Review: Enchirito from Taco Bell

Bottom Line: The Enchirito is a Taco Bell classic that holds up to the test of time and offers a slight spin on their usual fare.

Taco Bell is always looking for the latest limited-time-only grabber to coax people to the drive-thru, and this time around they are serving a side of nostalgia with that. They recently put up a poll asking people if they wanted the Enchirito back or the Double-Decker Taco. The former was the winner and it returned to the menu this past week. But it won’t be there long as it is only scheduled to remain available until November 30th, and that is assuming they don’t run out of supplies like they did with the Mexican Pizza.

The Enchirito is a Taco Bell classic that first appeared on the menu in 1970. (And yes, I am old enough to remember eating it in the ‘70s.) It is basically a beef and bean burrito covered in red enchilada sauce and topped with shredded cheese. So it is a bur-rito with enchi-lada sauce, thus the name Enchi-rito. Get it? The original was also topped with sliced black olives, but they held those off this time around. Good idea. Black olives have no place on Mexican food (assuming you want to apply that term to Taco Bell). Put jalapenos on there instead!  (And they will for an extra fifty cents.)

As Taco Bell regulars know, most menu items are just a remix of ingredients in the kitchen to make them seem different from the next item on the menu. The Enchirito, though, is one that brings a little something extra to the table. As mentioned above, it is a beef and bean burrito, but then it is covered with enchilada sauce to give it a little extra zing. The sauce has a good red chili taste that is heavy on the cumin with a bit of a tang as well. It is also pretty salty but not to the point it goes overboard. Basically this is like a cross between Taco Bell’s hot sauce and the enchilada sauce you get in a can at your grocery store. And that adds that little bit extra to the flavor profile.

But is it spicy, you ask?

It comes from Taco Bell, do you really need an answer to that? Even some of the “spiciest” things they sell barely rise above the Medium heat level. And the Enchirito by itself hardly counts as mild. It is definitely well-seasoned, though, so it is “spicy” in that it has a lot of spices in the sauce. But if you want some heat, you’re going to have to add the Fire or Diablo sauce. And those work quite well here without dominating the taste because they have a similar flavor to the enchilada sauce.

So what happens when they “run out of supplies” for the Enchirito? Then go buy a beef and bean burrito and get yourself a can of enchilada sauce from your local grocer and pour that over the burrito with some shredded cheese and nuke in the microwave for about thirty seconds. Presto! Homemade Enchirito! That may be more effort than you want to put into this, but if you really like these, you have the option.

Calorie-wise, the Enchirito only comes it at 360 cals which is not bad for a drive thru item. You can add a regular taco to your order (170 cals) and you are still doing okay plus you aren’t breaking the bank. And since the Nacho Fries are currently still available, they actually make the perfect side. Those are only 260 calories without the cheese and you can use those to sop up the remaining sauce in the Enchirito tray. The cheese sauce–which is just your basic nacho sauce–is the least appealing part of that side in my opinion. And the seasoned fries go really well with the enchilada sauce (especially if you kick it up with the Fire or Diablo packets).

If you have never tried the Enchirito and you are a fan of Taco Bell’s spin on Mexican food, I recommend giving it a shot. If this is something you had back in the olden days, it holds up well to what you remember from the past. Now if the Bell would just put this on the permanent menu (is it really that hard to keep the enchilada sauce in stock?) we would be set. In fact, if they would stop this game of now-it’s-here-now-it’s-not, I’m thinking that their regular customers would really appreciate it. But instead, they will listen to some marketing “genius” and keep this up for years to come. So get your Enchirito now because there is no telling when it will be back.

Tale of the Tape:

Calories: 360
Fat: 17g (8g Sat/1g Trans)
Protein: 18g
Carbs: 34g
Sodium: 1110mg