Mexican Dinner Recipe Ideas
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Will you be celebrating Cinco de Mayo at home this year? Here are some of our favorite Mexican Dinner Recipe Ideas should you decide to celebrate May 5 at home with your family. Or Taco Tuesday. Or (my favorite) Fish Tacos on Friday with Margaritas!
(Recipe modified with new photos on 4/21/23.)
Here in our corner of Kansas, we have a lot of Mexican restaurants to choose from should we decide to go out for dinner. In Parsons, there is Ernesto’s, and Chanute has El Publito. Simply open a phone book or browse the internet to see a whole slew of restaurants listed. Most of the time, however, we stay home. See below for some of our favorite Mexican dinner options.
Mexican Dinner Recipe Ideas – Starters
Everyone likes to start dinner with an appetizer, and for Mexican food there’s nothing easier than some crispy corn chips and a yummy dip.
Here’s a new recipe for Queso Dip with Chorizo that we really love. It reminds me of a cheese dip my mom used to make long ago. Not necessarily in the ingredients that are used, but rather in that it’s difficult to stop eating this dip once you start! And that’s what I remember about my mom’s dip! So spicy, and so good!
Guacamole Dip is perfect for dipping chips in or for using on your favorite Mexican food, such as Fish Tacos or Montereys.
This Homemade Garden Tomato Salsa recipe is a perfect way to make use of your garden produce. Tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers all come together in a delicious spicy salsa.
Or, if you’d prefer making a fresh salsa, try this Pico de Gallo Salsa. I love working with all the fresh ingredients, and it’s so tasty! Perfect for your next Mexican dinner night or tailgating party!
Black Bean Salsa is an easy and tasty appetizer to make for your family or gathering. It’s so easy, and the ingredients are common enough to be in everyone’s pantry.
Flour Tortillas and Side Dishes
Side dishes for a Mexican dinner might include hominy or corn, bell peppers and onions, refried beans, and rice. And for bread, flour tortillas, of course.
Here’s a recipe for Flour Tortillas to make for your family that will rival store-bought tortillas . . . with just a little effort. They’re actually so easy to make, you may never buy more, ever again.
This Mexican Sour Cream Rice dish is a perfect choice when you want or need a little comfort food on the table. Creamy rice, with sour cream, corn, cheese, and more cheese! How could it not provide comfort!
Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice is a really close version to what you’ll order at a restaurant. Plus, it’s not difficult to make and comes together easily while you prepare other dishes for the meal, such as enchiladas, tacos, or fajitas. Lightly sauced with tomatoes and spicy seasonings, it compliments many Mexican-style foods.
Refried Black Beans is the perfect side dish for your favorite Mexican food. It goes especially well with enchiladas or tacos. Slow cooked on the stove for several hours and seasoned with garlic, onion, hot sauce and more, these beans will have you going back for seconds!
Mexican Dinner Recipe Ideas – Main Course
There are so many options for Mexican dinner main courses, where do you begin? Choosing an item from a menu can be challenging. Do you want beef or chicken? Red sauce or white? Beans? Cheese? Fried or baked? Flour tortilla or corn tortilla. Here are a few choices to help with your decision.
Our family enjoys these Black Bean Beef Flautas that are baked in the oven, not fried. Spicy hamburger and black beans rolled up in a crunchy flour tortilla. So yummy!
We love Mexican food, and I probably make it at least twice a month. It’s a great meal to plan when our entire family has gathered at our house as the options are many and the ingredients go a long way to serve many people. Beef and Chicken Fajitas is one of those favorite recipes that everyone enjoys!
We love this recipe for Spicy Chicken and Cheese Taquitos. They are easy to make and perfect for weeknight dinners.
Chicken Quesadillas is a yummy recipe I like to make for our family when I don’t have a lot of time. Quick and easy and so delicious!
Here’s a recipe I tried after tasting my first Fish Tacos with Lime Crema at Kip’s Grill in Creede, Colorado. Small pieces of tender fried fish tucked inside a fried corn tortilla with fresh slaw and avocado and topped with delicious lime crema. Yum!
I use this Ground Beef Taco Meat for many Mexican-style dishes at our house. It’s easy to put together and so tasty, whether you’re using it to make tacos, enchiladas, Montereys, chimichangas, taco burgers, or flautas. So versatile!
My husband loves this Homemade Enchilada Sauce. When this sauce simmers on the stove it smells so good! Your whole kitchen will practically turn into a Mexican La Cucina.
Desserts and Drinks
No meal would be complete without a dessert or a special drink to go with it. Fried Sopapillas with Honey or Fried Ice Cream maybe? Or how about an icy Margarita? Yes, please.
These Cinnamon Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars are simply wonderful. A little bit of chewiness in the crust with a cheesecake center and buttery sweet cinnamon on the top. So yummy!
Try making Mexican Fried Ice Cream the next time you serve a nice Mexican dinner for your family or guests. There’s nothing so sweet as sharing a dessert with a loved one, whether romantically or for fun with one of your kids. This dessert is perfect for doing just that.
Lemon-Lime Margaritas are a perfect way to wind down after a hot, summer day. We love them on Friday nights at our house. Here are a few tips I’ve learned in my quest to make delicious Margaritas.
See More Mexican Recipe Ideas HERE. Browse other holiday and celebration Entertaining Ideas Here.