Quick Review: Melty Pepper Jack Steak Burrito from Taco Bell

Bottom Line: The Melty Pepper Jack Steak Burrito delivers a decent Taco Bell selection that is economical and brings some heat.

Taco Bell continues to push new items through its menu (often recycling existing ingredients), and one of the latest is the Melty Pepper Jack Steak Burrito. It sells for three bucks in my area, and following is the description from the website:

A warm flour tortilla filled with grilled, marinated steak, new flavorful Pepper Jack sauce, seasoned rice, melty 3-cheese blend, and reduced-fat sour cream.

The Bell is my frequent go-to place for something quick, cheap, and easy, and this qualifies on all three counts. I picked one up recently, and here is the scorecard:

Grilled, Marinated Steak: While not steakhouse quality and rather sparse, these are decent bites of meat that are tender and well-seasoned with just a touch of char.

Seasoned Rice: This makes up the bulk of the interior ingredients and dominates the flavor, but it does deliver some good taste.

Pepper Jack Sauce: The one truly new ingredient, this made the burrito worthwhile. It has some tang and creaminess with a peppery kick, and it delivers some heat.

Melty 3-Cheese Blend: Melted cheese is always welcome, bringing some sharpness and a good cheesy flavor.

Reduced-Fat Sour Cream: Completely superfluous and not needed in a burrito like this. I ordered mine without it, and I recommend you do the same.

Warm Flour Tortilla: Fairly standard, but it holds everything together well enough and is not too dry or chewy.

Bottom Line: This was a pretty darn good fast-food burrito, and while it could have used a little more of the steak, I’m not complaining at this price point. And it delivered some heat, approaching Medium on my scale. If you add some jalapeños (which brings a surcharge), that would kick things up even more.

At only 440 calories (420 without the sour cream), that’s not bad for the drive-thru, and you can add a regular taco (170 cals) without worrying about stretching your pants size. And as mentioned, this is a good deal at only $3 in my area. But it has already been around for at least a couple of weeks, and the revolving door at The Bell swings pretty quickly. So if you want to give it a try, you will need to head there pretty soon before it makes the inevitable trip back to Limited-Time-Only-Ville.

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 440
Fat: 20g (7g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 18g
Carbs: 49g
Sodium: 1040mg