5 Ingredient Mexican Quinoa
This 5 Ingredient Mexican Quinoa is packed with tons of protein and delicious flavor! The recipe comes to Bob’s Red Mill courtesy of Chef Billy Parisi, and it’s loaded with peppers, tomatoes, corn, beans and chopped cilantro. The sliced avocado is optional, but we suggest including it for an extra boost of potassium, fiber and heart-healthy fats. To make this dish “appetizer friendly,” set it out in a large bowl with smaller bowls to the side for guests to serve as they’d like. Alternatively, you can also portion it yourself into small cups or bowls and serve it as a tray-passed appetizer while guests mingle and chat. For variations on this dish, you can add shredded chicken or yellow and green bell peppers (in addition to the red) for a rainbow of colors. You can also use less quinoa and more black bean and corn salsa and serve it alongside homemade tortilla chips. To give this appetizer an extra special touch, serve each portion with a small lime wedge, so your guests can squeeze fresh citrus onto their dish as they please. Cotija cheese or shredded cheddar is a nice addition, too.
Cashew No-Cheese Sauce
If you’ve yet to try it, it might be hard to believe that cheese sauce can actually be made with a mix of cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder, water and lemon juice. But indeed—it can! This Cashew No-Cheese Sauce is a show stopper when it comes to easy appetizers for your next taco Tuesday gathering. Serve this cheese sauce over tortilla chips with the toppings of your choice for ultimate nachos. If you’re going the route of appetizers and don’t want guests to get too full, you can top your tortilla chips with just the cheese sauce and some fresh herbs. But if you’re interested in serving something a little heartier, you can go for toppings like beans, shredded meats, tomatoes and lettuce. Keep in mind that this nacho cheese sauce can be used for upcoming parties of all sorts, as it tastes great on pretty much everything (pretzel bites and roasted broccoli included).
Tortilla Soup with Red Lentils
We love the idea of serving soup as an appetizer. Whether it’s for a sit down dinner or portioned into individual cups for a more casual gathering, this Tortilla Soup with Red Lentils is the perfect starter for entertaining. It’s an easy-to-make twist on a classic tortilla soup, and is both vegan and packed with flavor. It’s made with a whole bunch of ingredients like carrots, onion, poblano pepper, red lentils, cloves, paprika, crushed tomatoes, black beans and more. Top it all with tortilla chips and lime (or lime juice) for garnish, and your guests are in for a treat. If you’d rather serve this as a main dish for a variation on taco Tuesday you can do that, too. As you’ll notice in the recipe instructions, you can make it in a Crock Pot or, if you’re running short on time, in a Instant Pot. However you choose to create this delectable and creamy soup, rest assured—you’ll love it. It’s subtle yet intense in its flavors and offers something unique and different with every bite. Plus, our red lentils cook up quickly with a sweet flavor packed full of nutritional benefits (making them the absolute perfect choice for soups and stews).
Mexican Sopes
Mexican sopes are thick, Mexican corn cakes that can be filled with ingredients like meat, cheese and beans for a fun appetizer. In this recipe for Mexican Sopes from Tamara of Beyond Mere Sustenance, sope shells are made from masa flour and filled with two separate fillings. For the vegetarian option, there’s a black bean filling with coconut oil, shallot, garlic, cumin, black beans, cinnamon, orange (or tangerine) zest, lime zest, chipotle with its adobo and vegetable broth. The meat option is a Pressure Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork made in a big batch in the slow cooker. With its flavors of orange juice and cumin, the sweet smells will waft through your kitchen all day long as you prepare this delicious meal. Whether you choose to fill your sope shells with the vegetarian or the meat-lovers option, both of these Mexican sopes make for a beautiful party appetizer. If you’d like to give guests a variety, offer both options and let them choose which type of sope they’re in the mood for! We have a sneaking suspicion they might pick both.
Slow Cooker White Chicken and Quinoa Chili
Although chili is typically thought of as a main dish, in smaller portions it makes for a wonderful Mexican appetizer, too. This Slow Cooker White Chicken and Quinoa Chili is warm, filling and nutritious all at the same time. It comes to us courtesy of Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny and is the perfect blend of flavors. It starts with chicken breasts, quinoa, cannellini beans, corn and chicken both, and is enhanced with produce like onions, celery stalks, jalapeño, green chilis and corn. The seasonings of bay leaf, cumin, oregano, ground black pepper and sea salt tie it all together—and of course, we can’t forget the toppings! Cilantro, avocado and shredded cheese bring this delectable chili all together and make it one of our ultimate favorites. To make it appetizer-friendly, put small bowls or cups by the slow cooker and let guests meander in and out of the kitchen to taste test as they please. If you make this dish for taco Tuesday and love it, you can always make an alternate version for your next gathering. Just switch up the beans and the meat to put an entirely new spin on it (or keep things consistent and make this recipe every week to keep your guests happy and content)!
Vegan Mexican Pizza
When it comes to flavorful and festive appetizers, this Vegan Mexican Pizza is a crowd pleaser. There’s something about Mexican pizza that’s always unexpected (no matter how many times you have it) and always sure to hit the spot when you’re feeling hungry before a meal. This pizza from mother-daughter duo Linda and Alex of Veganosity incorporates a fresh and nutrient-packed topping of corn, jalapeño, spinach, avocado, mango, tomato and fresh cilantro on dough made with gluten free flour and cornmeal. If you’re hosting taco Tuesday outdoors or in the warmer months of late spring or summer, this pizza is a wonderful appetizer to make. Better yet, make it a “build your own pizza” party and encourage guests to each bring their own seasonal toppings to contribute. That way every taco Tuesday gathering will be entirely unique! Toppings can vary from meat-based pizzas to veggie-inspired pies, or a mix of the two.
Other Tasty Mexican Appetizers
Whether you’re looking for something traditional or a little more on the creative side, give these easy Mexican appetizer options a try, too! Sometimes, there’s nothing like a classic restaurant-style salsa or a thick seven-layer Mexican dip to get your guests swooning.
- Classic chips and traditional tomato salsa
- Spicy guacamole dip
- Strawberry guacamole
- Mini tacos
- Jalapeño poppers
- Individual seven-layer dips
- Ground beef taquitos
- Chicken flautas
- Mexican potato skins
- Queso dip
- Grilled street corn
- Bean dip
- Black bean quesadillas
- Pineapple salsa
- Marinated Mexican shrimp cocktails
- Mexican corn dip
- Guacamole deviled eggs
