Mexican Haystacks {Easy 30-Minute or Less Meal}
Mexican Haystacks: a smorgasbord of delicious taco flavors simmered together in a tasty sauce and served over rice (or quinoa) with all the toppings your heart desires. Easy, fast, yummy!
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since I published this eCookbook.
If you missed the launch last year, the book is filled with over 30 recipes dedicated to making your life easier in the kitchen (think: simple weeknight dinner menus!).
Even better, 100% of the proceeds from the eCookbook still directly benefit the amazing women and men in the Mentors, International microloan program in Ghana, Africa (more details about my trip to Ghana last year here).
In the next few weeks I’ll be sharing a very, very amazing and tender update with details on the difference all of your donations over the last year have made.
It has humbled and inspired me beyond words.
As for the eCookbook, it continues to be a staple in my kitchen as I continue to make the recipes in that fun, little book over and over.
And today, I decided to share one of our huge family favorites from the book.
Mexican haystacks, I’m looking at you!
A more lively cousin to the popular creamy Hawaiian Haystacks recipe, this Mexican-inspired version is so fast, so easy, and so delicious.
Recipes like this are hard not to love.
Loaded with customizable toppings, this meal is bound to please even the pickiest of eaters (hint: smother it with cheese – it’s the best tactic to stall complaints from selective palates).
Even more lovable is the fact that the flavorful sauce is made start to finish in one skillet and doesn’t require any fancy cooking methods or ingredients.
And yet, you still get a delectable, homemade sauce loaded with black beans and juicy corn nibbles and tender meat and zesty spices in 30-minutes or less.
It’s down home haystack goodness at it’s finest.
I certainly didn’t feel good about the world only having the aforementioned classic chicken haystack version to eat for the rest of forever.
And while you could certainly refer to this saucy, tasty meal as something like: Taco Rice (yawn) or Mexican Gravy over Rice (snore), I think we can all agree that Mexican Haystacks is much more fun to say.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve served up this meal for company. Not only is it easy to make, but served over brown rice or quinoa, it is hearty and nutritious.
Just like any good Mexican-themed meal, those toppings make this into a homerun meal as everyone can customize their own.
If you are looking for your next weeknight dinner salvation, put these Mexican Haystacks high up on the make-right-now list.
What To Serve With This:
Fresh, seasonal fruit or an official fruit salad (like this honey lime version)
Cornbread muffins
One Year Ago: The Best Homemade Barbecue Sauce {BBQ Sauce}
Two Years Ago: Amazing and Simple Greek Feta Dip
Three Years Ago: Chicken Curry in a Hurry
Four Years Ago: Double Cruncher Cookies with Fudge Filling
Five Years Ago: Curried Nachos with Mango Salsa
Mexican Haystacks
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth, if using regular broth, cut down the salt in the recipe
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels, no need to thaw
- Lime wedges, for serving (optional)
- Hot cooked rice or quinoa for serving
- Taco toppings: lettuce, sour cream, cheese, olives, etc
Instructions
- In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef or turkey, salt and pepper, and cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until cooked through. Drain excess grease, if needed.
- Stir in the paprika, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, oregano, garlic powder and flour. The mixture will be crumbly. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the meat and spices are fragrant and sizzling.
- Whisking quickly and constantly, slowly add the beef broth and tomato sauce about 1/2 cup at a time, letting the mixture thicken and bubble between additions before adding more.
- Stir in the black beans and corn. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook 5-7 minutes until thickened.
- Serve the sauce over rice (or quinoa) with lime wedges and taco toppings of your choice.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (adapted just slightly from the eCookbook I published last year)
90 Comments on “Mexican Haystacks {Easy 30-Minute or Less Meal}”
We liked this recipe so when I visited my parents I made it for them and they really liked it. So now when I visit (I live across the country from them) I make it and then freeze some of it so that they can eat it when I am not there. It works very well for them and they really enjoy it.
