Cheesy Chorizo and Black Bean Taquitos

Hello, friends! I'm on a roll this week with posts--I think it's a combination of being in the cooking mood more often than usual, and having more daylight within which to take food photos (the irony here being that the sun disappeared as the taquitos came out of the oven...*sigh*) Anyway--I'm playing with a new (to my kitchen) ingredient today: Chorizo!

Chorizo is a spicy Mexican pork sausage that goes well with...well, nearly everything! It's great in breakfast tacos, and absolutely MADE to pair with sweet potatoes in a sweet and savory hash. I've been singing its praises from afar--until today.  Today, I got up close and personal- and I'm so glad I did!

I didn't get to celebrate Cinco de Mayo yesterday, a day of great significance because my brother and sister-in-law celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary yesterday! Many, many congratulations to them--here they are on their wedding day! :) Beautiful people.

Okay! Let's talk taquitos. I love this recipe because it's easy, tasty, flavorful, and comes together so quickly! They're baked, not fried, and with only five ingredients and a punch of spice, everybody wins with this festive party dish! Serve the taquitos with mashed avocado or guacamole--and make sure to have a little sour cream on the side : )

Many thanks to Life's Ambrosia for the recipe! I made half of the original recipe because I'm only cooking for one, but I'm posting the original for you. Ready? GO.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chorizo
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can refried black beans (I only had whole black beans, so I made my own).
• 1 cup pepper jack cheese (I used a combination of Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack cheeses)
• 12 - 15 taco sized corn tortillas 
• Guacamole and sour cream to serve

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil; set aside. (I baked mine at 400 because my oven gets pretty hot!)

In a frying pan, cook chorizo and onions together until chorizo is browned and cooked through. Add in refried beans. Mix well. Mix in pepper jack cheese and cook until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Microwave four tortillas at a time between damp paper towels until they are soft and pliable, about 30 seconds.  Place a heaping tablespoon of the chorizo filling in the center of each corn tortilla and roll up. Place the tortillas, seam side down, on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Bake taquitos in preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until tortillas are crisp. Remove from oven and serve with guacamole for dipping.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts- Servings: 4 • Size: 3 taquitos • Calories: 476 • Fat: 15.9 g • Cholesterol: 109 mg • Carbs: 38.3 g • Fiber: 5.9 g  • Protein: 39.3 g • Sugars: .6 g