You have probably noticed by now how much we love our Mexican dishes. Unfortauntely, not many Mexican dishes are very healthy. We love chimichangas and decided to make these ones a little healthier by baking instead of frying them.
Chimichanga VS. Burrito
We get asked all the time what the difference between a chimichanga and a burrito is, and why these “baked” chimichangas are such a great option.
A burrito is typically filling wrapped in a flour tortilla. A chimichanga is a popular Tex-Mex dish consisting of toppings wrapped in a flour tortilla, just like a burrito, and then deep fried.
These baked chimichangas are such a great option if you’re cutting back on calories or fats because you’re not frying them in oil, but rather baking them in the oven.
How to make the chimichanga filling
First we start by preparing the filling. We used a lean ground beef (96% lean / 4% fat) and browned it with a diced yellow onion.
We then added in a can of refried beans. You could also use our Easy Homemade Refried Beans (they are a family favorite!).
If you do use canned refried beans, try to find a low-sodium option. This dish doesn’t need any of the extra sodium.
The next ingredient to making this flavorful filling is a Mexican cooking sauce (which is basically a thin tomato sauce with Mexican seasonings). If you can’t find this cooking sauce at the store, any taco sauce will do.
Once it is warmed all the way through, it’s ready to go!
How to make a crispy baked chimichanga
In a large tortilla, place a spoonful of the beef and bean filling in the middle. Sprinkle some cheese on top, then roll it up, tucking in the sides so that the filling doesn’t fall out.
Place the chimichanga on a large baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, making sure that the seams of the chimichanga are facing down.
Using a pastry brush, spread a little melted butter on each chimichanga. This is what will make each chimichanga crispy, even though you are baking it in the oven.
If you are wanting to cut back on calories, you could spray each chimichanga with some butter-flavored cooking spray and it will give you a similar crispy outcome.
Healthy swaps
If you are wanting to change it up even more, these would be awesome with ground turkey or whole wheat tortillas for an even healthier option.
You can switch up the beans for any kind you want (black beans are also delicious!).
The best toppings:
- guacamole
- salsa
- lettuce
- tomatoes
- cheese
- sour cream
- black olives
- jalapenos
- green onions
Delicious mexican side dishes:
Baked Beef and Bean Chimichangas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ onion chopped
- 16 ounces refried beans 1 can
- 8 ounces Mexican cooking sauce 1 bottle, (or taco sauce - I like to use Chile and Roasted Garlic from Old El Paso)
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 8 flour tortillas (10 inch)
- 1 Tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the onion over medium-high heat.
- Drain grease.
- Add the refried beans and sauce, stirring until it is completely combined and warmed all the way through.
- Spoon the beef and bean mixture onto each tortilla (I spooned about 3 generous spoonfuls onto each)
- Top with cheese, and then roll it up.
- Place them all seam side down on a greased baking sheet.
- Brush melted butter over the top of each Chimichanga.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes (until the tops start to turn a golden brown).
Notes
- I like to serve mine with chopped tomatoes, sour cream, lettuce, and green onions.
- Recipe adapted from: All Recipes
Nutrition
Equipment
- Large Skillet
- Baking Sheet
- Non-stick Cooking Spray
Recipe Details
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This looks delicious! I am putting it on my menu for next week!
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Another nice and easy recipe. Thanks so much.
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These look great! I've never made a chimichanga so I guess i should start with this one! Have a great week.
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Made these last night. LOVE that it's pantry items. These were delicious. Even DH approved and he's not a fan of Mexican food. I tweaked it a bit, but this is going in the regular dinner rotation. Great recipe! Thanks Sisters!
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Hi Steph, I am going to try this with my veg beef-style crumbles, thanks! But here in Belgium not only is cheddar expensive, it's unavailable pre-shredded. Shredded a thin and dinky block of cheddar is no fun, and they're so small it's not really worth it to fire up the food processor. Ugh. Plus two cups of cheddar would put my caloric and money budgets overboard. So if you are looking at modifying the fat or protein content one day, you might like to try what I'm going to do: top the filling with low fat queso fresco or regular cottage cheese (not the chalky fat free kind) before rolling up the tortilla. Then top with sauce and a sprinkling of cheese. It works brilliantly in the oven. I've been doing this for years with enchiladas, and the other benefit is they are so high in protein then it's a challenge to eat two! They're so filling. You might like to try it sometime. Thanks a million for the baked chimichangas :)
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Made these last night for supper!! YUM! Loved them! Put them in my "favorites" area in my recipe book!
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I made these with El Paso's fire roasted tomato flavored taco sauce and they were so easy and good! My 17 month old ate our only leftover chimichanga the next day for lunch. By himself :) We'll definitely have these again!
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Would these freeze very well? I was thinking of doubling the recipe, but do you think the tortillas would get soggy?
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As I live alone and don't have a very big freezer , I think I will make the meat mixture and divide into containers and freeze. Just take one serving , heat in microwave and finish.. This is my favorite Mexican food and almost always order it when out.
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Do you think this recipe would work ok with steak instead of ground beef? If so, what would you recommend?
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I love this recipe! I have tried it twice. Any thoughts on the tortilla? I keep getting a really hard tortilla which almost seems to tough. Thanks.
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I made this yesterday and it lived up to it's word .... easy to make and delicious. Being that it was just my husband and I, there were leftovers. I heated one up for lunch the following day and the taste was just as good as when I made it the first time. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
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Would you freeze these before baking or after?? I was thinking of freezing before but dont want tortillas to be too hard
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Where would I find the taco sauce listed for this recipe? I have never heard of it before! Thanks in advance!
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I was shocked at how tasty these were with the few ingredients listed.. I loved how the tortilla crisped up in the oven. I will make again.