Always a winner. Quick easy and usually have the ingredients on hand. We serve it with the corn and beans on the side to allow for preferences. My husband always wants refried beans, while I prefer the black beans. Either way, this is a dinner win.
I love your recipes. Is it possible to put the nutrition facts on the page? I’m counting calories and it would really help.
Yes, I’m actually adding nutrition facts to all recipes. It’s a slower process but all of them should be updated shortly. 🙂
This is a great meal to double and freeze! I even freeze the brown rice in a bag to pull out for a night we are too tired to cook. One time I had some leftover chicken I used and threw that in instead of the beef and my family loved it! My family loves it – and with 2 teens that’s always a win! Thanks for another great recipe, Mel!
Making this for dinner tonight, and I’m excited already. We love Mexican-inspired, tex-mex style meals (and anyone with any logical sense knows you weren’t claiming this to be authentic Mexican cooking)! Your blog is my favorite recipe resource, Mel, and we appreciate all you share with us. 🙂
P.S. Step 4’s directions say to stir in the “back beans” with the corn. Just in case you see this comment and decide you want to edit that. 🙂
Thank you for the catch, Arlene!
One of our favorites! It’s a part of our regular rotation!!
Or if you prepared a batch ahead of time, how would you reheat it? Or have you ever made this using instant pot/pressure cooker or a slow cooker? Glanced at the other comments and didn’t see this mentioned.
I usually reheat on the stovetop in a skillet. I haven’t made it in a pressure cooker or slow cooker.
I am so excited to try this recipe…with 6 kiddos, I’m always looking for simple, yummy, and quick dinners. Thank you!! My friend send me your way, and I’ve already made a list of recipes to try.
Also..,I would LOVE to know what recipe plugin you use. I don’t post a lot of recipes, but I really like the clean lines and ease of use of this one!!! xo
Hi Kierste – I use Mediavine Create plugin (it’s free!)
This recipe is sooo good! It makes a mean taco salad, and adding a little bit of your cowboy caviar on top of it, put it over the top!! Thank you!!
This was delicious! I added right into the sauce a zucchini that I spiralized” and chopped. It was an extra step, but my kids didn’t even notice ( I knew they wouldn’t eat it as a topping).
Also, this is delicious on top of Mac and cheese.
How did I miss this ebook? I want it! I went to purchase it through the link in the original post, but it says it is no longer available to purchase. Is it still possible for me to buy it? What do I need to do?
Hi Hillary – it’s no longer for sale. Sorry about that!
Hey Mel! This recipe just popped up on my Facebook feed and I can’t believe I’ve never tried it before! We just finished our family reunion this year, but it’s a great idea for my meal next year. Do you know of any substitutes I can use for the flour?
Yes! You can add cornstarch to the beef broth before mixing the beef broth into the skillet.
This is my new favorite recipe. It was so good and everyone that had it, six of us felt the same way. Thanks for all your good recipes. You are the first place I go when I need something to fix for my family.
Thanks, Vicki!
Hi Mel! For the Mexican haystacks recipe, what kind of white rice do YOU do (and how did you prep your rice)? Would this be good over a cilantro rice or no?
This would be delicious over cilantro lime rice! When I make it, I usually go the easy route and use cooked white jasmine rice or brown rice.
Made this for a nice quick dinner. Enjoyed all around. We wanted it a bit saucier so I added a can of stewed tomatoes as we’re big fans of tomatoes in this house, ground turkey and half the amount of chili powder (cuz were not big on really spicy stuff) but homestly could’ve used more happily but I did not take the extra can of stewed tomatoes into account. Live and learn. This would also make a good taco/burrito filling or topping for nachos!
Made this for a nice quick dinner. Enjoyed all around. We wanted it a bit saucier so I added a can of stewed tomatoes as we’re big fans of tomatoes in this house, ground turkey and half the amount of chili powder (cuz were not big on really spicy stuff) but homestly could’ve used more happily but I did not take the extra can of stewed tomatoes into account. Live and learn. This would also make a good taco/burrito filling or topping for nachos!
