Taco Popover Supper for Cinco de Mayo
Does your family like tacos? We do, too, but sometimes, I like getting my taco fix in a one-dish meal. This Taco Popover Supper does that with the added benefit of the popover factor. Now some of you may be looking at these photos and saying out loud, “But Shirley, where is the “pop” factor?” Well, I admit it, this time my Taco Popover didn’t really pop much. I think I got distracted talking to our dog Sonny and whisked my batter too much. Something that I might add that I explicitly tell you not to do in the directions below. But whether you get a true popover effect or not, this dish is a very tasty meal.
If certain things mean tacos to you—like chopped black olives, chopped raw onion, and/or a dollop of sour cream–feel free to add those to your serving after it’s on your plate. Think of this Taco Popover as just another way to get your taco fix! Note that it’s also a corn-free way to do that if you use a gluten-free flour mix that’s corn free. As I almost always advise when making gfe recipes, don’t get too fussy over this recipe. If you’re out of tomato sauce, you can even use pizza sauce or salsa, or a combination of whatever you have on hand. I’m pretty sure I’ve even used some chili sauce in the mix before. You might need to rev up the chili powder amounts or add in some chipotle powder or similar if your sauce ingredients are on the sweeter side, but this recipe is easy to adapt as needed.
We’ll be enjoying this for dinner tonight (and probably tomorrow, too). Maybe you will as well. I might even make a margarita for me—a traditional version or not, or maybe sangria!—and pick up some Mexican beer for Mr. GFE. Happy Cinqo de Mayo!
Taco Popover Supper
(Click here for a printable version of this recipe.)Ingredients for Base Layer
One pound ground beef (or ground turkey, venison, etc.; I used ground venison)
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce (or similar; see notes)
up to 1 cup chopped bell pepper (your choice; I use a green or red bell pepper)
2 tbsp chili powder
½ tsp onion powder (or 2 tbsp chopped onions)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or dairy-free substitute, both are optional; cheese may be added later after cooking instead if you prefer or again be omitted completely … see notes)Ingredients for Batter for Popover Topping
2 eggs
1 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy, I use almond milk)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (see notes)
½ tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp saltInstructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook ground beef and drain.
Stir in tomato sauce, bell pepper, 2 tbsp flour, chili powder, onion powder, salt, cumin, garlic, pepper, and parsley flakes. Bring to a boil and stir about one minute.
Pour into ungreased 13 x 9 baking dish.
Sprinkle cheese on top, if desired.
Beat eggs, milk, oil, 1 cup flour, xanthan gum, and salt until smooth, but don’t overbeat. Pour batter over all.
Bake about 25 to 30 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Let stand about 5 minutes before cutting.
Cut into squares and serve immediately, flipping squares as you plate them, so that the popover crust is on the bottom.
Immediately top with any additional toppings you would like.
Shirley’s Notes: I use more or less bell pepper depending upon how much I have on hand and how much flavor I want to add. With ground venison, I usually use less bell pepper, but with ground turkey, I’d use more. Feel free to use whichever flour mix you use most often for baking. Personally, I can’t tolerate many of the healthier, gluten-free flours; e.g., sorghum, buckwheat. Therefore, my gluten-free flour mix is 3 parts Asian white rice flour and 2 parts cornstarch. I gently mix three one-lb bags of the Asian white rice flour and two 1-lb boxes of cornstarch in a very large bowl and then store the mix in several airtight containers (like large glass jars). No refrigeration is needed for this flour mix. It’s very economical and a good substitute for gluten-full all-purpose flour. If you opt to leave out the cheese when assembling your Taco Popover Supper, individuals can then top their “hot out of the oven” squares with dairy cheese or dairy-free “cheese” after flipping them onto their plates. I spread some Majestic Garlic Spread (Sun-Dried Tomato Jalapeno Pepper flavor) on my meat mixture before I poured the batter over all. This flavor of Majestic Garlic Spread give a cheesy taste and mouth feel even though it’s a vegan (and raw) product. I could also have mixed some of that spread in at the end with the meat mixture before spreading it in the baking pan. If there are certain ingredients that mean tacos to you–like chopped black olives, chopped raw onion, and/or a dollop of sour cream–and you can’t live without them, feel free to add them once your taco popover serving is on your plate. Some gfe readers may recognize this recipe as being very similar to both my Popover Pizza recipe and my Volcano (Popover) Pancake. I love Popovers in all forms!
p.s. another great gfe recipe for Cinqo de Mayo is Chicken (or Turkey) Enchilada Casserole, or maybe you’d like some Tasty Tortilla Soup!
This post is linked to Allergy Free Wednesdays and Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
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Comments
33 Responses to “Taco Popover Supper for Cinco de Mayo”
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What an interesting dish. I just printed it and will try it out! Thanks.
Hi Kathleen–I hope you enjoy it! We do!
Note: I realized that I needed to tweak the recipe in the post a bit, so please make sure that what you have is the same. Sorry for that inconvenience, dear.
Shirley
Thanks for letting me know–I’ve adjusted my recipe to show your revisions.
Oh, yum! This is interesting because we do a “venison taco pie” that is the “upside down” version of this. I am a big fan of any dish you can pull off in just one pan too. What time should I swing by for leftovers?
PS- are you still being required to sign in on wordpress for my blog? double checked the settings and they have never required a sign in, wondering what’s up. sorry for that inconvenience. (feel free to shoot me an email instead)
Have a great weekend, Shirley!
