42 Easy Mexican Dinners

Rethink the shrimp taco by using cooked shrimp and serving them as a quick tostada. They make a great no-cook appetizer or, if you eat a few, a fun dinner option.

Recipe: Shrimp “Ceviche” Tostadas

Your typical vegetarian enchiladas are mostly cheese. That’s not the case with this version, loaded with fresh spinach, corn, and two types of beans.

Recipe: Vegetable Enchiladas

Popular in Mexico City and the state of Puebla, the spicy, smoky-sweet chipotle chile sauce called tinga transforms plain chicken into something addictive.

Recipe: Chicken Tinga Tostaditas

Carne asada is a simple dish, but a well-balanced marinade and the right cut can make it memorable. Here we use easy-to-find skirt steak and a marinade combining orange and lime juices.

Recipe: Carne Asada con Mojo

These decadent enchiladas are named "Swiss" because of all the cream and cheese they contain.

Recipe: Enchiladas Suizas

These nacho bowls include chicken in a spicy sauce, tortilla chips, lettuce, and a squeeze of lime.

Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Nacho Bowls

A puréed salsa made with roasted pumpkin seeds helps give this posole a rich flavor and chowderlike texture.

Recipe: Creamy Pumpkin Seed and Green Chile Posole

What's better than a shrimp quesadilla? One that has bacon, too.

Get the recipe: Shrimp and Bacon Quesadillas

These tacos are deceptively easy to make. While the dish is a great party hors d'oeuvre, you can eat several and call it a meal.

Recipe: Street-Snack Tacos Verdes

These burritos have all the flavor of fajitas in an easy-to-eat wrap. Best of all, the meal comes together in 35 minutes.

Recipe: Chicken Fajita Burritos with Feta Crema

Smothered in a smoky sauce and studded with crunchy almonds and olives, these enchiladas are a fun twist on a classic favorite.

Recipe: Acapulco Enchiladas

Sweet crab in crunchy taco shells makes for a speedy weeknight dinner.

Recipe: Crab Tacos

Tangy, a little salty, and not too sweet.

Recipe: Margarita Chicken Wings

We took the flavors of a Western classic, Mexican rotisserie chicken, and put them in a brine to produce a succulent texture and meat infused with complex seasonings in addition to salt. Serve with corn or flour tortillas, cilantro sprigs, lime wedges, and chopped white onion.

Recipe: Mexican Tropical Chile Roast Chicken

This dish, using canned hominy, takes a fraction of the time needed for regular posole. Serve with warm corn tortillas.

Recipe: Spicy Chicken Posole with Avocado and Lime

The flavorful bean soup gets a fresh touch with a little salad for garnish.

Recipe: Black Bean Soup with Avocado, Orange, and Cucumber

Enjoy our quicker adaptation of the amazing beef and bean burrito recipe from La Calle Asadero in Oakland.

Recipe: Burrito de La Calle

Jeff Smedstad, chef-owner of Elote Cafe ($$; closed Sun; elotecafe.com) in Sedona, Arizona, learned the secrets to great adobos (a type of chile-rich sauce) in the markets of central Mexico. This lamb dish is adapted from one in his book, Elote Cafe Cookbook (Elote Cafe Publishing; $30).

Recipe: Lamb Shanks Adobo

This low-cal, tangy dish is based on a recipe in Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless.

Recipe: Chicken Escabeche with Cilantro Black Beans

San Francisco's Tacolicious ($$; tacolicioussf.com) serves this braised pork in tacos, but owner Joe Hargrave also makes it at home as a fall stew. The chiles fall apart as the dish cooks, giving the meat a mellow, earthy spiciness.

Recipe: Shot-and-a-Beer Pork Stew

This recipe is adapted from one in Amor y Tacos (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, May 2010; $19) by San Diego–based chef Deborah Schneider.

Recipe: Cola Shredded Beef Tacos

We like to think of tostadas as salads with extra crunch. This version is topped with flaky halibut and a light and tangy dressing, making it a perfect healthy weeknight dinner.

Recipe: Halibut Tostadas with Yogurt-Lime Sauce

Grilling quesadillas makes dinner a cinch to clean up. Storebought rotisserie chicken makes this cheesy favorite even faster.

Recipe: Grilled Chipotle-Chicken Quesadillas

Everyone can have this dinner in a bowl just how they like it. Serve the condiments on the side for a casual evening party.

