How to Make Tortilla Bowls
Ingredients
For Mini Tortilla Bowls:
- 8 8-inch flour tortillas
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 8 oven-safe ramekins, about 3 to 4 inches in diameter
- Aluminum foil
For Large Tortilla Bowls:
- 4 extra large flour tortillas, 10 – 12-inches
- 4 tbsp. vegetable oil
Instructions
To prepare the mini tortilla bowls:
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F; brush both sides of tortilla with oil.
- Invert ramekin on a work surface; center tortilla on the bottom of the ramekin.
- Gently shape the tortilla down around the sides.
- Place a double layer of aluminum foil over the tortilla and press to form the bowl around the ramekin.
- Place right side up on a baking sheet and leave about 1/2-inch of the edge of the tortilla above the foil so it gets browned and crispy when you bake it; repeat with the other tortillas.
- Place baking sheet in pre-heated oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove sheet from oven and use tongs to carefully remove the ramekins from inside the shells.
- Transfer sheet back to the oven; bake shells until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Remove baking sheet from oven; carefully remove foil from around the shells; reserve the foil.
- Flatten foil sheets and invert shells on them; bring foil up just around the bottom of the shells to protect the top edge.
- Transfer sheet back to the oven; bake until browned and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove sheet from oven and invert the shells once again so they are right side up.
- Place on foil and transfer sheet back to oven for the final crisping, 3 to 5 minutes; watch them carefully so they don't burn.
- Remove sheet from oven; transfer tortilla bowls to a rack to cool completely.
To prepare the large tortilla bowls:
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- Set 4 oven-safe bowls on a large rimmed baking sheet.
- Using a 12 to 14-inch iron skillet, over medium heat, pour 1 tbsp. oil into the bottom of skillet.
- Once hot, place the tortilla in the skillet; use tongs to swirl the tortilla to coat it in oil, flip it over, and swirl it again.
- It should be coated in oil, on both sides, right away.
- Pan-fry the tortilla for 30 to 45 seconds per side, allowing it to puff up with large bubbles; the bigger the bubbles the better; flip and repeat.
- Make sure the tortilla isn't turning dark; it should be golden-brown.
- Use tongs to move the tortilla to one of the cereal bowls.
- Tuck it down into the bottom of the bowl, to create a bowl shape with the tortilla.
- Take care not to deflate the bubbles; repeat with the remaining three tortillas.
- Once all the tortillas are flash-fried and shaped into bowls, place on a baking sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes until very crispy.
- Remove from oven; transfer tortilla bowls to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
These tortilla bowls can be made ahead and left on the cooling rack, for a few days, until ready to fill and use.
The mini tortilla bowls can be used for serving side dishes of black beans, rice, mini taco salads to compliment an entree, etc.
The large tortilla bowls are generally used for taco salads.