Hey Sarah–We finished the last of the leftovers today. We enjoyed them!
I haven’t visited your blog lately, but if I do have to log in, I’ve figured out a way to work around it.
Weekend is over … boohoo. LOL Have a good week, Sarah!
Shirley
Oh — that looks super tasty and very similar to a recipe my mom used to make. Thanks for sharing Shirley. Hope you have a wonderful weekend and Cinqo de Mayo!
Hi Susan–How neat that this one brought back some memories for you! We do think it’s super tasty. Hope you do, too, when you give it a try.
It was a great weekend here. Hope yours was, too, Susan. Have a good week!
Shirley
I love popovers and make them a lot. Never thought to do tacos with them. Will definitely give it a try!
Hey Melissa–All that said, I think you will enjoy this recipe!
Shirley
Shirley – what a yummy hearty meal! Love tacos any which way! My taco sauce is almost identical to yours….think it will be tacos for dinner tonight!
Thanks, Ina! I love hearty one-dish meals.
Sometime we just have to have tacos or a taco dish, don’t we? 
Hope you enjoy!
Shirley
What a great combination of flavours and textures indeed! And of course a margharita would be the perfect partner to a perfect meal
Hi InTolerant Chef–I have to admit that I often find a reason to drink margarita. To me, they are perfect for mnay meals.
Shirley
Yes, my family loves tacos! Great idea and I agree, a margarita is the perfect partner!
Hi Carol–Thanks so much! Sometimes the craving hits and wee just have to have tacos or taco popover.
shirley
Shirley, this looks great! I can see just letting each person put whatever toppings they desire on each serving…so both my picky eaters and myself would be happy.
Hi Kelly–That part can be a lot of fun, and makes everyone feel special!
Shirley
I made this for dinner last night, and all five guys loved it! I made it without cheese but added cheddar to their bowls and served it with crumbled tortilla chips. I enjoyed mine with avocado instead of cheese alongside a handful of Beanitos chips. So yummy – thank you!
Yippee! The first “hands on” review, and it’s a great one–thank you, Brandae!
Shirley !
Shirley
I didn’t make this recipe yet, BUT I took your idea for the popover, and made Spanikopita last night! It was great, and I appreciate the idea of using the popover as a phyllo substitute. Thanks!
Kathleen–I love that you were able to use the popover concept to make Spanikopita!!
You know me … I just want to make gluten-free life easier for us. Spanikopita with a popover crust sounds divine!
Thanks so much for sharing that with us all and glad you have the right recipe info now so you’ll be set if you do make my taco popover some day. No worries if you don’t, but please report back and any popover combos you make. The variations could be endless! Suddenly I’m having visions of a ham and cheese popover.
Shirley
Ohhh, that sounds good. If you make ham and cheese popover, please post the recipe! And thanks for replying, it’s nice to know someone reads my posts.
Kathleen–I always read and the only time I don’t reply is for comments on giveaway posts (unless someone has a question). I’m still thinking about the ham and cheese popover! I think the version with dairy will be super easy, but a gf/df version a bit more challenging. I can imagine how great both would taste though!
Shirley
this loks right up my casserole-addicted alley!! Thanks you shirley!
LOL, Tessa … thank you, dear! Hope you enjoy it!
Shirley
Hi Shirley,
This looks so yummy! I really shouldn’t look at recipes first thing in the morning…my tummy is growling! Thank you for sharing with us on AFW!
Have a wonderful Mother’s Day!!
Hugs,
–Amber
Made it! Very nice recipe. My husband even likes it cold the next day for lunch. Thanks!
Great news, Kathleen! I especially love that it passed your hubby’s “eat when cold test” … that’s always one I use.
Thanks so much for sharing this review, dear! 
Shirley
Shirley, I made this tonight, as my daughter asked for tacos, but we had no shells, and we’d been gone all day, and I needed something easy. It was really well received…DELICIOUS! My daughter said it was better than pizza.
To cut back on dairy, I used half Daiya cheddar and half raw cheddar in the popover. Also my family doesn’t like things too spicy so I used only 1/2 tsp of chili powder and a few extra shakes of cumin and garlic powder.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Woohoo, Kelly! How interesting that you used a combo of Daiya and raw cheese–I love that.
And I love your daughters review, too. 
I’m glad you shared how you adapted the spice amounts, too. It’s so easy to do, isn’t it? Thanks so much for sharing, dear. I’ll have to share your family’s review of this recipe on my gfe FB page. 
Hugs,
Shirley
Thanks for sharing all of these awesome recipes! My goal this year has been to make a new recipe every week and just this week I couldn’t decide between the taco popover and the cheesy tuna casserole so I made them both. They were both a hit with the family so I’ll definitely be making them again soon.
I made some additions to the taco popover as well where we added other taco fixings (lettuce, tomato, guac, sour cream, cheese) once it was flipped and it was like a new and improved taco salad.
Thanks!
Hi Emily–It looks like you are pretty new to gfe–welcome!
I appreciate you commenting on the almond recipe roundup and entering the giveaway there, but appreciate your review comments here even more! I am honored that you couldn’t choose and had to make two of my recipes. 
I love the way you did the taco popover, too. Mr. GFE would never go for guac and sour cream, but I could. So glad you have a new version of taco salad now!
If you have a second, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment on the tuna casserole post, too. No worires if you don’t have time though.
Thanks so much!
Shirley