DIY Beefy Crunch Burritos
I don’t usually eat fast food. In fact, it pretty much grosses me out. But…BUT…the commercials often whet my appetite, particularly Taco Bell’s new Beefy Crunch Burrito. Flamin’ Hot Fritos on a burrito? Yes, please! I mean, LOOK AT IT! Who wouldn’t want that in their mouth? Don’t be ashamed…it’s okay to think dirty thoughts.
Stephen Colbert emphatically stated on the The Colbert Report last week that the Beefy Crunch Burrito was “all that and a bag of chips…in that it contains a bag of chips. Their bright orange color warns you: Massive Flavor Ahead.” (Watch the segment here.)
According to Taco Bell’s website, this already infamous taste sensation contains “layers of seasoned ground beef, rice, warm nacho cheese sauce, reduced fat sour cream and Flamin’ Hot Fritos wrapped in a warm, flour tortilla.” Ok, so, my first thought was “reduced fat sour cream”? Really? Is that necessary here? Apparently, it is….because these burritos are healthy. Right? Right.
Still, I’m not desperate enough to actually eat at Taco Bell, especially after last week’s news that its beef filling is actually less than 35% beef. Filler ingredients aside, one Beefy Crunch Burrito contains 510 calories, 22 grams of fat, and 1250 grams of sodium. Wait…that doesn’t sound so healthy!
But, MAN, I still wanted that burrito…as I am a big fan of delicious crunchy additions to my food. So, I recreated the Beefy Crunch Burrito at home instead. There was one problem…I couldn’t find Flamin’ Hot Fritos anywhere. I’m guessing that The Bell has cornered the market on those at the moment. I settled for Flamin’ Hot Lays potato chips…which, by the way, have “0 trans fat,” are a “good source” of Vitamin C and Potassium, & are “porcine free” according to Frito Lay. See? Healthy.
Having not eaten any of the Flamin’ Hot products before, I was a bit taken aback by the unnaturally bright red coating. Jerad tried to warn me that these things are HOT, but I would not be deterred. I loaded a warm flour tortilla with ground sirloin that I cooked with onions & seasoned with low-sodium taco seasoning mix. I topped it with Mexican rice, jalapeno cheese sauce, full-fat sour cream (Watch out, I’m dangerous!), and a generous layer of those fiery red chips.
And…it was delicious.
I just might have to recreate Burger King’s Stuffed Steakhouse burger next…
Food Blog Mafia 
Yum! I rarely eat fast food anymore but like most Americans I can be tempted by the commercials (except Hardees, for some reason their commercials make me want to chuck). The nice thing is that even if you make a recipe like this with full sour cream it’s still gonna be way more healthy than anything you get south of the border, fo sho. I’m gonna try it!
I still have never seen those chips, but they look like what you described 🙂 Your recreation sounds better than the original!
I rarely eat fast food, although the salads at McDonalds aren’t to bad. Taco Bell on the other hand just does not get along with my stomach.
Mix in the recent controversy about their “meat” and I will pass.
Just a hint. Anytime you need flamin hot anything, go to the ghetto. Or a close approximation, like downtown Granite City. Flamin hot Old Vienna, Cheetos, Fritos, etc.