Southwestern Cream Cheese Tortilla Rollups

At a glance

What stands out: These southwest-style tortilla rollups are great for lunches or as a party appetizer. We've included tips on how to customize them with your favorite flavors.

How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, 2 hours to chill
Equipment you’ll need: sharp knife, plastic wrap
Servings: 8 (3 to 4 roll-ups)

Tortilla Roll Ups

We're not going to lie to you, the thought of packing lunches for our kids every day kind of makes us crazy. Between food allergies and our kids’ general pickiness, it’s hard to get creative and not give them the same thing every day.

The great thing about a lunch like these cream cheese tortilla rollups is that you can customize them to fit the tastes of your kids. We use cream cheese, from-scratch taco seasoning, shredded cheese, black beans, and cilantro. The kids like to dip them in mild salsa or sour cream.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

• Use a flavored cream cheese. We use plain cream cheese that we flavor with our from-scratch taco seasoning but chive and onion cream cheese would be great. If your kids like things spicy, try jalapeño cream cheese.
• Try a different type of bean or skip the beans. Use pinto beans instead of black beans. Leave the beans out and throw in some leftover taco meat from taco night!
• Throw in a few extras. Try chopped green onions instead of cilantro. Add finely diced red bell pepper (¼ to ½ cup) or finely diced red onion (¼ cup). A ripe but still firm avocado, diced, can be added, too.

Make Ahead

Tortilla roll ups have to be made at least a couple of hours ahead so they have time to chill. During the chilling time, the tortillas soften slightly so the roll ups will stay rolled up. If you’ve ever made the classic pickle roll ups, you know what we're talking about, and the same goes for vegetable cream cheese roll ups and pizza tortilla pinwheels.

You can easily make these the night before, roll them up in plastic wrap, and all you’ll have to do the next day is slice them and add them to your lunch boxes.

• Yield: 8 (3 to 4 roll ups)
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Total: 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 container (8 ounces) plain spreadable cream cheese (substitute 8 ounces regular cream cheese, softened, if you prefer)
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (or sharp cheddar)
• ½ cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, optional
• 3 to 4 6 inch flour tortillas (fajita size)
• salsa, guacamole, Greek yogurt and/or sour cream for dipping

Method

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese and taco seasoning until well combined. Add shredded cheese and stir again until combined. Fold in the black beans and cilantro, gently stirring to avoid smashing the black beans.
2. Spread about ½ cup of the cheese mixture in an even layer onto each tortilla, all the way to the edges.
3. Tightly roll up each tortilla with the filling on the inside. Wrap each one individually in plastic wrap, as tightly as you can.
4. Place the wrapped rolls in fridge and chill for at least 2 hours.
5. To serve, slice each roll up into pinwheels about ½ -inch thick. Serve with Greek yogurt or sour cream and salsa for dipping. Guacamole is excellent too.

Notes

Tortillas: You can use regular flour tortillas or whole wheat tortillas. There are other options, too, such as gluten-free or flavored tortillas.

Taco seasoning: It’s straightforward to mix your own t but if you prefer, you can also buy it pre-made.

Storage: The roll ups can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. They’ll continue to get softer as time goes on.