The Cheesy Gordita Crunch: Taco Bell at Home, Because Why Not?

There are many – many – copycat recipes for “Cheesy Gordita Crunch,” most more scientific than need be. Taco Bell’s soft/crunchy handfeld is simple by design (one would hope) and you can assemble it yourself in minutes.

• Ground meat (we went the alternate route with Beyond)
• Taco seasoning of your liking
• Refried beans (optional)
• Soft flour tortillas, the size of a hard taco shell
• Shredded cheese of your choosing
• Hard taco shells
• Queso (alternatively more cheese)
• Ranch sauce or sour cream
• Iceberg lettuce
• Diced tomatoes (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
2. Prepare ground meat in a pan with taco seasoning; warm up refried beans.
3. Add a layer of shredded cheese on the tortilla(s) – bake until cheese is melted.
4. Meanwhile, stuff hard taco shell(s):
   1. Beans
   2. Ground meat
   3. Queso
   4. Ranch or sour cream
5. Wrap a tortilla around the shell and give it a gentle squeeze so it sticks together. Return to oven and bake for a couple of minutes.
6. When ready, top with lettuce and tomatoes.

Really, if you go any more highfalutin than that, you no longer have a proper Cheesy Gordita Crunch. It’s Taco Bell – how fancy should it really be? For something a step above, try these chuck roast tacos.

Further Awesomeness Reading

The Flamin’ Hot Cheetos® Quesadilla

Skip the lines at Taco Bell and make it at home.

The Awesomeness DigestRemi Olsen

Fredagstacoen—The Friday Taco

A meditation on the history and culture of tacos in Norway.

The Awesomeness DigestRemi Olsen