Southwest Egg Rolls

When I am looking for new recipe inspiration I have a few different sources that I go to. More recently, I have purchased a couple of different cookbooks. And then, of course, there is Pinterest!

That is where the idea for today's post originally came from... Nutritious Eats' post for Southwestern Egg Rolls. But I decided to do mine a bit differently, mostly based on what I already had around for spices and veggie options.

When I first started digging for ideas I was looking for something that was on the healthier side, and for something totally different from what I've gotten into the habit of making. I don't know about you, but I can honestly say I've never made egg rolls of any kind before!

While I would typically associate egg rolls with being a side dish, I wanted to try to make them the main part of our meal. So I filled them with ground beef and veggies, and then baked them (as a healthier alternative to frying them).

While I thought these were good, there are definitely a few changes I would make to them for next time. I think most important would be adding more veggies (peppers, mushrooms, jalapeno, corn). I found these to be pretty meat-heavy, which some people may not mind, but it made them a little less of a well-rounded meal in my personal opinion. I enjoyed them crunchy, but Scott mentioned that he would like them a little less crunchy next time.

Overall, I would say they were a success, but not to the extent that they will make it onto the rotation (that's how you know when something is a REAL success!).

If you're interested in trying, here is what I did. Feel free to change up as you see fit!

Southwest Egg Rolls
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 package of egg rolls
1/2 red onion
2 handfulls of spinach
1 cup of grated cheese
1 package of taco seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375F.
2. In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef. Add onions early on to allow them to cook as well.
3. Once the meat is browned, add the taco seasoning with a bit of water to make it saucy.
4. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
5. Put a spoonful of the meat mixture and a sprinkle of cheese onto the egg roll and roll up like a taco.
6. Place egg rolls seam-side down on a greased cookie sheet. Brush the tops with a little bit of olive oil.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes (or until desired crispiness), flipping halfway through. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Hope you enjoy! Coming up next... Greek Turkey Burgers with homemade Tzatziki Sauce!

Until next time...

D.