Ex-Taco Bell Employee Recreated The Original '00s Grilled Stuffed Burrito At Home

If you remember fast food in the early 2000s, you probably can picture Taco Bell's Grilled Stuffed Burrito. It was made with refried beans, seasoned rice, a blend of three cheeses, Fiesta Salsa, Baja Sauce, and your choice of beef, chicken, or steak; all jammed inside a 10-inch flour tortilla and then grilled. The burrito has been discontinued for more than a decade (as has the Baja Sauce), but a former Taco Bell employee has recently given them both a revival. In a step-by-step tutorial video, social media creator Dollar Tree Dinners makes a grilled stuffed burrito like she did when she worked at Taco Bell, including a copycat Baja Sauce. The video certainly has commentors reminiscing about the good ol' days.

@dollartreedinners

Recreating the original Taco Bell Grilled Stuffed Burrito at home (the OG version from the late 2000s with baja sauce, pico de gallo, three cheese blend, rice, beans, and chicken). Former Taco Bell employee approved. Baja Sauce: • 1 cup mayonnaise • a few chunks of red bell pepper • 4 to 5 Pickled jalapeños + 1 tbsp brine • 1 tsp onion powder • ½ tsp garlic powder • ¼ tsp paprika, cumin, chili powder, and salt • Optional: 1 tsp grated parmesan Blend until smooth and refrigerate overnight for best flavor. Pico de Gallo: • 5-6 roma tomatoes • 1 yellow onion • Cilantro • ¼ cup lime juice • 1 tsp salt Assembly: Large flour tortilla + spanish rice + refried beans + chicken + baja sauce + three cheese blend + pico de gallo. Fold and toast in a dry skillet until browned on both sides. #Tacobell #GrilledStuffedBurrito #TacobellCopycat #CopycatRecipe #FastFoodRecipes #tacobellathome #formeremployee

♬ original sound – Dollar Tree Dinners – Dollar Tree Dinners

The burrito made in this video is just about as from-scratch as Taco Bell used to make it; meaning the ingredients are geared toward convenience. The flour tortilla is pre-made and the cheeses are pre-shredded (separately or combined in one bag of Mexican Cheese Blend). Dollar Tree Dinners also uses pre-grilled Foster Farms chicken strips for her protein, canned Rosarita refried beans, and microwaved Spanish rice. Easy, convenient; just the way we like it.

The Baja Sauce dupe takes a little more kitchen work, but Dollar Tree Dinners claims it's better than the bottled Taco Bell Baja Sauce. It's made with mayonnaise, diced bell pepper, pickled jalapenos (with the brine), grated parmesan, and seasonings. After this is blended together, she recommends letting the sauce sit in the fridge overnight to make the flavors come together. "Genuinely, this sauce tastes a lot more accurate the next day," she notes.

A homemade recreation of Taco Bell's Grilled Stuffed Burrito gives you the freedom to build it the exact way you want. If you're sticking as close to the classic version as possible, stuff the inside with a solid Mexican-blend of cheeses to mirror what Taco Bell used. Alternatively, put a twist on it by putting more effort into the cheese. The best cheese to choose for an ooey gooey quesadilla will create an equally melty, cheesy Grilled Stuffed Burrito. Don't stop at just adding cheese to the inside, though; a layer of cheese melted onto the outside of the burrito will add a rich layer of crunch.

You can tailor the filling inside your Grilled Stuffed Burrito to be a little more gourmet with classic taco toppings like guacamole and sour cream. If you like some heat, make it spicier with a packet of the hottest of all the Taco Bell sauces, or customize the ingredients in the Baja Sauce for a little more color and flavor. Some copycat recipes online add sour cream, Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning, Greek yogurt, and vinegar to recreate the tangy flavor and creamy texture.