Loved this! So hearty and easy. My whole family loved it!
I am the mother of seven children and this meal has been a go -to since it was posted. Mel, you are a blessing…I have used your site for years when making my weekly menus. I have meant so many times to stop and say THANK YOU! You have a gift for creating…and thanks for sharing it!
Jodi
Jodi, that made my day! Thank you so much!
Mel, what do you think about freezing this? Looking for ideas for freezer meals for a friend expecting a baby.
Yes, it freezes great!
Love this recipe! We put it over cornbread– kind of makes it like a Tamale.
I know this is an old post, but wanted to share that we make something similar but call it Mexican stackups… we put it over corn chips (crushed to individual tastes) along with the rice. Chips make everything better for those picky eaters. Also broth, beans, and corn are optional in the sauce and the last 2 may be used as a topping instead.
Perhaps “stackups” is more PC than haystacks? Or not 🙂
First, I LOVE this recipe, second, it never takes me under 30 minutes to make… maybe because I insist on chopping for pepper/corn salsa, tomato salsa, avocados, etc at the same time.
I also added a wonderful addition this time that I think you would like: roasted, cubed sweet potatoes seasoned with a basic pepper/maple pepper blend. Great addition!!
Delicious! Thanks for the suggestion!
Great flavor and easy to make!
Amazing, I love Mexican Haystacks. I tried it. Its delicious. Your recipes are superb. Thanks for sharing.
My family loved this recipe! I didn’t use chili powder because I was worried it might be too spicy for my 4 year old and still came out delicious!
Fast, easy, nutritious, and super tasty. Love it over brown rice. Thanks, Mel!
I am making this tonight with Morningstar Farms vege crumbles. I followed the first part of the package directions and let the crumbles cook, covered, with water. Then I proceeded as per your recipe
I added the flour to a bit of the beef both in the emptied tomato can and stirred it up so there wouldnt. E any lumps
I forgot to add some oil, but I felt it needed diced tomatoes and sliced olives in tge sauce. That did the trick. Makes a LOT of sauce for the two of us.
Hubby is making rice, but it would also be good with curly pasta. Thank you very much. Mist of the “work” was measuring spices.
This was even better the next day. The flavors merged together. Hubby said the recipe is a keeper
Basically, it’s a. Hili on rice combo
Have you ever been to Mexico? Have you ever known a Mexican? Have you ever eaten at a Mexican restaurant?
If your answer to any of those three questions was “yes,” you would know that “haystacks” are neither a recognized Spanish word nor a food item that has ever been part of Mexican cuisine.
I get that Mexicans are totally popular these days, probably because of our willingness to die crossing inhospitable borders and eagerness to work picking the ingredients for your culturally appropriated “haystacks” at wages that make the federal minimum wage look like a king’s ransom. We used to lay low, and were typically avoided unless someone accidentally stumbled upon UniVision on a lonely Saturday night. However, now that America’s president has decided to target us and make us fodder for Fox News’ 24 hour cycle it is difficult for us to escape scrutiny. The last thing we need is for food bloggers to draw more attention to us by attributing our culture to a new brand of food that once only native Hawaiians had to defend against. Can we please start calling food by what it is – rice, beans and corn – rather than what it isn’t – Mexican?
This message is brought to you by Mexicans for Social Justice and Hispanics Opposed to Justin Bieber’s Appropriation of Despacito
French fries aren’t French either. Don’t go out of your way to be a victim and complain about politics. This recipe was delicious. If you feel oppressed, a recipe blog isn’t the place to voice opinions. As a Mexican myself, this recipe name didn’t offend me at all.
You aren’t helping the Mexican cause any.
This made for an amazing dinner and fed my husband for the rest of the week as leftovers for lunches. So good! Definitely adding to regular rotation.
