Mexican-Inspired Recipes

Use a 13-inch round serving plate with a rim to accommodate the caramel. Martha made this recipe on "Martha Bakes" episode 711.

Dark chocolate and spices add richness to the Mexican chile sauce called mole (MOH-lay). Simmer it in a slow cooker along with chicken thighs for a warming weeknight dinner.

If you order a bowl of authentic Mexican chile verde in the Southwest, you'll find hunks of juicy, tender pork shoulder that have been braised for hours in a tart tomatillo-chile sauce. While the original is worthy of a special weekend project, we wanted a recipe that we could make on any lazy Sunday and still be delicious. By using storebought ingredients that bring maximum flavor with the minimal amount of fuss, we created a hearty and warming chile verde that is practically hands-off. In a rush? Try the pressure-cooker version of this recipe, instead.

Use these super-simple taco shells for Sarah's Tacos.

This is a quick and easy protein-packed side dish.

The bold flavors of saffron, bay leaves, and garlic infuse Valencia rice, a Spanish variety perfect for slow-cooked dishes and the traditional base for paella. Here, the grains are cooked up with golden-brown chicken thighs and garnished with pimiento-stuffed olives. Saffron gives the rice its warm yellow hue.

This sauce is an accompaniment to chef Zarela Martinez's Red Snapper Veracruz-style recipe.

These soft tacos use lean ground sirloin and low-fat corn tortillas as sensible substitutions. Skip the sour cream and guacamole -- opt for a fiery salsa instead.

This Mexican favorite makes a festive dish for a Cinco de Mayo party or a fun family dinner.

Cool, buttery avocado makes a soothing salsa -- a palate-pleasing contrast to spicy meats, such as these cayenne-rubbed chicken breasts.

Based on a Mexican classic, this recipe can be made as mild or as spicy as you like. Serve with plain white rice; stir in some chopped cilantro for added flavor.

A cemita is a Mexican sandwich that hails from Puebla, Mexico. A popular street-food, its name comes from the specific type of soft, sesame-flecked roll that encases a wide variety of fillings. This vegetarian version has you bake slices of panko-coated sweet potato until golden and crisp, then sandwich them in a toasted bun (with plenty of fresh and flavorful fixings inbetween).

Beef tacos are fun to put together and delicious to eat. Fill the tortillas with lettuce and beef, then each person can add his or her favorite toppings.

Martha takes tres leches cake to the next level by adding yet another milk. The vanilla-flecked batter is enriched with milk powder, whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Finish with whipped cream and your favorite fruit.

The chipotle chiles in this stovetop casserole lend an earthy, subtle heat to the dish. This make-ahead meal is perfect for dinner on a cool fall night.

Simple cheese enchiladas are the perfect vehicle to show off a mouthwatering sauce. Try this bright green sauce on our Cheese Enchilada Casserole.

A good margarita depends on the qualityof its ingredients; always use the best tequilayou can find. You'll get excellent results usinga citrus reamer, a small, fluted cylindricalwooden tool, to extract every last drop of juicefrom the limes.

This is a fresher take on esquites, Mexican street corn cups. Individual cups work well for entertaining, but the corn salad can also be made in a large serving bowl.

A quesadilla is a tortilla typically filled with beans and shredded cheese then folded before being toasted or fried. Our version features cheese and cooked vegetables. Sour cream, shredded lettuce, sliced avocado, and bottled salsa make great accompaniments to quesadillas, so serve them on the side.

Take taco night to the next level with this weeknight spin on cheesy, crunchy flautas. After stuffing them with a smoky, spicy ground chicken-chipotle mixture, we skipped the traditional pan-frying route in favor of letting them crisp-up in the oven.

For an authentic touch, use fresh Mexican cheese (queso fresco) or aged (queso anejo) in place of feta.

For your next batch of rice and beans, punch up both the flavor and the nutrition by adding sliced mushrooms for antioxidants, bell pepper for vitamin C, scrambled eggs for extra protein, and creamy avocado for healthy fats. 

A one-skillet dinner, this vegetable-packed take on Swiss enchiladas makes a delicious and slightly decadent dinner. Crema and cheese are the "Swiss" parts which top layers of poblano peppers, red onion, and zucchini with soft corn tortillas dipped in green salsa and all baked to perfection.

These healthy tacos are easy to prepare and filled with flavorful cilantro.