Taco Bell Enchirtio can be found on the Taco Bell Secret Menu. You can recreate this favorite Taco Bell recipe now with this copycat version.
The enchirito is possibly the most desired ex-menu item at Taco Bell. The enchirito is so good, you might just luck out by straight-up asking the cashier for one, even if it’s not actually on the written menu.
It could be on Taco Bell’s secret menu, and the cashier might even have a button for it. Or, they might just know how to make it and just do it for you. Even if you live far away from a Taco Bell, you can recreate this favorite Taco Bell recipe at home with this copykat version.
The On and Off Enchirito Story
One of the things I love about Taco Bell is the way they come up with new ideas, and the enchirito is a perfect example of their creativity. As the name suggests, it was designed to be a combination of an enchilada and a burrito.
The Taco Bell enchirito made its debut in the 1970s. Then it was advertised as a special corn tortilla filled with ground beef, pinto beans, and onions, and topped with red sauce, cheese, and olives. It was removed from the menu in 1993 and then brought back again with a couple of changes. The corn tortilla was switched to a white wheat tortilla, and they removed the olive slices from the top. This was again excommunicated from the main menu in 2013.
What Makes This CopyKat Enchirito so Special?
This is a tortilla filled with refried beans, ground seasoned beef, and red sauce and topped with cheese and chopped onions. I love to heat these up in the oven and let the cheese brown just a bit.
You won’t want to miss this delicious Taco Bell treat.
The Sauce – I think the sauce really makes the difference in this recipe. The original Taco Bell sauce has good flavor and just the right amount of spice without being overly hot.
You may even want to double the portion of the sauce so you will some on hand to pour over tacos or to use with your other favorite Mexican recipes. I love to use this sauce when I make homemade nachos.
Love Taco Bell? Be sure to check out these recipes
- Fresco Tacos
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap
- Best Taco Bell Breakfast
- Taco Bell Mild Sauce
- Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
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Browse through my Mexican copycat recipes and easy main dish recipes to find delicious meals to make at home.
Taco Bell Enchirito - Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
Beef
- 1 1/2 tablespoons masa harina
- 4 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon beef bouillon powder
- 1 1/3 pounds ground chuck
Sauce
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced onion
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Assembly
- 4 tortillas
- 1 cup refried beans heated
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped white onions
- sliced black olives optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the beef, except for the beef itself, and mix well.
- Crumble the ground chuck into a large skillet (preferably nonstick) and brown, stirring well. Remove from the heat and drain the grease from the beef.
- Return the beef to the pan and stir in the spice mix and 3/4 to 1 cup of water. Simmer uncovered on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until most of the moisture has cooked away. Remove the pan from the heat before the meat is completely dry.
- To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan and mix well. Simmer at a very low temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To assemble the Enchirito, spread 1/4 of the heated refried beans onto a tortilla, followed by 1/4 of the ground beef. Roll up the tortilla and place it seam-side down in an ovenproof dish coated with non-stick spray. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Cover with the prepared sauce, cheese, chopped onions, and black olives, if desired.
- Place the Enchiritos in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
vlf
as I remember them, the chopped onions go *inside* the Enchirito. should be beans then onions (press in with back of spoon) then beef, and rollup in that corn tortilla! I liked that chopped onion pressed into the bean so much that i do that everywhere! Source: me in the seventies monchin’ enchiritos on the daily!
Tony
1. There is something wrong with your video feed, it starts to play the Taco Bell Enchirito video and then moves to a different video.
2. The original enchirito used a corn tortilla.
Other than the flour tortilla this is pretty close
Stephanie Manley
To watch the video, I believe you need to click on ‘Stay’ when it comes up, otherwise you get moved to another video. I think the original had a tortilla that was a mix of both flour and corn. Those style of tortillas are a little harder to find though.
Lara Chandler Chape
Hubby said can sauce would be good. I said no, this recipe looks fantastic. So we made two batches- one with canned sauce, the other with this sauce. Hands down, this is what I remember of the Enchirio, and I bet I ate 100 of them!
I will thin the sauce next time, actually next week when I make it again, I followed the recipe and Taci Bell’s was more thin, but the taste is so true!
Marie
4 and a half teaspoons of chili powder ? Is that right ? Plus along with alllll the other spices seems like an awful lot!
Stephanie Manley
I am sorry if you feel this is a lot, the recipe is correct as written from my side. I would suggest using McCormick’s chili powder, it isn’t spicy, it’s full of flavor.
Annette
Have a question. I made sauce & beef & will assemble & bake tomorrow. The ingredient wording that says “seasoning salt”; does that mean “ season with salt” or is there a special product I don’t know about? Will post again after my family weighs in.
Stephanie Manley
Seasoning salt is a product like Seasonal, or other type of seasoned salt. I hope this helps.
Cassie
Way too many ingredients. This seems to be a problem with copy cat recipes. Maybe it’s needed to mimic the taste, but I’d rather have less ingredients that are easy to remember. (That’s why I don’t watch Rachael Ray… too many ingredients.)
Stephanie Manley
Thank you for letting me know. If you want something super easy, buy a couple of large bottles of Ortega sauce and use that for the sauce, and use your favorite taco seasoning. That would cut down a lot on the ingredients. I am sorry you didn’t like that I tried to shoot for more authentic food over making something easy.
DavidF
Well, if there are too few ingredients, then it won’t taste similar to what you are trying to copy / duplicate. So, it’s important to have enough ingredients where you get the distinct and as-close-as-possible taste to the original. To me / us, we don’t mind a list of ingredients, because it sure won’t taste bland and might teach us a thing or two — as we learn from expert chefs like Ms. Copykat.
Thanks, Stephanie, for each and every recipe. We do learn from your experience.
Laura
Thank you for this recipe! My husband really missed Taco Bell Enchirtio’s and he said this was really good. Easy to make and the sauce is delicious. Will definitely be a staple for us!
Roberta Rose
I made this before, for my husband, I used taco flavored beef, small corn tostada, jalapeno Velveeta cheese, melted, w/diced tomato and onion, he loved it !!!! Of course a large burrito tortilla.
Deb
Loved & missed Enchiritos
Violet R. Hubbs
Put back on the menu !!!
Roderick Levingston
The amount of ground beef you used was never mentioned. Should I assume a pound and have you ever tried it with ground turkey?
Stephanie Manley
I mentioned 1 1/3 pounds of ground chuck, I have not tried it with ground turkey, I am not that fond of the texture of ground turkey.
Nancy Malig
Um, it’s in the ingredients list…1-1/3 ground chuck. Sure it’ll work with ground turkey, chicken, pork, ostrich, buffalo–customize it any way you want.
Dan
Made this a few times and love it. I believe it even better than the original.
Sherry
I am making this tonight…can’t wait! Why couldn’t you just get bean burritos at taco bell open them up and put the meat mixture and onions in it. Wrap up and pour the sauce over it, add onions ,cheese and olives on top? Let ya know if it works
Stephanie
That should work.
Nancy Malig
Red sauce used on the food in their kitchen is NOT the same as taco sauce in the packets. Red sauce is milder and has a fuller texture and taste. It’s called enchilada sauce.
Betty
I just made your sausage. It was great, thank you for all your hard work. It’s easy to get one from Taco bell. order bean burrito, have them add beef to it, and order a side of their red sauce that they use in the burrito. Viola you have your self and enchirito
Keiffer
Can you use taco bell seasoning packet for the beef as a shortcut ?
Stephanie
Yes, you can.