It’s no secret that we are delighted by mini tacos here at Freezer Meal Frenzy, so it should come as no surprise that we’ve been itching to try the Trader Joe’s Mini Beef Tacos for a while now. It wasn’t too long ago we were testing out El Monterey’s version of this tasty dish, and before that, we tried the Trader Joe’s Mini Chicken Tacos. But today is the day we give the Mini Beef Tacos a taste, and we are quite eager to get started!
First off, several of these tacos come in one box. Once you crack open the cardboard, you’ll find a plastic bag inside that’s loaded up with mini tacos. By the estimate on the packaging, there should be about 24 tacos per box. Ours had 25, so the taco packers at Trader Joe’s must have been feeling especially generous when they packaged this up.
There are three ways to cook these: in a pan, in the oven, or in a microwave. We went with the oven option, because it seemed simple enough (and we avoided the microwave because we simply weren’t in the mood for soggy tacos). All you need to do is preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit, then cook these on a cookie sheet for six to eight minutes. Ours cooked for seven minutes, and they were making a soft sizzling sound when we pulled them out.
The shells turn out a little bit crispy around the edges, though they’re still a bit soft on the bottoms. According to the package, these shells have a squeeze of lime in them. We thought we could taste just a hint of that lime flavor, but we really had to use our imaginations.
The filling is more than just ground beef, though the beef is definitely the majority portion. You’ll also find some tiny pieces of green chiles and jalapeños inside. Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of spicy food — the spices here really just add a bit of flavor. We wouldn’t even say these have a slight kick to them; they’re as mild as can be.
There’s also some garlic and onion powder inside for flavor. Overall, we think these mini tacos taste great. You could always add some lettuce and some sour cream — or even some melty nacho cheese — but we think these taste just fine without any extras.
If you stick with the serving size, these mini tacos really aren’t too bad in the calorie department. One four-taco serving contains 190 calories (70 from fat). The sodium isn’t all that bad either, at just 310 mg. Just keep in mind that you could easily eat double that amount, and once you double these numbers (380 calories and 620 mg of sodium), they don’t look quite as healthy.
Trader Joe’s Mini Beef Tacos might be the best mini tacos we’ve tried yet. They have a great flavor, and they’re not horribly unhealthy either. When you’re in the mood for a Mexican-inspired treat that’s simple to make, these can be a real treat.
To learn more about the nutrition content or ingredients in these Trader Joe’s mini tacos, check out our package scan below.
This product has changed drastically. The tortilla is puffy, but not bad, however the filling is terrible. It is paste and has no flavor. I loved the product you reviewed, but it’s a not the same as what is available now.
We’ll have to give this one a second look. We’ll keep our eyes open for this one the next time we hit up TJ’s.