I am going to make this .. This week… and I have been meaning to ask you about broths. I have tried a few .. Some canned, some in cartons and some boullions.. Granules…. and solids that need refrigeration.. And added water. I have yet to find one I absolutely love. So it seems like I’m always trying something different. They all work fine, but since I am out of beef broth and chicken broth and need to shop for some again I thought it was the perfect time to ask for broth recommendations!! I obviously cook regularly from your site.. So it goes without saying that I use a lot of broth … It’s high time I asked what you use most, love most and recommend !!! As always when you recommend …. I listen !
Hey Helen – great question, actually! I can’t say I’m in undying love with the broth I use, but I certainly have no complaints and buy it consistently. For chicken broth, I use the Kirkland brand chicken stock from Costco (it’s low-sodium, which is why most of my recipes are written using low-sodium broth). Before Costco came into my life, I used to consistently use Swanson’s Natural Goodness 33% less sodium. I use that brand (the Swanson’s natural goodness) when I’m buying beef broth/stock – and my caveat is that I always grab Trader Joe’s stock when I’m there, but don’t use it consistently enough to give it a two thumbs up recommendation.
Thanks Mel!! I’m no longer near Costco so I have been buying the Members Mark organic Chicken broth from Sam’s and that has been pretty good, I’m guessing similar to the Costco. It sounds like sticking with the Swanson Natural goodness for beef broth is still my best option….. considering my shopping options! Thanks for your quick reply… and your advice!! I’m looking forward to making this recipe soon!!
Wonderful! Thanks for a fast, delicious meal. The kids ate it all up, and I even forgot the cheese topping.
I have not made the dish yet but will probably make it tomorrow.
It looks delicious, but I would like to know how many calories per serving if you don’t mind.
Thanks!!
I don’t calculate that information, but you can google a calorie calculator online if you want to find out the nutritional info.
Delicious, easy, served with tortilla chips for extra crunch! Thanks for another family staple Mel 🙂
I made this for a family gathering and we loved it. With brown rice and lots of veggies on top it’s a delicious, nutritious meal. We also had cilantro, shredded lettuce and diced bell peppers to put on top and everyone could customize their own. It was nice because I made the sauce in advance then got rice and veggies ready at the last minute. Thanks for another great recipe!
Made a vegetarian version of this last night (replaced the meat with a can of pinto beans) and loved it! It was a hit even without the meat, which for my meat-loving son was a surprise (I guess I can’t say he absolutely loved it, but he said he liked it more than disliked it, which was a win for me!)! So flavorful and yummy! My daughter especially loved and couldn’t stop raving about it! Thanks for the great recipe!
I just made this tonight and -wow- it was soooo good! I haven’t been this excited about a new recipe in a long time 🙂 The meat sauce was incredibly flavorful and had a surprising depth to it — I’m guessing the beef broth really contributed to that. Also, I did not use reduced sodium broth and still added the normal amount of salt called for. It wasn’t overly salty (for me) and I think that contributed as well.
I love the diversity of toppings and how there’s something for everyone to love. My oldest son requested tortillas for next time to make his into a burrito. I think the sauce is thick enough that it could work – looking forward to finding out!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Glad you loved it, Leslie! Thanks for letting me know!
I made this tonight and everyone loved it! I wanted to ask if there is a chili powder that you like to use more than others? I subbed 1.5 tsp of chipolte powder and it was too hot for all my kids, but they liked it anyway. (Which was a complete surprise, because I have a few kids who hate anything with “sauce”) I haven’t loved just using regular McCormick Chili powder recently.
Hi Tarmy, I love the chili powder from Penzey’s spices. It’s my favorite!
Thank you!!
This is such a a great weeknight meal and works wonderfully for large gatherings as well!
This was delicious! My teenager loved it. Also really good with chips.
Made this for supper….OMG. So good. Thanks Mel….this is a keeper.
Glad you loved it, Debbie! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Thank you for posting this recipe from your ebook! It reminded me that I really wanted to buy the book AND help a worthy cause! Last year when you posted it I was a few weeks away from having a baby and my intentions were pushed to the back burner. I bought the book today and look forward to trying the recipes. I think it’s really cool that you use your talents to enrich the lives of others instead of just trying to make money. I try to do that too.
