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.

Left: The OG taco from the Bell. Right: How I serve the tacos – all class!

Further Awesomeness Reading

• The Flamin' Hot Cheetos® Quesadilla

• Fredagstacoen—The Friday Taco