Smaller Cinco de Mayo Recipes

It's time to plan your Cinco de Mayo menu with these easy and delicious smaller recipes. Most recipes are written for medium amounts since we love Mexican leftovers, but they can easily be scaled down for smaller amounts. Make world-class tacos, tender quesadillas, carnitas, or even the best taco soup. I do love food holidays.

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🌮Tacos and Nachos
👍Fajitas and Carnitas
🥘Enchilada casseroles
🥣Soup and Side Dishes

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Cinco de Mayo was a victory in battle over the French and is not the Mexican Independence Day, which is September 16th. I'm sure our French friends will join us on the food side of the celebration and wish our Mexican neighbors a happy holiday.

Please enjoy my personal favorites.

🌮Tacos and Nachos

One of my favorite recipes is this ground beef taco meat. With bold flavors, it is not your mother's tacos. I make a 2-3 pound batch of taco meat at least once per month. Rarely do we freeze any. Two of us consume it in 3-4 days.

Spicy Taco Meat (From Scratch, No Packet)

This easy ground beef taco meat recipe has bold flavors and takes just 25 minutes to prepare. Make it hot for spicy tacos or mild for family taco night. Use fresh pantry spices for a fantastic homemade taco seasoning—you will never use packaged taco seasoning again.

Spicy Taco Meat

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

You can prepare delicious chicken tacos or nachos with just three ingredients, a slow cooker, and five minutes of prep time. Cook the chicken for several hours, shred it, and cook for another hour. Serve this tender chicken taco meat as tacos, nachos, or other Mexican dishes.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Easy Mexican Shredded Beef

Shredded Mexican Beef is tender and flavorful, using a beef roast and a few pantry ingredients. It's super easy to make on the stovetop or in your crock pot. It makes fantastic tacos, burritos, and quesadillas.

Shredded Beef Taco and More

Chili Cheese Nachos

Chili Cheese Nachos with shredded beef chili smothered in melted cheese is perfect for tailgating and game-day parties. Easy to make ahead and serve both chili and nachos at the party.

Chili Cheese Nacho Recipe

plate of cheese chili nachos topped with tomatos and sour cream

👍Fajitas and Carnitas

Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Ready in only 30 minutes, this Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas recipe is perfect for fajitas, quesadillas, and tacos. Give everybody the Mexican dish they want with this versatile Mexican chicken.

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

chicken fajita tortilla with sour cream.

Easy Marinated Steak Fajitas

This Easy Marinated Steak Fajitas recipe starts with a great fajita marinade and ends with great-tasting melt-in-your-mouth tender steak strips and vegetables.

Marinaded Steak Fajitas Recipe

Steak Fajitas on tortilla and white plate

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas in 30 Minutes

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas with sautéed onions, green peppers, seasoned chicken, and melted cheese in a crispy tortilla—an easy home recipe with everyday ingredients.

Fast Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

fajita quesadilla with trimmings on a blue plate

Pork Carnitas in the Oven (Juicy, Tender & Crispy)

Make juicy, crispy pork carnitas in the oven—no mess or deep fryer. An easy low-and-slow recipe for tender Mexican pulled pork that’s perfect for tacos, burritos, or nachos.

Pork Carnitas in the Oven

Healthy Chicken Carnitas

Make Healthy Chicken Carnitas, AKA Carnitas do Pollo, but keep the traditional stovetop method using chunks of tender chicken with citrus and other spices for that deep flavor.

Healthy Chicken Carnitas

🥘Enchilada casseroles

Healthy Chicken Enchilada Casserole—Easy and Quick

Healthy chicken enchilada casserole is quick and easy to make. Featuring homemade enchilada sauce and fresh chicken, it is done in 60 minutes.

Fast Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Chicken enchilada casserole on an orange plate.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas (Easy & From Scratch)

Cheesy sour cream chicken enchiladas—comfort food that’s easy, cozy, and from scratch with a quick homemade sour cream enchilada sauce.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Recipe

Bite of sour cream chicken enchilada on a fork.

Easy Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas with Simple Homemade Sauce

This easy crock pot recipe makes tender chicken in a homemade enchilada sauce—use it for tacos, rolled enchiladas, or turn it into a cheesy slow cooker casserole.

Crock Pot Chicken Endiladas

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🥣Soup and Side Dishes

Crock Pot Taco Soup

This easy crock pot taco soup recipe features seasoned ground beef, beans, and thick, spicy tomato broth. You can make it spicy, thick, or thin, or make a small batch for two. But you will never make a more delicious taco soup. It's spicy tacos in a bowl, perfect for Taco Tuesday.

Spicy Taco Soup Recipe

Easy Mexican Rice

This Easy Mexican Rice Recipe is ready in 30 minutes with pantry ingredients. Better than many restaurants, it is perfect for your favorite homemade Mexican dinner.

Easy Mexican Rice Recipe

Easy Guacamole Recipe

This Easy Guacamole Recipe is a basic recipe using only 4 ingredients and has many options to make it your own special homemade guacamole for parties or dinners.

Easy Guacamole Recipe

Pineapple Mango Salsa Recipe

Sweet and savory with a touch of spice, this easy Pineapple Mango Salsa Recipe is a perfect fresh fruit salsa to serve as an appetizer or party dish. Or as a complement to tacos, fish, or other entree.

Pineapple Mango Salsa Recipe

For a complete listing of all our Mexican offerings, please visit our Mexican Recipe Category.

Let's all join together and wish our wonderful neighbor to the south Happy Cinco de Mayo (AKA Victory Over the French) Day. The French would agree, at least on the food side.

DrDan

Editor's Note: Originally published April 29, 2017. This roundup post is a "recurring" post that is updated and reused yearly for a special occasion so that some comments may be older.