Mini Taco Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

These mini grilled cheese sandwiches are the taco twist you never knew you needed. Perfect for parties and game day!

I know I’m really stretching the definition of ‘grilled cheese’ here, even by my standards 🤣. Either way these beauties are delicious!! They’re also great fun to make and even more fun to eat. Follow me…

Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I know what you’re thinking, ‘why would you want a MINI grilled cheese?!’ and I understand your concern. But sometimes, and only sometimes, bigger is not always better. Hear me out.

Imagine these at a gathering you’re hosting, maybe even a potluck you’re attending. They’re also pretty much made for game day and parties! Mini grilled cheese sandwiches in general are pretty good for dunking into soup too, although that’s not the direction we’re going today.

First thing you’ll want to do is grab yourself a nice big French Baguette and slice it into 1/2″ rounds.

Taco Grilled Cheese

Sure, you could just make a regular grilled cheese with the baguette, but if you’ve been around here long enough you’ll I like to take things too far. So we’re going to put a taco spin on them. Again, using ‘taco’ fairly loosely before someone gets angry 😂. For the taco meat here’s what you’ll need:

• Ground Beef – I usually go for 10-12% lean. You want a little fat for some flavour, but not too much or it’ll turn the sandwiches greasy.
• Taco Seasoning – Store bought or homemade (more on this in the recipe card).
• Tomato Paste – Gives a deeper flavour to the meat. Important to fry it off to caramelize and sweeten the paste.
• Water or Beef Stock – Keeps the meat from drying out and turns it nice and juicy.

Can I make the taco meat ahead of time?

Sure! Just allow to completely cool and tightly cover in the fridge for a couple of days. Be sure to bring it to room temp before placing in the sandwich though otherwise it won’t cook through evenly.

Process shots: add beef to oil and fry (photo 1), stir in taco seasoning (photo 2), stir in tomato paste (photo 3), pour in liquid and reduce (photo 4).

Mini Taco Grilled Cheese

When it comes to making the mini sandwiches, all you need beside the baguette slices and meat is butter and cheese.

What Cheese to use?

I usually go for Cheddar, but Monterey Jack and Mexican Cheese Blend also work well.

How many sandwiches does this recipe make?

It depends on the size of your baguette, but you should get around 15 mini sandwiches with some meat leftover. You’ll need to fry in batches.

Process shots: butter baguette then flip (photo 1), add beef (photo 2), add cheese (photo 3), add baguette and butter (photo 4), repeat (photo 5), fry both sides until golden brown (photo 6).

Serving Taco Grilled Cheese

Once you’ve fried them it’s time to throw on your taco toppings! In reality you can use any toppings you fancy, the only one I strongly recommend is sour cream. This not only helps glue together all the toppings, but it also helps tame the spice and keeps the sandwiches from tasting too dry. Beside that here’s what I use:

• Avocado
• Tomatoes
• Red Onion
• Jalapeños

Can I make these ahead of time?

You can make them without the toppings then store in the fridge/freezer and reheat in the oven. The texture will be slightly more dry/crunchier so do make them fresh if you can (more on this in the recipe card).

When serving these, if you’re after a little something on the side check out my Individual Nachos!

If you’re looking for more crazy Tex Mex inspired grilled cheese recipes check out my Chicken Fajita Grilled Cheese and Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese!

If you’re after more mini sandwich recipes check out my Bruschetta Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Prawn Cocktail Sandwiches!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these mini taco grilled cheese sandwiches shall we!?

How to make a Mini Grilled Cheese (Full Recipe & Video)

Mini Taco Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

These mini grilled cheese sandwiches are the taco twist you never knew you needed. Perfect for parties and game day!

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Game Day, Pot Luck

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings (click & slide): 15 mini sandwiches

Calories per serving: 198kcal

Author: Chris

Cost per serving: 50p / 50c

Equipment

• Large Pan & Wooden Spoon
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Plastic Spatula/Turner
• Cheese Grater
• Paper Towels

Ingredients

• 1x 14oz/400g French Baguette, sliced into 1/2" pieces (should get around 30 in total to make 15 sandwiches)
• 1lb / 500g Ground Beef, 10-12% works great
• 3 tbsp Taco Seasoning, or 1 packet of seasoning (see notes)
• 1 1/2 cups / 150g grated Cheddar, or as needed (Mexican Cheese Blend and Monterey Jack also work great)
• 1/2 cup / 120ml Water or Low-Sodium Beef Stock
• 1 heaped tbsp Tomato Paste (Tomato Puree in the UK)
• Butter, as needed
• Olive Oil, as needed
• Taco Toppings of Choice! (see notes)

Instructions

• In a large pan over medium heat add a drizzle of olive oil and add in your beef. Break up with a wooden spoon and fry until it browns. Sprinkle in taco seasoning and fry for a couple of minutes, then add tomato paste and stir to incorporate.
• Pour in water or stock and allow to gently simmer for 5mins or until the liquid is soaked up. You want the beef nice and juicy, but not too saucy. Remove beef from pan, turn off heat and wipe with paper towels.
• Keep the heat off and add in as many slices of baguette as you can comfortably fit. Spread with butter then flip over so they're butter-side-down. Top with 1 tbsp beef and a pinch of cheese. Add a second slice of baguette and push down to secure the filling. Spread with butter.
• Turn on heat to a medium and fry both sides until golden brown. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining sandwiches. Top the sandwiches with your favourite taco toppings and enjoy!

Quick Demo

Notes

a) Taco Seasoning - You can use a pre-made taco mix, they'll usually be suitable for 1lb/500g meat but just check the back of the sachet to be sure. Or you can use my homemade mix which makes around 3 tbsp and is perfect for 1lb/500g ground beef:

• 2 tsp Paprika
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1/2-1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (or to spice preference)
• 1/2 tsp Sugar (optional)
• 1/2 tsp Cornstarch/Cornflour
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
•  

b) Taco Toppings - I'd definitely recommend sour cream as it helps glue all the toppings together and helps the sandwiches from drying out. On top of that I use red onion, tomatoes, avocado and jalapeños. Add anything you fancy though!

c) Make Ahead - You can make the sandwiches WITHOUT the toppings and store in the fridge for a couple of days. I usually reheat in the oven at 170C/340F until crispy and cooked right through the centre again. They do come out slightly dryer/crunchier this way, so I recommend making fresh if you can. If freezing freeze for 1 month and thaw in the fridge before reheating.

d) Calories - per sandwich assuming 1 tsp butter per sandwich is used, 10% fat beef, 1.5 cups cheddar, 1/2 tbsp olive oil for frying and no toppings. Slight overestimate as you'll most likely have some taco meat leftover:

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Mini Taco Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Amount Per Serving

Calories 198 Calories from Fat 89

% Daily Value*

Fat 9.88g15%

Saturated Fat 4.82g30%

Trans Fat 0.276g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.611g

Monounsaturated Fat 3.234g

Cholesterol 34mg11%

Sodium 385mg17%

Potassium 166mg5%

Carbohydrates 15.05g5%

Fiber 0.9g4%

Sugar 1.56g2%

Protein 11.43g23%

Vitamin A 258IU5%

Vitamin C 0.2mg0%

Calcium 84mg8%

Iron 1.94mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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