Recipe: Tortilla Soup

This tortilla tower is a show-stopper: dramatic, delicious, and oozing with melty cheese. Though the sauce tastes complex, it's made with canned chile sauce embellished with sweet spices, raisins, pine nuts, and smoky chipotle chiles.

Recipe: Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

Crowd-pleasing nachos are a great weeknight meal when piled high with spicy chorizo, jalapenos, and creamy guacamole.

Recipe: Chorizo-Beef Nachos

Look no further for the ultimate fish taco: This is the one you’ve been looking for. These fast and fresh SoCal classics are served with a crisp cabbage-cilantro slaw and an an addictive chipotle tartar sauce.

Recipe: Baja Fried-Fish Tacos

Grilled instead of deep-fried, and with a trimmed-down tartar sauce.

Special touch: Light Chipotle Tartar Sauce

• 2 tablespoons canned chipotle chiles, seeded, deveined, and rinsed
• 8 ounces (1 cup) plain low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
• 1/4 cup chopped onion

Preparation: Purée all ingredients in a blender. Chill until used.

Recipe: Baja Light Fish Tacos

Full of tender chunks of roasted chicken, these spicy enchiladas are the real deal, topped with a green-chile sauce that’s got some kick. (For a milder salsa, use Anaheim chiles.) And don’t forget the luscious coat of melty jack cheese.

Recipe: Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

One bite and you won't want to go back to fast-food, especially after you realize how simple these classic crispy tacos are to make. Our version is perked up with a refreshing tomato-cucumber salsa.

Recipe: Crisp Chicken Tacos (Tacos de Pollo)

These crisp and refreshing tostadas are topped with quickly pickled onions and a refreshing cabbage slaw. Make them with leftover roast chicken or turkey for a quick weeknight meal.

Recipe: Yucatecan Tostadas

Bottled salsa and leftover roasted chicken or turkey make these enchiladas a weeknight snap. Serve with a shredded cabbage salad dressed with lime juice and cumin for a fresh, crunchy side.

Recipe: Turkey Enchiladas with Sour Cream

Skirt steak cooks up super-quickly over high heat to produce a nicely browned crust ― slices of steak are especially good when marinated overnight in a tangy sauce. Serve these fajita-style with all your favorite condiments.

Recipe: Grilled Skirt Steak (Arracheras)

Buttery shrimp and melt-in-your-mouth onions are all these simple tacos need. Cook the veggies ahead of time, and you’ll need less than 10 minutes to cook the shrimp, tortillas, and put the tacos together.

Recipe: Garlicky Shrimp-Cilantro Tacos (Tacos de Camarones al Mojo de Ajo)

This Mexican-inspired version of the Cobb salad is served with a refreshing orange crema dressing. Serve it with your favorite tortilla chips.

Recipe: Mexican Chopped Salad with Orange Cream

Along the Yucatán coast in Mexico, cooks often marinate oily fish like mackerel with citrus and achiote paste, made with annatto, garlic, herbs, spices, and vinegar.

Recipe: Grilled Sardine Tacos with Achiote, Lime, and Pineapple Salsa

Fideos are much loved in Mexico, where the short lengths of noodles form the basis of thick, delicious soups. This warm one-pot meal is a perfect pick-me-up on a cool night.

Recipe: Shrimp, Ancho Chile, and Pasta Soup (Sopa seca de Camarones y Fideos)

An easy, creamy tomatillo salsa tops this simple baked fish dish. Try using the salsa with other types of fish too ― or chicken. Or a corn chip. Or just eat it with a spoon.

Recipe: Halibut Baked in Fresh Green Salsa

We jazzed up this stand-by with lots of garlic, chiles, onions, corn, and tomatoes for an extra flavor punch.

Recipe: Chicken with Rice (Arroz con Pollo)

A chile-rubbed bird cooked on the grill and served with mole gravy makes for a richly seasoned dinner.

Recipe: Chile and Spice Grilled Turkey and Mole Gravy

Traditionally, this gently seasoned soup, called sopa de albondigas, is made with beef. This lighter version substitues ground turkey for the beef and adds fresh oregano.

Recipe: Meatball Vegetable Soup

At Ceviche House, located about 7 miles from San Diego's Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, chef Juan Carlos Récamier serves a dozen different ceviches, many of them with fish from the market. This one uses lime juice to “cook” the fish and give it a lively, fresh flavor.

Recipe: Rockfish Ceviche Tostadas