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Spicy crispy Mexican taco pockets on a dark plate with golden-brown crimped pastry edges, filled with seasoned ground beef and melted cheese oozing out, garnished with diced red onions and cilantro, served with bowls of pico de gallo and sour cream, lime wedges on the side

Spicy Crispy Mexican Taco Pockets

A golden, flaky Spicy Crispy Mexican Taco Pockets recipe filled with seasoned ground beef and melted cheese. These handheld meat pies are pan fried to crispy perfection.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground beef Lean beef works best
  • 1 packet taco seasoning For authentic flavor
  • 1 package refrigerated pie crust Or empanada dough discs
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese Freshly shredded
  • ½ cup cooking oil For shallow frying
  • sour cream and salsa For serving
  • fresh cilantro Chopped for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Large skillet For cooking beef and frying
  • 1 Mixing Spoon For stirring meat
  • 1 Cookie cutter For cutting dough circles
  • 1 Fork For crimping edges

Method
 

  1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until no pink remains to ensure the meat is fully cooked.
  2. Drain the excess grease from the skillet so the taco pockets do not become overly greasy or soggy inside.
  3. Stir in the taco seasoning and water, letting it simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the beef perfectly.
  4. Unroll the refrigerated dough and cut out four inch circles using a large cookie cutter to create the shells.
  5. Spoon a small amount of the cooled beef mixture and shredded cheese into the center of each dough circle.
  6. Fold the dough over to create a half moon shape and crimp the edges tightly with a fork.
  7. Heat cooking oil in a skillet and carefully fry the pockets for three minutes per side until golden brown.
  8. Transfer the cooked pockets to a paper towel lined plate to drain the excess oil before serving warm.

Notes

Allow the taco meat filling to cool completely before placing it onto the dough circles to prevent the pastry from melting and tearing during assembly.