13 Traditional (and Non-Traditional) Mexican Food Recipes

When it comes to deciding what to eat for supper, Mexican food is always first on our list. It’s one of the world’s most popular cuisines for a reason: the flavor combinations and textures, the comfort-food-meets-showstopper vibes, and the simplicity and accessibility of many recipes keep us coming back for more. Whether it’s Taco Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, or simply another weeknight, these recipes are festive enough for a party and simple enough to prepare for any occasion. For inspiration, look through our 69 classic (and not-so-traditional) Mexican dishes.

We’re sure you’re familiar with the basics in Mexican cuisine, such as tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. We’ve included several of our favorite recipes, such as fish tacos, chicken quesadillas, and cheesy baked burritos, as well as some Tex-Mex/Southern twists, such as Mexican chicken casserole and tamale pie. No judgement if your only experience with Mexican cuisine has been fast food. If you want to stretch out, we’ve added some more classic Mexican meals here, such as our sopes, chalupas, gorditas, and chiles rellenos, which still have all the tastes you love from Taco Bell or Chipotle, but with some traditional twists.

We can’t forget about the dips, salsas, and sauces, which are some of our favorite components. Guacamole is a traditional, but we’ve also included salsa verde, queso fundido, and pico de gallo here. Be warned—once you go homemade, you may never go back. Do you want to finish your Mexican meal? Don’t forget about the drinks and desserts. To complete your dinner, try our creamy, nutty horchata, spiced Mexican hot chocolate, or a refreshing margarita, followed by our homemade churros (easier than you think!) or tres leches cake.

1. Mexican Rice: This simple Mexican rice recipe is bursting with flavor and may even be superior than anything we’ve had at a Tex-Mex restaurant. Make some to serve with your chicken enchiladas or tamale pie, and call it a night! Receive the Mexican Rice recipe.
2. Mexican street corn(Elote): Elote is a very popular antojito (small desire) sold on the street in Mexico. It’s typically served on a stick, but you can forgo the skewer and cook it the same way you’d boil or bake conventional corn on the cob.
3. Grilled chicken street tacos: Nothing surpasses a street taco—super-juicy, tender grilled meat in a convenient grab-and-go style, usually made feasible by doubling up two smaller corn tortillas. This makes them easier to consume on the side of the road, in the car, or anyplace! They’re simple, yet some of the most crave-worthy tacos around.
4. Chalupas: Chalupas are a popular Mexican street food snack that is crispy, delicious, and enjoyable to consume. Chalupas are often served as a tostada, but because we know you’re craving for the fluffy fried bread-like taco shell, we decided to make a version that included the best of both.
5. Chicken Enchiladas: When a yearning for comfort food meets a requirement for a simple weekday dinner, chicken enchiladas are a surefire hit. They are simple, filling, and take less than an hour to cook from beginning to end.
6. Carne Asada Tortas: These loaded tortas make for a great weekend activity, and many of the steps may be completed ahead of time. Plus, after you try this approach, you’ll never cook refried beans the same way.
7. Sopes: Sopes, which are round bundles of lightly fried masa stacked with refried beans, shredded chicken, salsa roja or salsa verde, and cotija cheese, are one of the most delicious Mexican street foods. These small antojitos, or nibbles, can be consumed throughout the day and are excellent anytime party snacks.
8. Green Chile Chicken Skillet Enchiladas: Since making handmade enchiladas takes a lot of steps and time, it’s not really possible to satisfy your craving while in a rush. This skillet recipe is a quick version of the dish that is ideal for a gathering and comes together quickly.
9. Mexican street corn flatbread: We have tried Mexican street corn in more ways than we can remember, including tacos, nachos, and even enchiladas, and we have enjoyed each variation. However, this Mexican street corn flatbread has become our new favorite. Here, the creamy, sour sauce that is typically served with corn is smeared over premade pizza dough, and then topped with a generous amount of cheese, additional chili, and corn. It’s perfectly crispy and corny after twenty minutes.
10. Shrimp Tacos: It’s difficult to top a well-made taco when it comes to street cuisine, not to be partial. Easy, quick, and the ideal way to highlight all the greatest aspects of the portable staple are shrimp tacos. Shrimp are pan-seared, seasoned with homemade taco seasoning, and then topped with jalapeño-garlic crema (a game changer) and piled into a charred corn tortilla with crunchy cabbage slaw and lime juice. Make these for a quick and impressive midweek supper that takes less than 45 minutes (!).
11. Fish taco bowls: This salad is ideal for those who need some veggies but are desiring the tastes and textures of a fish taco. These vegetable-rich variations of the popular taco are based on crispy fish and a creamy, spicy slaw. The combination of the chilled avocado’s smoothness and the chopped mango’s sweetness, along with the spicy crema drizzle, makes this summer salad an instant favorite.
12. Homemade salsa: There has been salsa for a very long time. They have their roots in the Incas and Aztecs. We use both cherry tomatoes and fresh off the vine tomatoes to create the most delectable salsa ever. In order to enhance the flavors of some of the ingredients and make this salsa truly amazing, we also roast them.

13. Slow cooker chicken tortilla soup: We add black beans to this tortilla soup to boost its protein content, then add some vegetables (corn, bell peppers, and onion) for color and health, and last, we add canned fire-roasted tomatoes for flavor—we adore the smokiness of these tomatoes. Feel free to use store-bought tortilla strips, but we prefer to use quick-fried ones for a little crunch at the end.