Thanks, Bridget!
I am in the middle of a family reunion in Sandpoint, ID but I snuck out this morning, read your post, bought the ebook and have been looking a recipes for the past hour. This cookbook is exactly what I have been needing! I am so excited to cook my way through all of it, rather than picking and choosing like I would normally do. Thanks for all your hard work and generosity in donating the proceeds. You are a good woman!
Thank you so much, Emily!
Hi Mel, is it still possible to buy the eCookbook? I’ve tried clicking on the “Pay” tab on the page that talks about it and nothing happens. I’d love to buy it and help with your project. Thanks!
Thanks for letting me know that! Yes, you can definitely still purchase it. I think I fixed the issue. If you still have trouble, let me know. https://gum.co/mkcbook
A quick, easy recipe! We used tortillas and I had a super delicious, super messy burrito. I’m thinking I’ll make this sauce (sans corn) for Navajo Tacos!
I have your eCookbook but this is one of the few recipes in it I hadn’t tried yet (I am too busy constantly making your Verde Mexican Lasagna), so I decided to make this yesterday. It was SO easy and very tasty. Definitely a hit.
Delicious. My kids ate seconds last night and my husband took a container of leftovers this morning for his lunch and said, “Oh yay! I am going to have a great lunch to look forward to!”
Tried to share this on Facebook, but it said “page not found”. It was DELISH! Thank you! 🙂
This is one of our faves–although most everything I’ve made from the ecookbook has made it into our regular rotation!
That makes me so happy; thanks, Kim!
It looks amazing and I bet it tastes so delicious! I will make this next weekend as a family dish! Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Mel,
Recipe looks yummy. Going to try soon and thanks for sharing.
Wowsers! We loved this one! My quinoa hating daughter even raved about how good it was, and said this is the only way she will ever eat it.
Thanks Mel!
Wow! High praise, Marci – so happy to hear that!
Looks so good I altered my meal plan at the grocery store and made this tonight for my work lunch meal prep this week. Haven’t eaten the full meal yet but taste testing as I made – this is a great recipe. No rice or corn since I’m trying to cut carbohydrates but extra lettuce and tomato on the side and I am all set!
Thanks for making it so quickly and checking back in to leave a report, Diana!
This looks amazing! Totally adding it to the menu plan next week!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
We eat something like this over tortilla chips and call it Sloppy Nachos. 🙂
Funny story- we love to make your quinoa enchilada skillet and we were piling on all our toppings for like the twentieth time one night and I said “This is like a Hawaiian haystack, we should call them Mexican haystacks!”
Haha, actually, that meal is probably a pretty good “Mexican haystack” option, too!
Gasp! This looks fantastic! I would love it as written. But I have a kiddo with texture issues with ground turkey/beef. Any recommendations for adapting the sauce without the meat?
Love your recipes!!
Hey Trisha, I think you could really just leave the meat out and in place of it use a tablespoon or so of olive oil or butter at the beginning (and add the spices to that). If it were me, I’d blend the flour and broth/tomato sauce together and add it that way so you don’t end up with a bunch of lumps (which isn’t an issue as much if using meat). Does that help a little?
Lentils might be a good substitute.
Yeah, that’s a great idea, Chari!
I’m going to chime late and suggest adding diced roast after you add the spices and everything as Mel suggested. The texture would be different, but you would still have meat. I sometimes fix chili, etc. with diced leftover roasted/baked meat instead of using ground meat which is a bit pricey sometimes.
This, of course, would only work if that isn’t also a problem.
My issue would be with the corn and black beans. But I think I will try it with pintos and just leave the corn out and thicken it with a bit of masa instead of flour.
I love the idea of serving it over rice (which my husband loves) as a Mexican haystack.
I made it without meat. This is what I did-heated a little oil in a skillet and added a can of pinto beans and a can of black beans (drained and rinsed). I heated them through and then added the spice/flour mixture till it was combined and then added the beef broth and tomato sauce till it was thickened. Hope that helps!