Cheesy Rotel Taco Cornbread Cups are the perfect marriage of taco meat and the popular Rotel Dip. This amazing filling is added to golden cornbread muffins that have been pressed down to create cups.
Whether you're hosting friends, feeding a hungry family, or meal prepping for the week, this fun twist on traditional tacos is sure to be a hit. Easy to make, easy to reheat, and easy to love.
Golden cornbread meets creamy Rotel taco filling in these delicious Cheesy Rotel Taco Cornbread Cups. The cornbread cups, baked in a muffin tin are filled with seasoned ground beef, Rotel tomatoes, and melted Velveeta. These savory bites are perfect for Taco Tuesday, party time, or any time you want something easy and fun to eat.
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Recipe at a Glance
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ✅ Total Time: 1 hour
- 🛒 Ingredients: Typical ingredients for cornbread muffins and taco meat, plus Rotel tomatoes and Velveeta
- 👩🍳 Makes: 12 Rotel Taco Cornbread Cups
- 💡 Difficulty: Easy
- 📦 Make-Ahead Friendly: Yes
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Southern-style cornbread meets Tex-Mex flavor
- No taco shells needed for this perfect handheld meal or appetizer
- Make-ahead convenience without sacrificing taste
- Cheesy, creamy, and comforting with just the right amount of spice
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
For the Cornbread Cups
For the Cheesy Rotel Taco Meat
Here's How to Make the Cornbread Cups
Step 1: Whisk together the Wet Ingredients
Start by whisking together the buttermilk and eggs. Then, whisk in melted butter, which has been cooled slightly.
Step 2: Whisk Together the Dry Ingredients
Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk together until well combined.
Step 3: Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Then stir just until combined.
Step 4: Partially Bake the Cornbread Muffins
Add a scant ¼ cup of the cornbread batter, using a ¼ cup ice cream scoop, to the regular-size muffin pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Form the Cornbread Cups
Remove the muffin pan from the oven and immediately use a greased tart tamper or shot glass to gently press down the center of each cornbread muffin to create a cup.
Step 6: Finish Baking the Cornbread Cups
Return the cornbread cups to the 400°F oven for another 10 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven; let sit in the muffin pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cornbread cups from the muffin pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. Then, fill or store for later use.
Step 7: Fill or Store
Your delicious cornbread cups are ready to fill, but can be reheated and used later.
Here's How to Make the Rotel Taco Filling
Step 1: Brown the Ground Beef
While the cornbread cups are baking, brown and crumble the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. When the ground beef is no longer pink, drain well. This should take 5 to 6 minutes.
Step 2: Add the Taco Ingredients and Rotel
Return the cooked and drained ground beef to the skillet. Add the taco seasoning, chili powder, cumin, oregano, Rotel tomatoes, and water.
Step 3: Cover and Cook
Stir all ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to medium-low and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.
Step 4: Add the Velveeta
Once most of the liquid has evaporated, add the cubed Velveeta. Cover and look cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the Velveeta is melted.
Step 5: Finish the Rotel Taco Meat
Once the Velveeta is melted, remove the cover, and stir to combine.
Fill and Enjoy
Now that the cornbread cups and the Rotel taco mixture are ready, it's time to fill and enjoy!
Spoon the Rotel taco mixture into the cornbread cups. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this.
Garnish with your favorite toppings and serve. I like to sprinkle the filled cornbread cups with fiesta blend cheese, a few diced tomatoes, sliced green onion tops, a dollop of sour cream, and a slice of jalapeño.
Ready to wow your family and friends? These Cheesy Rotel Taco Cornbread Cups are a guaranteed hit. They're easy to make, fun to serve, and endlessly customizable.
The combination of traditional taco meat with the popular Rotel dip takes the filling to the next level. With the pairing of the filling with the creative cornbread cups, you have an appetizer or entrée that will make you the star of the show. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
The make-ahead convenience is one of the benefits of this recipe. Bake the cups as directed. When they've come to room temperature, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Reheat at 375°F for 5 to 7 minutes, or until warmed through.
Just like the cornbread cups, the Rotel taco mixture can be made ahead of time. Refrigerate for up to three days, covered. When ready to use, reheat and serve.
Buttermilk is preferred for making the cornbread cups. However, you can use regular milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice stirred in. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- When forming the cornbread cups, I like to dip the tart tamper in some melted butter. This serves the dual purpose of keeping the tamper from sticking. It also adds a bit of butter to the inside of the cups to promote browning.
