by Bottom Line: The Cheesy Jalapeno Mexican Pizza and Chicken Enchilada Burrito from Taco Bell are very familiar and lacking in heat, but still rather tasty.
Taco Bell has added some new items to its menu. Completely and totally new! Unlike anything they have offered before, these are all new! New, new, new!
Yeah . . . well, you know what “new” really means at Taco Bell. They have their “chefs” look at the ingredients they already have in the kitchen and they spin them around a couple of times to come up with something they call new but is actually just a remix of familiar flavors. Not that it is bad, just not particularly new. So what are they cooking up this time?
First up is the Cheesy Jalapeno Mexican Pizza which has seasoned beef and refried beans between two “pizza” shells (crispy tostado shells) with “pizza” sauce (red sauce), three-cheese blend, nacho cheese sauce, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Hmm . . . sounds a whole lot like the Mexican Pizza but with jalapenos and nacho cheese sauce added. There’s nothing wrong with that because the Mexican Pizza is pretty darn good and this version kicks it up a bit with a bit of heat. But it’s not all that new.
Next up is the Chicken Enchilada Burrito which includes grilled, marinated, all-white meat chicken, seasoned rice, red sauce, reduced-fat sour cream, and three-cheese blend wrapped inside a warm flour tortilla. We have seen this cast before, just not in this particular lineup. That doesn’t mean it can’t be tasty, though.
If you like the Bell’s Mexican Pizza (and many people do because they lobbied for its return for years), then chances are you will like the “new” cheesy jalapeno version. As mentioned above, it is basically the same as the regular version (you can read my review of that here), but with two ingredients added. I will say that the bites with jalapenos bring a nice tang and a little bit of heat. Though I would have liked it more if they added a few more of those peppers. The nacho cheese adds some creaminess but also turns it into a goopy mess and you may have to pull out the fork to finish it up (don’t try eating this and driving). And if you are not big on spicy food (then why exactly are you visiting this site?), you need not worry too much because the jalapenos kick this up to only Mild on my scale at best. For those looking for more heat, see my comments below.
As for the Chicken Enchilada Burrito, its “new” arrangement of ingredients is wrapped together nicely to keep everything fully intact (this one you can eat while driving). But as with any burrito stuffed with rice, that grain–even though it is well-seasoned–tends to dominate the overall taste. The sour cream also detracts from the combination of flavors and I would definitely have them leave that off next time around. The chicken is tender and well-seasoned if you take a bite of it on its own, but it kind of fades into the mix except for the few bites where it is clumped together. The red sauce is what brings this together, though, as it adds a nice earthiness and a bit of a tang. Some extra of that on the side to dip this in would actually work quite well. This burrito is not spicy at all (like most of the items on TB’s menu) but I have some suggestions on how to kick it up below.
The Cheesy Jalapeno Mexican Pizza comes in at 570 calories which is 40 more than the regular version. If you get that and throw on a regular taco (because who buys just one thing at Taco Bell?), you are not doing too bad for the drive thru. The Chicken Enchilada Burrito comes in at only 380 calories making it a bit more diet-friendly unless you are avoiding carbs. But the real value here is the price at only two bucks for the burrito on their value menu. Add on a taco with that and you are just a little over four bucks with tax which is pretty good for a full meal at the drive thru these days.
Of course, both of these items are visiting from Limited-Time-Only-Ville, and since this is Taco Bell they could disappear at any time. As mentioned above, all of these ingredients are already in the kitchen, so you could special order the items once they are off the menu. Just brace yourself for the upcharge because they won’t be on special at that point!
Spice It Up: While most of Taco Bell’s offerings are on the mild side, they have their taco sauce packets and the Fire and Diablo selections do bring some heat. But those are pretty bold sauces that are heavy on the Mexican seasonings, and the flavor tends to take over when they are added. As an option, I recommend Secret Aardvark’s Habanero Hot Sauce. That is also a taco sauce-type concoction, but it enhances the taste instead of taking over. And it definitely brings some heat as I would put it between the Hot and Fiery levels on my scale. You can choose how much you add to regulate the heat, but I find it goes particularly well with Taco Bell’s offerings and spices them up just right.
Nutrition Info:
Cheesy Jalapeno Mexican Pizza
Calories: 570
Fat: 31g (9g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 20g
Carbs: 51g
Sodium: 1260mg
Chicken Enchilada Burrito
Calories: 380
Fat: 12g (6g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 19g
Carbs: 49g
Sodium: 1150mg
