Mexican Crunchwrap Supreme, My Way

Taco Bell has this thing they call a Crunchwrap Supreme. It’s sort of like a tostada, with Nacho cheese sauce, wrapped in a tortilla, then “toasted” in a pan. It’s really a pretty good idea, but I’ve never actually tried one. Because whenever I saw one, I always thought, “I would have done it a little differently.”

So when Happy Little Tomato posted a Crunchwrap Supreme recipe, I thought, “hey, I could do that” … and then wondered, “hey, why haven’t I?”

And so, I did. Twice now. The first time with taco meat, and then the second time I made a vegetarian version. Both were delicious, and I’m certain they were WAY more nutritious than Taco Bell’s version.

So this is my thinking. It needs refried beans. And more vegies, especially jalapenos. I left out the “nacho cheese” sauce. How about if we just use REAL cheese? Yeah. Let’s do that. And why would you put lettuce INSIDE the crunchwrap? Then it’s gonna get cooked … ew. Let’s keep the lettuce on the outside, along with the salsa. Now you’re talkin’ …

Mexican Crunchwrap Supreme, My Way

Adapted from Happy Little Tomato

• Large, burrito-sized tortillas or “wraps” (I used some uber-healthy whole wheat, high-fiber ones.)
• Refried beans
• Taco meat (optional … I included it on one, but not on the other, and I really couldn’t much tell the difference)
• Chopped onion, green onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, tomato or other favorite “taco-style” vegies (maybe some corn?)
• Tostado or taco shells or crushed tortilla chips (I found a whole grain taco shell I really like that I used here …)
• Shredded sharp cheddar or mexican blend of cheeses
• Condiments: salsa, lettuce, and greek yogurt

Directions:

Warm up your refried beans (and taco meat, if you’re using it). I just put them together in a little bowl and microwaved them.

Spread some of that hot bean mixture in the middle of your gargantuan tortilla. Top with some cheese. Put it in the microwave and melt it a bit if you want.

Now top that with a bunch of your vegies of choice. I used onion, jalapeno, and bell pepper. Then top that with some tortilla chips or a tostada shell, or, like I did here, you can take a taco shell and break it in half.

At this point, you can add more vegies and a little more cheese if you want. Then you bend up the edges, sort of origami style, like this. I had to break the edges of my taco shell a bit to get it to fold nicely.

Now heat up a skillet pan to medium heat and spray it with cooking spray. Set your crunchwrap in the hot pan. You might get a little tired of holding those folds in place (I did!) …

So I covered it with a flat lid from one of my saucepans:

Test the bottom of the crunchwrap by lifting it a little with a spatula and when it is golden brown, use a spatula to flip it over and “toast” the other side.

When it’s nice and brown and toasty on the other side, it’s ready! I served mine on a bed of lettuce, with a bit of salsa and greek yogurt on top.

This recipe was shared with Katherine Martinelli’s Pepper Blog Hop, Recipe of the Week: Hot & Spicy Recipes,  Tastetastic Thursdays and Trick or Treat Tuesdays and Fit & Fabulous Fridays.