Tags

, , , , ,

Can you believe that I’ve never had a chimichanga before I made these? I don’t typically go out for Mexican food. Though there are a lot of pros: salty tortillas, globs of cheese, hunks of guacamole, refried beans, and chips and salsa, there is the big looming con: tootin’ your horn all night.

I had to put the big con of Mexican food aside when I saw this recipe for a healthier version of chimichangas in (what else), The Six O’Clock Scramble. They were simple to make, crunchy on the outside, and oozing with all the goodness that comes from cheese, salsa, and beans.

Healthy Turkey Chimichangas (From The Six O’Clock Scramble)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 can (15 oz) refried beans
  • 1 cup of your favorite salsa (plus additional for serving)
  • 1 cup unsweetened corn kernels, drained if from a can, thawed if frozen
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 10-12 large whole wheat tortillas
  • sour cream and guacamole for serving

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. In a large nonstick skillet, brown the turkey over medium-high heat until it is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain the fat. Add the beans, salsa, and corn. Cook the mixture until it is heated through. Remove it from the heat and stir in the cheese.
  3. To assemble the chimichangas, put a large spoonful of the turkey-bean mixture into each tortilla. Fold in the sides, and roll them up. Place the rolled chimichangas into the baking dish.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes until they are crisp and lightly browned. Serve them top with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

My Two Cents: This is another great recipe for ground turkey. I love finding new recipes that utilize ground turkey (besides your typical chilis and meatballs.) And since I grew up eating ground turkey in a lot of my meals, I never miss the ground beef. Besides, it’s lighter and healthier for you.

Assembling the chimichangas was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be. The trick I found was to tuck and roll, tuck and roll. Some of mine weren’t pretty in the end, but the turkey-bean mixture is pretty stiff, not soupy. So even if they aren’t perfectly rolled, as long as you place them seam-side down in the dish, you’ll be fine.

These heat up well in the microwave, too. Zap them for about 30 seconds, and you’re good to go :)

Enjoy!

Advertisement