Being from the UK, we’ve only recently managed to get our hands on Taco Bell’s famous Crunch Wraps - and we sure weren’t disappointed! It’s definitely that kind of fast food that you crave (isn’t that all fast food??) , but unfortunately for us, it’s not one that we can find easily so we were forced to create our own copycat recipe at home… which didn’t take a lot of convincing, if we’re being honest!

You won’t be able to stop at the first bite of this flavourful, the crunch will definitely have you coming back for more!

Ingredients

10-12 tortillas wraps 

1 medium onion - finely chopped

500g minced beef

2 cloves of garlic - minced

1 tsp oil - for frying

1 beef stock cube

2 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cumin

¼ tsp cinnamon 

1 ½ tbsp BBQ sauce

½ tsp chilli flakes - more if you like a kick to your crunch wraps

1 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1 medium tomato - diced

150g crisp lettuce - shredded

250g sour cream

Queso Cheese Sauce

1 tbsp butter

240 ml milk

2 tbsp corn flour

180g cheddar cheese - grated

¼ tsp chilli powder

¼ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Method

The Wraps

1. Preheat the oven to 180c

2. Cut out 8 x 10cm discs using a pastry cutter or a glass rim (you should get 3 discs from each wrap). Place on a baking tray ensuring that they are flat and not overlapping.

3. Bake until crisp - shake/turn  occasionally (the timing of this varies from oven to oven approx 4-5 mins) Set aside. 

The Taco Filling

1. Heat oil in a large skillet pan/frying pan, add onion, garlic and fry for 1 minute till soft.

2. Add minced beef and cook for 4 - 5 minutes until mince is cooked, stirring occasionally (drain fat if needed)

3. Add crumbled stock cube, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, BBQ sauce, chilli flakes and sugar, mix well and cook for a further 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally - season to taste at this point, if required. 

The Queso Cheese Sauce

1. Add the butter, milk and cheese to a small saucepan and gently heat while stirring, until it’s bubbling.

2. Mix the cornflour with a little water to a thin, smooth solution. Gradually add the cornflower mix to the hot cheese until thickened - reduce the heat and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the chilli, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. 

Constructing the Crunch Wraps

1. Add a spoon of queso cheese mix to the middle of each tortilla wrap, spread the cheese mix to cover an area the same size as the tortilla disc prepared earlier (repeat for each wrap)

2. Divide the mince mixture between the wraps placing the mix on top of the queso cheese mix, spread to cover the same 10cm area as the cheese. 

3. Place the cooked tortilla disc on top of the mince mix. Top the disc with a little shredded lettuce, chopped tomato and a few blobs of sour cream. 

4. Heat a large skillet pan/frying pan until it’s hot.

5. Fold the edges of the bottom tortilla towards the centre, folding each piece on top of each other, creating pleats - quickly turn the tortilla over so that the pleats are on the bottom and place in the pan.

6.   Cook the tortilla until golden, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining crunch wraps. 

Tip - the off-cuts of tortilla wrap that you’re left with after cutting out the discs can be cut up and baked in the oven to crisp up, creating a tortilla chip nibble and avoiding waste.  Dust with your favourite spices before popping them in the oven for some tasty flavour!