Category: 5 Minutes

Need a quick dinner idea? These epic 5-minute tacos are done in a flash, featuring a savory chorizo-style egg filling. Prepare to be amazed!

Oh, hi. We see you, hungry eater in need of a quick dinner idea. Do we have the recipe for you! Alex and I are obsessed with finding meals that are three things: quick, delicious, and healthy. But we wanted to push ourselves even further. Is a 5-minute dinner recipe possible? Well, we think we’ve nailed it with this recipe. Of course, you’ll need to be the judge! The star is “chorizo-style eggs”: eggs whisked with spices that magically turn meaty. Top with salsa fresca, red onion, cilantro and well: WOW. You’ve got to try these.

Video: Dinner in 5 minutes…really.

Best quick dinner idea: 5 Minute Tacos!

It all started with a challenge from my sister. I asked her what kind of recipes she’d like to see from A Couple Cooks next. And she asked, “Can you make a 5-minute dinner recipe?” Of course, that got our wheels turning. Because the recipes we get asked about, again and again, are not how to make the best chocolate cake or chocolate chip cookies. Nope, the question we’re asked again and again is: What are your top quick dinner ideas?

Since Alex and I often make tacos or quesadillas as quick dinner recipes on weeknights, we settled on a taco. And for the filling? The chorizo-style eggs in our Veggie Burrito Bowl consistently get rave reviews. Magically, whisking cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder into scrambled eggs and cooking them on low heat forms a meaty substance that we make often. So why not use them as a taco filling? We whipped up a batch and served our 5-minute tacos to my sister.

Her response: Whoa. These are SO good.

Can you really make them in 5 minutes?

That’s a good question. 5 minutes is pretty ambitious, right? Our answer: Yes, these tacos can be made in 5 minutes. Alex tried and as a speed demon, and made it happen! But here’s what you need to pull it off in 5 minutes:

• A quick chef who’s confident in the kitchen
• No toddlers interrupting things!
• Memorizing the recipe before you start (we’ve made it easy to memorize using 1/2 tablespoon of all the spices and olive oil)

Depending on your environment, it may take you between 5 and 10 minutes to finish this recipe. But either way: it’s one of the quickest dinner ideas you’ll make.

What are chorizo-style eggs?

The filling for these quick tacos we call chorizo-style eggs. What’s that? Does it have chorizo sausage? Not at all! This quick dinner idea is vegetarian, and the eggs stand-in for meat. Adding a few magical spices to eggs makes them taste⁠—and look⁠—seriously meaty! The texture looks oddly similar to meat: but it’s only eggs. We stumbled on this trick last year and we use it all the time. Here’s how it works:

• Whisk together 4 eggs.
• Whisk in equal parts chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin: we’ve used 1/2 tablespoon of each to make it easy to remember. These savory spices conjure up the flavor of meat, especially the garlic and cumin combo.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium low heat, then add the eggs. Wait for a few seconds while they start to solidify, then start to scrape them into gentle folds. As you scrape, they’ll start to form together into a meat-like texture. Don’t scrape too much or you’ll make too small of pieces: just enough for that it comes together! This process will take only a few minutes.
• Pop into a taco and enjoy!

How to keep tortillas warm?

Lastly: let’s talk about keeping tortillas warm! A warm tortilla is key to a good taco. Usually we warm our tortillas over a gas flame on the stovetop (see How to Warm Tortillas). You can do that in this recipe as you’re cooking the eggs. Or you can skip it if you’re just trying to get dinner on the table fast! Tortillas start cooling the moment they’re off the flame, so they can end up brittle within minutes. Luckily, there’s an invention for this problem that’s inexpensive and does the trick.

It’s a tortilla warmer! Alex and I have not found a better way to keep our tortillas warm. It’s basically an insulated pouch traps in the heat and keeps them perfectly heated. You definitely don’t need it for this recipe, but we like having one around our household at the rate we eat tacos around here!

Get one: Tortilla warmer $14

More toppings for this quick dinner idea

Of course, you can use any toppings you’d like for these 5-minute tacos! This quick dinner idea is completely customizable to what you have in your kitchen. If you have some things laying around in your refrigerator, this is the perfect way to use them! Here are a few more adders we’d suggest: but only if you have them on hand:

• Sour cream or cashew cream
• Avocado slices
• Chopped tomatoes
• Shredded cheese
• Sliced cabbage
• A spritz of lime juice

This recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

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