Confession time: I've never had a Crunch Wrap from Taco Bell. But I've made a copycat version at home countless times at this point. I mean really, what's not to love? It's basically a quesadilla meets burrito meets taco all wrapped up in a convenient package for your devouring pleasure.
The keys to a successful crunch wrap are the properly-sized tortillas and a hot (but not too hot) pan or flat top griddle. If your outer tortilla is too small, you won't be able to fully encase all of your delicious inside ingredients and everything will fall apart while you're trying to toast the outside. If you're pan isn't hot enough, it won't seal your wrap fast enough and you'll have the same issue-- ingredients spilling onto your pan. Too hot though and it burns (although my husband usually gladly eats anything I accidentally burn).
You can add whatever ingredients to the layers that you like, but usually I stick with ground meat, shredded cheese, refried beans, sour cream, lettuce and guacamole. A vegetarian version of this could definitely be made with black beans instead of meat or even Mexican-spiced mushrooms.
Another confession: I don't think I have followed the same assembly order two times in a row ever. It all ends up working out. As long as you do the tortilla layers correctly, you won't know the difference. It all tastes the same in the end. Nonetheless, I have included assembly photos below.
These are SO good and I promise you'll be making them to mix up taco night from time to time. They are pretty big, but they save well wrapped in foil in the fridge for lunch the next day. Kids could definitely split one. Just cut it in half with a sharp knife after toasting.
Slo's Crunch Wrap Supreme
(Makes ~ 4 servings)Ingredients:
1lb. ground chicken (or turkey or beef)
2TB. Mexican homemade spice seasoning or your favorite taco seasoning
1 can refried beans (you will not use the whole can)
2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
2 C. shredded lettuce
Sour cream, about 1 TB per crunch wrap
Guacamole, about 1 TB per crunch wrap
4 burrito-size tortillas (sometimes called jumbo or extra-large)
4 tostadas*
4 fajita-size tortillas
Directions:
In a large pan, cook your ground meat until fully cooked through**. Add 2 TB of Mexican seasoning and 1/4 C. of water to the meat. Stir to combine everything and coat all of the meat in seasoning. Continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated. If using a taco seasoning packet, follow its instructions for cooking. When finished, turn off heat.
Meanwhile, heat the refried beans in a small saucepan until warmed through.
Heat a clean pan (or flat top griddle)*** over medium heat while you work on assembling the crunch wraps.
On a clean countertop or large cutting board, lay out a burrito-size tortilla and spoon into the middle ~1/2 C. of the meat, making sure to keep it to the diameter size of the tostada (See photos above). Top with some of the cheddar cheese.
Next, place a tostada* on top of the meat/cheese and spread 1 TB of sour cream then 1 TB of guacamole on the tostada.
Sprinkle 1/2 C. of lettuce on top of the guacamole, followed by some more cheddar cheese.
On one side of a fajita-size tortilla, spread your desired amount of refried beans. Place the tortilla, beans side down, on top of the last layer of cheese.
With one hand pressing firmly (but not smashing) on the fajita-size tortilla, start to fold up the outer edges of the burrito-size tortilla. Work carefully until all of the edges are folded up and your hand is keeping everything in place.
Carefully transfer the folded crunch wrap to your hot pan, placing it folded side down onto the pan. You may need to use a spatula to help here so you don't burn yourself or accidentally unfold the tortilla. Once it is on the pan, press down on it slightly into the pan.
Allow it to cook for 3-5 minutes or until the tortilla is browned and the folds are sealed. Gently flip to the other side and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. If your tortillas is cooking too fast or it is smoking, turn the heat down.
Remove the crunch wrap from the pan to a plate. Serve with extra guac, sour cream, salsa, etc. if you'd like. Enjoy your masterpiece!
*Recipe notes + Variations*
*If you can't find tostadas (basically circular tortilla chips or flat, round crunch tacos), you can substitute tortilla chips. Just be sure to not have any sharp edges of the chips hanging off the edge or they will pierce your tortilla when you fold everything up.
**If using ground beef, be sure to drain the fat from the pan before adding your spices.
***If you have a griddle, you can cook a few crunch wraps at a time which will same time. You can also heat 2 pans and cook 2 at a time that way. Just don't forget to check them if you're cooking multiple at once.
The amount of meat, cheese, beans, lettuce, etc. that you add it up to you, but don't overload it otherwise you won't be able to fold up the edges enough to keep everything together.
You can add anything fillings you want to this, but I would caution adding anything that is too "wet" or watery, such as salsa or tomatoes. They will just make it soggy and it will not hold together or crisp up like you want it to. Instead, serve these on the side after cooking.
These are so delicious and easy to overindulge on. Because of that, I usually cut mine in half to start and plan on saving the second half for lunch the next day. Just wrap it in foil and put it in the fridge. To reheat, either pop it in a toaster oven or reheat gently on the stove similar to how you cooked it the first time.
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