These super simple Cheesy Taco Sticks are buttery breadsticks filled with taco meat and lots of cheese! Perfect for snacking or watching the big game!
Ever since I made those crazy delicious Cheesy Pizza Sticks, I’ve been dreaming up new flavors to stick inside some pizza dough to make another delicious snack time recipe.
These Cheesy Taco Sticks were the brain child and I’m happy to report – so so good!
I think what I love the most about these taco sticks is that I can use leftover taco meat from our taco dinners.
We always seem to have just enough taco meat leftover and using it in these cheesy breadsticks is the perfect way to repurpose it!
I went ahead and cut the cheese sticks in half for this recipe because I couldn’t seem to fit all of the cheese inside without it oozing out all over. I found that half a stick was a perfect balance of meat, cheese and bread.
I am pretty sure I could survive off of just meat, cheese and bread. Who’s with me?!
I did have a little bit of cheese ooze out on some of the sticks, but there was still plenty of cheesy goodness on the inside to make me weak in the knees.
The cheesy sticks are perfect with a little salsa, sour cream and maybe a few slices of jalapeño.
I wanted to stick some jalapeño inside, but I was worried my kids wouldn’t like the spiciness of it. Next time I make these I am going to make a batch with the jalapeños in it just for me!
Oh yeah, come to mama!
Who’s ready for this reinvented taco night?!
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Cheesy Taco Sticks
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning mix, or homemade taco seasoning
- 1 tube Pillsbury Pizza Dough
- 5 colby jack and cheddar cheese sticks, halved
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Lightly coat a large baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Cook the ground beef in a skillet, breaking up with a wooden spoon until fully browned and crumbled. Drain any fat and return skillet to stove top. Mix in the taco seasoning packet (but no water), and stir until fully coated. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.*
- Spread the pizza dough out until it's flat and cut in half lengthwise and then 4 cuts up and down, creating a total of 10 small rectangles. Place about a tablespoon or more of the taco meat in the center of each pizza dough, top with a halved cheese stick and then carefully roll up the pizza stick, making sure to pinch all seams closed.
- Combine the melted butter, garlic powder and parsley in a small bowl and brush it on the tops of the cheesy taco sticks. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve hot with your favorite taco toppings!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
5 Minute Cheesy Zucchini Rice
Nancy
Just wondering if you can freeze the sticks. I live alone and meal prep.
Anette
These were great! I used the other half of a pizza dough I had left over along with leftover taco meat. Then I had an open package of sliced havarti and put half of a slice on the bottom, then taco meat, then the other half of the slice of cheese on top and swaddled the whole thing into one (more or less) pretty package. Sprinkled with the herb-butter mix as you suggested and we inhaled them. Such a tasty recipe! Thanks much!
William Hardman
These were easy to make and delicious. Wife and I both enjoyed them and will certainly make them again.
Shonda Hall
These are always a quick weeknight meal for us! So delicious! I find that if you put the cheese stick in before the taco meat—you get a lot less cheese spillage.
Kristy
This recipe sucks! It was the most tedious meal I’ve ever made.
You have to get the pizza dough room temperature, flatten it extremely thin to make 10 large squares.
The taco meat goes everywhere when trying to roll which it doesn’t even roll. The cheese sticks aren’t long enough. You have to fold the sides and it is just a hot mess.
Next time I’ll make it into a pizza and cut it into strips and dip it in guacamole, salsa and sour cream.
Wendy
I was thinking of using Pillsbury croissant dough. Have you tried that?
Shawn
The crescent dough is just a little softer and more tender than the pizza dough. I think the pizza dough holds up a little better, but that being said, the crescent dough will still work.
Jim
I did some slight variations on these, but they turned out a winner with my family! I used my normal home made pizza dough. The second modification that I mad was to use shredded cheddar cheese since that’s what I had on hand. They were not cheesy enough that way. Next time, I’ll cut pieces off of a block of cheddar.
