Baked Chimichangas are not an everyday meal, but when we break them out...they are SOOOOO good!
I love Mexican food and these baked chimichangas were some of my favorites. Kept in on the healthier side by baking them instead of deep frying them, but it didn't sacrifice on flavor because they were bangin'!
Are baked chimichangas good?
HECK YEAH! You know what made them even better? Using grass-fed Wagyu ground beef! Wagyu is all the rage these days with it's marbled texture and incredible flavor. You'll pay extra for it, but it's worth the price of admission!
Grass-fed just has a different texture than grain-fed. I don't do a lot of red meat for the fam, but when I do it's gotta be grass-fed. I got this nice chunk of Wagyu from FarmFoods which produces all grass-fed, grass-finished beef and high quality meats!
Let's get to cooking and start browning the meat!
I made this homemade salsa with diced tomatoes, red onion, corn, cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper. Quick and easy and super flavorful.
Add it to the ground beef and cook until the meat is brown and the onions are soft.
You know I can't have a Mexican dish without my black beans! Let's add them now and cook until warm.
I felt like adding a little rice to these baked beef chimichangas, but instead of the brown rice I typically use, I used this Uncle Ben's Ready Rice - Spanish Style.
Just pop it in the microwave for 90 seconds and add it to the ground beef mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Once the ground beef mixture is all mixed together, place a few spoonfuls on a tortilla. I like using whole wheat ones, but to each his own if you wanna use something else.
Add some cheese...and this bad boy is ready to fold up and go in the oven.
Brush a little olive oil on top of the wrapped tortilla and bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. Top with your favorite toppings and a little more of the salsa and enjoy!
How do I wrap a chimichanga?
It looks harder than what it really is. Using your thumbs, fold both sides of the tortilla in and roll forward tightly keeping the meat inside the tortilla until it looks like the picture above. If you're baking (like we are in this recipe) or frying in a pan, keep the folded side down on the pan so you don't lose the best part of the chimichanga!
If you like easy Mexican recipes, be sure to try my Chicken and Cheese Taquitos. They're family-friendly, easy to make and can be an easy dinner or a quick snack for all to enjoy!
Tools I used in this recipe:
- Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
- Pyrex Baking Dish
- Pyrex Mixing Bowl
- J.K. Adams Reversible Butterfly Carving Board
- KP Kitchen Measuring Cups/Spoons
- Misen Chef's Knife
Baked Chimichangas
Ingredients
Salsa Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- ½ red onion chopped
- 1 can corn
- 1 can black beans
- 1 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1 lime juiced
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a medium/large skillet. Once heated, add the ground beef and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to brown.
- Add ½ the salsa mix once the meat start to brown and cook, mixing thoroughly together, until the meat is fully browned.
- While the meat is browning, put the Ready Rice in the microwave and cook following the instructions. Once cooked, add it to the ground beef mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Lay a tortilla on a plate and transfer 2-3 spoonfuls (depending on how big you want your chimichanga) into the tortilla. Add some of the shredded cheese as well.
- Using your thumbs, pinch the tortilla inwards and then start rolling forward tightly being careful not to lose any of the meat mixture.
- Grease a 2 or 3 quart baking sheet and add the rolled tortillas, seem side down.
- Dip the basting brush into a small bowl full of the olive oil and lightly coat the top of the tortilla.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the top of the tortilla is a nice golden brown color.
Notes
Nutrition
About The Skinny Guinea
Hey...how you doin'? I'm Tommy, The Skinny Guinea…just a busy dad who loves to cook. Offering easy to cook dinners and family friendly recipes, while always staying true to my Italian roots!
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