We have the Hungry Papa to thank for these adorable Beef and Bean Taco Bites ^[1]. They were tasty because of me, but cute and festive because of him. I always give credit where credit’s due.

Last Saturday night was taco night at our place and we’d run out of shells**. The Hungry Papa went to grab tortilla chips and found the kind shaped like a scoop. He filled the crunchy bowl-shaped chip with the fixings spread across the table—taco beef and beans, cubed avocado, a particularly casual pico de gallo, and cilantro broccoli slaw ^[2]—and, just like that, the Taco Bite came to be.

Tell me you don’t think these are genius?! First off, how cute would they be for a kid’s birthday party? They’re also pretty enough to be an appetizer at a grownup fiesta. (Pin that to your Cinco de Mayo board. Or, um, mine ^[3].) Even better, they make an irresistibly fun family dinner without any more work than a regular taco night. Seriously, what kid is going to say no to these?! It’s dinner in a TORTILLA CHIP. It’s THEIR SIZE.

I dare you to find a child who will resist. I tried. The Hungry Baby is a reluctant eater. In fact, he wasn’t feeling taco night. Until…

Okay, it helped that we’d taken the fiesta outside by this point. (Remember: This all happened after the taco shells were gone. We’d been sitting at the table for a while before taco bite excitement ensued.) But, still. He ate. Even the broccoli slaw that was carefully tucked in the just-his-size bowl.

The Hungry Boy ate, too (of course), but this time without picking through the layered together ingredients to ensure that they met his high standards.

He just popped them in, one after another.

So, yea, I think that these are genius and that you should think they are genius, too. Disagree? Take it outside the fiesta, cuz it’s only good times in here.

Beef and Bean Taco Bites ^[1] on Momtastic (can be adapted for kids 10+ mos)*

*Note: I recommend skiping the taco shell or tortilla chips to share with kids younger than 18 months. For very little eaters, puree beef and bean filling and mix with mashed avocado and, if you like, a little bit of sour cream (or, even better, plain whole milk yogurt). It is safe to share this puree or mash with kids younger than 10+ mos, but I like to hold off on fatty meat like ground beef until 10 months.

**Note: It’s really hard to find crunchy taco shells made without any preservatives. So far, these made by Garden of Eatin ^[4] are the only ones I’ve found. Let us know if you’ve found others!