On a side note, this type of rolling is easy once you get the technique down. but if you have never done it, place the meat along a long edge, then place your cheese on top. Fold the sides in first, then roll from the back with your thumbs. I keep my pinkies on the sides and the rest of my fingers in the front of the meat and cheese slightly pushing it under.
Shawn
Sounds fantastic! Thanks for your tips too!
Cindy
I finally got around to making these tonight, and my husband and I BOTH love them! I think the next time we make them, and there will definitely be a next time, we will try to use shredded cheese rather than the cheese sticks, and mix it into the meat so that we can shape that into a ‘worm’ of sorts to put into the pastry. And we will give it a try with crescent roll dough to see how that tastes. We served it with some mild salsa I had canned last summer and some smoked tomatiillo salsa that he had made, and a little sour cream. We both had to have seconds! Thanks for the great recipe!
Shawn
That’s so great! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Leslie
Loved these! They were quick, easy and very tasty. Made a double batch so I could add some jalapeños to one batch. My family loved them! The leftovers warmed up well. Thanks for sharing!
Rebecca Rudolph
These are literally the crappiest things ever to make… they take forever to get the dough around the meat and cheese and they will break open in the oven no matter how well you try to close them. Spent 45 minutes prepping this just to have it turn into a hot mess…. just go with tacos……
Shawn
Oh darn! I’m so sorry you struggled with the pizza dough. I’ve made it several times with success, but it does take a little finesse to get the sticks to form properly. I hope you try it again and have better luck!
Crystal Lilly
If I were to use dry dough mix how would I go about making these?
Jessica Faris
I just made these, and my entire family (including 3 picky children) loved them. I read the comments before cooking and let my pizza dough come to room temp, which made the rolling easy. A couple of them leaked, but it wasn’t bad at all. I’ll definitely be making these again and trying some different varieties. Thank you for the recipe!
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed them Jessica!
Kyli
I agree with some of the above comments. They were not easy to make. 1 tub of dough was not enough to wrap around the filling. Disappointed
AMJ
Oh my goodness. Breadsticks AND tacos all in one?? This it’s my dream come true. They taste amaaaaaazing!
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed them!
Kylie
If I were being graded on aesthetics and plating, I got an F. Pinterest FAIL. Haha But delicious none the less!! So, if you’re looking for something your kids and husband will enjoy, MAKE THESE.
I think since I am challenged using the pizza dough I will use crescent dough next!! Lolol
Shawn
Haha, sorry you struggled with the dough, but I’m so glad you all enjoyed them!
Margo
Amazing! Kids and hubby loved them! I added more cheese since that’s a stable in our home! Thanks for the amazing easy recipes!
Shawn
More cheese is always a good idea!
Pamela Herrin
Loved them. They were great, and quick to make.!
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed them Pamela!
Connie
Any tips on working with the pizza
dough? Every time I rolled out it kept
shrinking back. Thanks
Stacey Sopha
Let it sit out and get to room temperature before opening the tube. This makes it much easier to work with.
Shawn
Yes, that’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Natalie
Can I prep these the night or day before and throw them back in the fridge before I bake??
Shawn
Yes, I think that should work just fine.
Deborah A Downs
easy & delicious. I did add mushrooms & gr peppers
Shawn
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed them!
Sandy
Do these freeze well? Thinking about making them in advance for vacation for my 21 month old.
Shawn
Yes! Once baked, let cool and then wrap individually. You can microwave to heat up or pop in an air fryer or toaster oven!
Patrice
I ran across this recipe while looking for fun meals for my granddaughters. The girls helped make them and they were a hit!
Shawn
That’s so great to hear!
May E
Well I totally butchered the appearance of these but they still tasted really good! Both my youngins loved it too!
I’ll for sure be checking out more of your recipes!! Glad I found this on Pinterest
Shawn
They can be a little tricky to roll up some times! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Kathi Brill
If there were 10 stars I would have checked them all! I had a solution for the leftover meat!
