Fiesta Bites

By Stephanie Heitmeier
@sheitmeier

This is a real crowd pleasing appetizer! Great served hot right out of the oven or even room temperature but they wont last that long!

Rating:

★★★★★ 3 votes

Comments:

13 Comments

Serves:

Prep:

20 Min

Cook:

20 Min

Method:

Bake

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Notes from the Test Kitchen:
This is a great little appetizer with a Southwestern flair. The crisp fillo cups are the perfect vessel for the creamy filling. With a little bit of spice from the Rotel and chilies, and a touch of smoke from the bacon, these are perfect to munch on during a football game or if you're having friends over for game night.

Note: We definitely had filling leftover. You probably have enough filling to fill 4 boxes of fillo cups.

Ingredients

1 can(s): mild Rotel (drained of juices)
1 can(s): Ortega chopped green chilis (small can)
1 c: mayonnaise
1/2 c: whipped cream cheese
2.8 oz: bacon bits
1/4 c: grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz: shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 tsp: dry ranch dressing mix
1 tsp: dry chili powder
2 Tbsp: minced fresh cilantro
3 box: Athens mini fillo shells

How to Make Fiesta Bites

Step-by-Step

1You'll need a mixing bowl. Drain your can of Rotel really well.
2Then mix all ingredients (except shells) together in your bowl. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3Place each tart on a cookie sheet....you should have 45 tarts shells. Fill each tart to the top with cheese mixture. Its about 3/4 tsp of filling.
4Bake for 20 minutes till nice and bubbly.
5You may have some cheese mixture left over....makes great grilled cheese! I probably could have filled another 15 shells but I didn't want to make that much.
6If you like things spicy then use a can of hot Rotel and add a dash of hot sauce yum!
**** I can find the shells at Walmart and my local grocery store in the freezer section next to the pie dough and Cool Whip :)