole that includes sausage, salsa and Monterey Jack cheese.

Mexican Mac and Cheese

For a change in routine, substitute green salsa for red in this easy Mexican-inspired meal.

Simple Salsa Skillet

Root beer and chipotle peppers yield pulled pork that's sweet, spicy, smoky and marvelously tender—perfect for wrapping in a tortilla with cheese and vegetables.

Shredded Pork Tacos

Chili powder and cumin flavor this hearty, nutritious Tex-Mex dish from The Spice House in Milwaukee.

Rice and Red Bean Salad

Create a meatless main dish in minutes by sauteing sweet potatoes, then adding canned corn and black beans. Top with a chipotle-flavor sour cream, avocado slices and fresh cilantro.

Mexican Sweet Potato-Veggie Medley

Wrap meat in multigrain tortillas with adobo sauce and fire-roasted tomatoes for a fresh take on chicken enchiladas.

Chicken Enchiladas Adobo

This easy slow-cooker meal has just five ingredients, all packaged or canned. Toss it together in minutes in the morning, and come home to a finished meal in the afternoon.

Mexican Meatball Stew

Cumin and cinnamon spice up ordinary frozen tilapia fillets for a fragrant pan-fried fish taco filling. Just add margaritas for the full restaurant experience.

Tilapia Tacos with Chipotle Cream

Cook pork in a blend of cocoa powder, cumin, cinnamon, pumpkin and poblano pepper for a rich, hearty chili.

Mexican Winter Chili

Great for a potluck or family dinner, this 12-serving casserole combines polenta with ground turkey, spices, black beans, tomatoes and Monterey Jack cheese.

Mexican Polenta Pie

Based on Tex-Mex ingredients, this layered salad can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. For a fun presentation, assemble individual servings in clear jelly jars, dressing and all, then refrigerate.

24-Hour Tex-Mex Salad

Layer a tomato-bean mixture, cheese and tortillas for a casserole with south-of-the-border flavor. Let each guest top their portion with chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, green onions, olives and/or sour cream.

Tortilla-Black Bean Casserole

Some of our favorite pizza toppings—onions, mushrooms, spinach— have found their way into a quesadilla, and we love it. If you don’t want to use pork, 8 ounces of any thinly sliced leftover meat will work. 

Pork and Veggie Quesadillas

This salsa does double duty as a tortilla dip or a meat topper. Serve with a slotted spoon over grilled pork, smoked bratwursts or sausages, grilled chicken or salmon.

Black Bean Salsa

Casserole + Nacho = Healthy? You better believe it. We pull it off with reduced-sodium chicken broth and a ton of diced tomatoes.

Tortilla-Chicken Skillet Casserole

Fresh tomatillos and jicama add authentic tartness and crunch to this made-in-minutes dinner. You can find both veggies at large supermarkets or Latin groceries.

Chicken Tacos with Avocado Salsa and Ranch Taco Sauce

Lime- and jalapeno-spiced guacamole adds a kick to layers of refried beans, cheese, tomatoes and onions. Serve seasoned tortilla chips on the side.

Bonanza Bean Dip

Fresh herbs, tomatoes and avocados create a refreshing salsa. Serve with pita or tortilla chips.

Avocado-Feta Salsa

Sandwich creamy dulce de leche filling between homemade chocolate cookies for a Mexican-inspired dessert treat.

Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies with Dulce De Leche Filling

David Fries, an amateur barbecue competitor from the Twin Cities, loves to serve this refreshing and subtly spicy margarita at family cookouts.

Cucumber Habanero Margaritas 

Ground turkey, reduced-sodium and light ingredients, and a confetti of crisp, colorful veggies make this potluck staple more nutritious than a typical layered dip—but every bit as tasty.

Light and Layered Taco Dip

Start this veggie pizza with refrigerated dough, then spread on blended black beans, spices, salsa and garlic. Top with cheese, chopped red sweet pepper and sliced green onion.

Mexican Black Bean Pizza

Thinly slicing tougher cuts of meat, such as beef chuck eye steak, flank steak and skirt steak, ensures tenderness. Tip: Pop the steak in the freezer for about 20 minutes before slicing—it should be firm but not frozen. Hold a chef's knife at a 45-degree angle to the meat and thinly cut across the grain.

Fall Vegetable Fajitas

Switching a few ingredients in our 10-minute limeade drink creates new options. Go for Original Limeade, So Strawberry, Blue Lagoon, Pomegranate or the nonalcoholic Designated Driver.

Five-Way Margarita

Tuck mango salsa, Gouda cheese, and chopped turkey or chicken into flour tortillas for sweet and smoky quesadillas.

Turkey-Mango Quesadillas

This taco-flavored main dish is a potluck favorite from a Fargo, North Dakota, reader. Serve it with tortilla chips so your guests can scoop and eat.

Mexican Biscuit Casserole