- My absolute favorite nonstick spray is Bak-Kleen ZT All Purpose Release Spray. I first purchased this brand of nonstick spray years ago at Williams-Sonoma, and now I order it from Amazon. It's a bit more expensive than other nonstick sprays, but I've never had anything stick when I use it!
- I know that some people will disagree with this, but when the ground beef is browned, I transfer it to a colander and rinse it well with hot water to remove as much grease as possible. Yes, this does remove some of the beef taste. However, in my years of experience, I've found that the real flavor comes from what is added.
- I like my taco meat crumbled into small pieces. Therefore, once the cooked ground beef has cooled, I like to rub it between my palms. This works well in breaking the clumps down into small pieces.
- The cornbread cups can be used with other fillings. Think cornbread and chili, or add pot pie filling. Want a vegetarian option? Substitute black beans and corn for the ground beef. You're only limited by your imagination.
Other Taco-Inspired Recipes
If you're a fan of tacos like I am, you should check out these taco-inspired recipes.
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Cheesy Rotel Taco Cornbread Cups
Equipment
- 12 cup Regular Muffin Pan
- ¼ cup ice cream scoop
- 12-inch skillet with a lid
Ingredients
Cornbread Cups
- 1 cup (5.5 ounces, 156 grams) yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup (5 ounces, 142 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
- 1 cup (8 ounces, 227 grams) buttermilk, room temperature (See Tips 1 and 2)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature (See Tip 2)
- ¼ cup (2 ounces, 57 grams) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
Rotel Taco Mixture
- 1 pound (16 ounces, 454 grams) ground beef (See Tip 3)
- 1 ounce package taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoons chili powder (See Tip 4)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 10 ounce can Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
- ½ cup water
- 8 ounces Velveeta, cubed
- Garnishes, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced green onion tops, sour cream, sliced jalapeńos, etc. (Optional)
Instructions
Cornbread Cups
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a regular-size 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Then add the cooled, melted butter and whisk to combine. (See Tip 5)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients; stir just until combined.
- Add a scant ¼ cup of the cornbread batter to the prepared muffin pan. Partially bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 10 minutes. (See Tip 6)
- Remove from the oven. Using a greased tart tamper or shot glass, gently press down the center of each cornbread muffin to create a cup. (See Tip 7)
- Return to the 400°F oven for 10 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven; allow to cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes. Then remove. Can be made in advance up to this point. (See Tip 8)
- Yield: 12 cornbread cups.
Rotel Taco Mixture
- Brown and crumble the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain well. (See Tip 9)
- Return the cooked and crumbled ground beef to the skillet. Add the taco seasoning, chili powder, cumin, oregano, Rotel tomatoes, and water. Stir to combine. When the mixture comes to a gentle boil, cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.
- Add the cubed Velveeta. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the Velveeta is melted. Stir to combine. Can be made in advance up to this point. (See Tip 10)
- Spoon the warm Rotel Taco mixture into heated cornbread cups. Garnish with desired toppings like shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, cut green onion tops, sour cream, jalapeńo slices.
- Yield: 12 Rotel Taco Cornbread Cups
Video
Tips/Notes
- If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup and adding enough milk to equal 1 cup. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
- If the buttermilk and/or eggs are cold, then the melted butter will solidify when added. Therefore, I prefer to use room-temperature buttermilk and eggs.
- I used 93% ground beef. You can use different fat content ground beef so long as you drain the cooked ground beef well. Before cooking, I added ½ teaspoon of baking soda mixed with 1 tablespoon of water. This helps to tenderize the ground beef.
- Through the years, I've found that the 1-ounce package of store-bought taco seasoning needs enhancement, at least for my taste. That's why I add the extra chili powder, cumin, and oregano. It's a matter of preference.
- I like to whisk the eggs with the buttermilk before adding the melted butter to minimize the risk of the eggs cooking from the heat of the melted butter.
- I like to use a ¼ cup ice cream scoop to ensure even amounts of cornbread batter in each muffin cup.
- I like to dip the tart tamper in melted butter before pressing the center of the cornbread muffin. This way, the tamper does not stick. Also, it adds a bit of butter to enhance the browning of the cup.
- If made in advance, allow to cool to room temperature. Then store in a Ziploc bag. Reheat at 375°F for 5 to 7 minutes, or until heated through.
- I like to transfer the cooked ground beef to a colander and run it under hot water to remove as much of the grease as possible. Before returning the cooked ground beef to the skillet, I rub it between my palms to break down any large clumps.
- If made in advance, store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat before filling the cornbread cups.
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