Upgrade your dinner routine and make these easy taco pockets! Made with flaky pie crust, taco meat, cheese and salsa, it’s a crowd-pleasing taco inspired recipe.
Looking for a fun new way to serve up taco Tuesday? Other family favorites include this taco pasta recipe, taco braid and this walking taco!
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Easy Taco Pockets Recipe
I can never get enough tacos and these taco pockets are one of my absolute favorite variations. They’re family-friendly, super easy to whip up and are perfect for using up leftover taco meat. It’s just like a taco pop tart and we love them!
This taco pocket recipe is a fun twist on ground beef tacos. Instead of using a corn shell or flour tortilla, they’re made with flaky pie crust then stuffed with the taco filling similar to beef empanadas. They are simple to make and taste delicious dipped in your favorite salsa or guacamole.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Chopped green chiles
- Salsa
- Taco seasoning
- Cheese sticks, I used Colby-Jack
- Uncooked pie crusts, I used Pillsbury
How to Make Taco Pockets
These loaded cheesy pocket tacos are easy to make using ground beef, cheese sticks and pie crust dough!
- Cook meat. Brown the meat on the stove in a large frying pan with the diced onions and green peppers. Once cooked completely, stir in the salsa, taco seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Assemble. Lay out the pie dough on a flat surface, then cut off the rounded edges to create a rectangular shape. Then cut into 6 rectangles. Place 3-4 spoonfuls of meat in the center of each piece of pie dough, then add a cheese slice in each.
- Cover. Cover the tops with another rectangular piece of pie dough (it helps to gently stretch this piece out a little before adding on top). Then press down the edges and seal them together with a fork. Poke 9 holes in each taco pocket.
- Bake. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake in oven at 350°F for about 20 to 25 minutes. The crust should be nice and golden. Then serve as an appetizer dipped in your favorite salsa or as a main dish over a bed of lettuce with extra toppings.
Cooking Tips + Variations
- Meat. Feel free to swap out the meat with salsa chicken or sweet pork. Leftovers of this easy taco meat make this recipe even easier! You could even use ground turkey instead of beef to lighten it up a bit.
- Cheese. We usually always have cheese sticks on hand, plus they’re super easy to portion out in this recipe. But you can absolutely use shredded cheese if preferred. Add about 2 Tablespoons per taco pocket.
- Pie crust. I use premade store bought pie dough for convenience, but you can definitely make your own homemade pie crust if you’d like. This is the perfect recipe to use up any leftover pie dough you’ve saved in the freezer.
- Don’t overfill. Make sure not to add too much meat in the centers. There should be about 3 to 4 Tablespoons in each.
- Poke holes. Right before baking, poke about 9 holes into each taco pocket so they don’t burst while baking.
Storing and Freezing
If you have leftovers, you can absolutely freeze them for later. They make the perfect grab and go snack or dinner and almost remind me of a hot pocket!
- To store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: Simply wrap each taco pocket in foil and place in an airtight bag or container in the freezer.
- To reheat: Place on a baking sheet and cover the top with foil (to prevent burning). Then bake in the oven at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until warm throughout.
Looking for more ways to reinvent taco night? Try this taco bake recipe, this loaded taco casserole or taco soup!
More Taco Recipes
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Taco Pockets
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 4 ounce can chopped green chiles
- ½ cup salsa
- 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning , more to taste
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 3 colby jack cheese sticks , cut into fourths
- 4 uncooked pie crusts , I used Pillsbury
Optional dips: salsa, sour cream or guacamole
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cook the meat in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add in the onions and green chiles. Cook until the meat is browned. Stir in the salsa, taco seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Let cool slightly.
- Lay out one pie crust onto a flat surface. Cut off the rounded edges, creating a rectangle. Then cut into 6 rectangles.
- Spoon about 3 to 4 Tablespoons of the taco meat into the center of the rectangle. Place one piece of cheese on top of the taco meat. Then place the opposite rectangle on top. You may want to stretch it lightly before putting it on. Press the edges down, trim any excess dough if needed and then go around the edges with a fork. Poke 9 holes in each taco pocket.
- Place them onto the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Serve warm with your favorite salsa or guacamole!
Notes
- You can use shredded cheese in place of the cheese sticks. Add about 2 Tablespoons per pocket.
- If you’d like a shiny/crispier top whisk together an egg with 1 teaspoon of water and brush on top.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: Appetizers, Cinco De Mayo, Freezer-Friendly, Mexican, Mini appetizers
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
Have not made this recipe but fear if made for a school lunch the pastry will become soggy by the time my kid would eat it for lunch? I do want to give this a try but what is your experience with this? All in all seems like a delicious lunch recipe.
Hi Ayanna! That is a great question! You can wrap it in aluminum foil if you would like and keep it in the lunch box. I think that would keep the heat as well as avoid it from going soggy. Hope that helps!
A little time consuming to make, but worth it. They were a big hit at the party we took them to.
Glad they were a hit at the party! Thanks for your review :)
Can they be frozen before baking the crust?
Yes you can freeze them after they are baked. I recommend defrosting in the fridge and then reheating in the oven for about 5 minutes (or a toaster oven works great too)!
Hi There, I made these for my daughter’s lunches. Do you think they will freeze well?
Yes, definitely! Simply wrap each taco pocket in foil and place in an airtight bag or container in the freezer. To reheat, place on a baking sheet and cover the top with foil (to prevent burning). Then bake in the oven at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until warm throughout.
I homemade the crust and it was great! simple and straight to the point with tons of flavor and color.
Five stars!
my only personal note would be to wait for the filling to cool slightly before wrapping the pastry around it
Awesome! Love that you made homemade crust. Great tip on waiting for the filling to cool slightly…I’ll update the recipe :)
I can’t wait to try this recipe at home, it looks very tasty!
I hope you enjoy! :)
My son loves tacos. I bet he will love this too. I just saved this recipe and we will give it a try.