Toss frozen beef taquitos in the crock with 4 other pantry staples and watch your family fight over seconds at dinner tonight

This 5-ingredient slow cooker beef using frozen beef taquitos is the kind of weeknight dinner that feels almost embarrassingly easy, yet everyone ends up scraping the pot. Instead of starting with raw meat, we lean on frozen beef taquitos as a clever shortcut: they’re already seasoned, rolled, and ready to soak up a simple, pantry-friendly sauce. The concept borrows a bit from Midwestern “dump dinners” and Tex-Mex flavors—put everything in the crock, walk away, and come back to a saucy, shredded beef filling that tastes like it took all afternoon of hands-on work.

Serve the saucy shredded taquito beef in warm tortillas with shredded lettuce, cheese, and a squeeze of lime, or spoon it over rice for a simple burrito-bowl style dinner. It’s also excellent over crisp tortilla chips for an easy nacho platter, or tucked into baked potatoes for a hearty, Midwestern-style twist. Round out the meal with something fresh and crunchy—like a simple green salad or sliced cucumbers and carrots—and maybe a side of sour cream or Greek yogurt to cool things down if your salsa has a kick.

Servings: 4

20 ounces frozen beef taquitos (about 10–12 taquitos, unthawed)

Arrange the frozen beef taquitos in a single snug layer on the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. They can touch and overlap slightly, but keep them mostly in one layer so they heat and soften evenly. This should look like a ring or fan of taquitos covering the base of the crock.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the salsa, beef broth, condensed cream of mushroom soup, and chili powder or taco seasoning until fairly smooth. A few small lumps from the soup are fine; they will dissolve as the mixture cooks.

Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the frozen taquitos, making sure all of them are lightly coated. Use the back of a spoon to nudge the sauce down between the taquitos so the bottoms don’t dry out.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours. The taquitos are ready when they are very soft, heated through, and the sauce is bubbling gently around the edges.

Once the taquitos are fully softened, use two forks to break them apart directly in the slow cooker, shredding them into bite-size pieces and mixing them into the sauce. You’re aiming for a thick, meaty filling with some texture from the tortillas, not a perfectly smooth mixture.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, adding a pinch of salt, more chili powder, or an extra spoonful of salsa for brightness. If the mixture seems too thick, stir in a splash more beef broth; if it seems too loose, cook uncovered on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce slightly.

Switch the slow cooker to WARM and let the mixture rest for 10 minutes to thicken further, then serve the saucy shredded beef taquito mixture with your favorite toppings and sides.

You can easily tailor this slow cooker beef taquito dinner to what you have on hand and your family’s preferences. For a creamier, slightly tangy version, stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt at the end of cooking (off the heat or on WARM) so it doesn’t curdle. If you’d like more vegetables, scatter 1 cup of frozen corn or a drained can of black beans over the taquitos before adding the sauce; both will warm and soften as everything cooks. Prefer a tomato-forward flavor? Swap the cream of mushroom soup for a can of condensed tomato soup or an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce and reduce the beef broth to 3/4 cup. For a smoky note, add 1 teaspoon of ground cumin or a pinch of smoked paprika along with the chili powder. If you’re cooking for kids or spice-sensitive eaters, choose mild salsa and start with 2 teaspoons of chili powder, adding more to taste at the end. Food safety notes: Always place the frozen taquitos in the slow cooker in a single, even layer so they heat uniformly. Cook on HIGH or LOW only as directed; avoid using the WARM setting to start, as it doesn’t bring the food quickly enough through the temperature “danger zone” (40°F–140°F). Make sure the mixture is piping hot and steaming in the center before serving; if you have a thermometer, aim for at least 165°F. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow containers, and reheat thoroughly until hot all the way through before eating.