So I made them and we all loved them, I started to think what else could I throw in there I’m all thinking about ham and cheese, My Grandkids are going to be so happy I found your recipe! Thanks
Shawn
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them Kathi!
Shawna
Do you think I could make these using a home made dough?
Regular pizza dough?
Shawn
Definitely!
Crissy
OMG! These were so delicious! We raved about them! So delicious! Loved the sticks of colby jack, I added a little water to the taco meat and seasoning cause it looked a little dry! The butter, garlic, and parsley was amazing. My 14 month old and husband loved them. Can’t wait to make them again and again!
Shawn
That’s awesome! I also have a 14 month old, that’s so cool! Glad you enjoyed them!
Mary carley
I made these last night, but instead of using pizza crust I used croissants and they were absolutely delicious!! Will definitely make again
Shawn
Sounds yummy! So glad you enjoyed it!
Tanya
Any tips for rolling them so they look as lovely as yours? Like several others mine looked a bit like cheesey taco bomb blobs, but were yummy and fun all the same. ☺️
Shawn
Let the dough get a little more towards room temperature so it doesn’t want to shrink back on itself. Hope that helps!
Elizabeth Grupa
This is exactly the thought I had!
Vicki Meredith
I love the croissant idea better than pizza crust!
David L
This was so incredibly good and easy. My wife and I came up with at least 6 variations. The grandkids are going to love these.
Recipe was easy. I had problems working with the dough but it all went well.
Thank you for sharing this.
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed them! If you haven’t seen them yet, I do have a Pepperoni Pizza Stick, Pretzel Pizza Stick and Philly Cheesesteak Pizza Stick recipe too! 🙂
Angel
These are AMAZING!!!! thank you so much for the recipe.. ☺️
Patty
Yum! But how many calories? I can’t quit!
Shawn
The nutrition info is listed just below the written recipe! Enjoy!
Geena
The only thing I added was rotel in with the meat and OMG YES. I CAN’T STOP EATING THEM
Shawn
Haha! So glad you like them! Thanks for your comment!
Adele Aiken
What other combinations have you tried?? Have you tried just plain cheese to serve with tomato soup? I wonder if a plain cheese would still only need half of the cheese stick?
Shawn
Hi Adele, The possibilities are endless! Among my favorites are The Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Sticks and the Philly Cheese Steak Pizza Sticks (also on my site 🙂 ) Plain cheese is great. You could use a whole stick of cheese, just be prepared for some “cheese ooze” during baking.
karen
I have grandkids who LOVE any and all vegetables. I want to do these using chopped brocolli and mushrooms ect. Will shredded cheese do fine versus the string type cheese? Oh and Ruby? that comment was for sure, tasteless.. Sorry you are such a great “inventor” of good food.. (NOT!! )but these look FUN for all the rest of us. So please enjoy watching us all do a happy dance eating all of ours..
Shawn
Hey Karen, you could definitely use shredded cheese instead of the string cheese. The veggie idea sounds great!
Janice Tedford
I wonder how this would work with crescent dough
Shawn
It’ll work great! Just make sure you cook them long enough so the dough is cooked through.
Lanie
O would like to take these to a bible study. Could I make keep them warm in a casserole crock pot? What would you suggest?
Wendy Hampton
So easy! Great for a snack or as an entree. However, did you think of it! I will be sharing this with my brother and all my sisters! They are going to love this!
Kay
Do you think these could be prepped and froze? Or do you think think I should bake and freeze?
Shawn
If you prepared these ahead of time, I would make the full recipe, bake them, cool them, then wrap and freeze. You can reheat them by baking at 350 until warm throughout, or pop them in the toaster oven!
Chelsea
Going to try these tonight with my two boys. Will add sides of black beans and rice to make it a complete meal. They are sure to love these. Thank you for the idea! 🙂