Tortilla scoops, filled with a blend of bacon with Rotel diced tomatoes, mayonnaise and cheese and topped with taco sauce and more cheese, then baked, for a great party appetizer!
Cheesy Bacon Rotel Cup Appetizers
Football season is king around this house with my husband, aka The Cajun. He loves the game, so I'm always looking for a good appetizer to snack on when it comes to game time, and this is a great one.
Typically made using phyllo cups, those can be a little hard to find around here for some reason. One day when I was adding my standard tortilla chips to the grocery list, I was reminded about the tortilla scoops. I thought hey, I bet those would work for those little snacks I like to make.
Turns out, somebody had already thought of that, so I made the adjustment and frankly, it worked out well!
Just a quick reminder.... if you aren't interested in the chit chat, info, photos, tips and such on a blog, as always, you'll find the complete recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Here's what you need to make these Cheesy Bacon Rotel Cup Appetizers:
- Tortilla chip cups (like Tostitos scoops) about 30 pieces (or substitute phyllo cups)
- 1/2 cup chopped, cooked bacon (about 8 slices)
- 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (like Rotel), well drained
- 1 cup real mayonnaise
- 1-1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided
- Taco sauce
- Spinach and artichoke dip
- Brie with raspberry jam or cranberry
- Goat cheese with fig preserves
- Cream cheese and pepper jelly or bacon jam
- Sausage and cheese
- Pimento cheese
- Jalapeno popper filling
- Ground beef cooked with onions and cheese
- Sausage and mushrooms
- Pizza dips
- Buffalo chicken dip
- Chicken salad
- Caramelized onion and gruyere
- Crab salad
- Shrimp salad with cream cheese
- Hot crab dip with cream cheese
- Tex-Mex taco filling
Here's how to make these Cheesy Bacon Rotel Cups.
Cook bacon to crisp, remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. When cool enough to handle, chop. I had some already cooked bacon in the freezer so that's what I'm using here. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Drain the diced tomatoes well.
Mix together the bacon with the Rotel, mayonnaise and 1 cup of the cheese until well combined. I'm using a pre-shredded Mexican blend cheese here.
As noted, I'm using the tortilla scoops (like Tostitos brand) but the phyllo cups work great if you can get hold of them easily. Arrange them on your pan. I'm using the baking function on my air fryer so I thought I'd also go ahead and use those trays.
Fill each shell with a portion of the filling mixture.
I don't usually buy taco sauce because, well, I've almost always got some of these hanging around. Hey... don't look at me like that! Yes, I happen to enjoy some Taco Bell from time to time and besides, I bet you have some of these too, right?
Anyway, whether you use those or a bottle of taco sauce, top each of the cups with about 1 teaspoon taco sauce.
You may remember this cheese from the Sheet Pan Beef Enchilada Casserole I shared recently. I still had some left, so that's what I decided to use on the top.
Add a pinch on top of each appetizer.
Bake for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Transfer to platter and pass around right away.
For more of my favorite appetizers, check out my Pinterest board!
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