Healthy Baked Chimichangas

Now, who loves Mexican food?? Get ready for…

Baked Chimichangas!

I love Mexican food and I am eternally trying to be a better ethnic cook. This recipe was sooo good. Another from the Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter’s Cookbook, this baked version of the chimichanga is less fattening than the ones in the restaurants but still full of flavor.

Baked Chimichangas

Use leftover roasted chicken or turkey or roast beef for this Mexican favorite.

8 ounces cooked meat (1 1/2 cups)

One 8-oz. jar salsa

One 16-oz. can fat-free refried beans

One 4 1/2-oz. can diced green chili peppers, drained

3 T. thinly sliced green onions

4-oz. reduced-fat Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)

Eight 8-to-9-inch flour tortillas

Additional:

Fat-free dairy sour cream (optional)

Salsa (optional)

Thinly sliced green onion (optional)

1. Using 2 forks, shred cooked meat. In a large skillet combine shredded meat, salsa, beans, chili peppers, and the green onions. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Stir in cheese.

2. Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil; warm in a 350* oven for 10 minutes. For each chimichanga, spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture on a tortilla, near 1 edge. Fold in sides; roll up.

3. Place in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 350* oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through and tortillas are crisp and brown. If desired, serve with sour cream, additional salsa, and/or green onion. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 258 calories, 9 g total fat (3 g saturated fat), 37 mg cholesterol, 685 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 18 g protein.

Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch, 2 Lean Meat, 1 Vegetable

Cost Per Serving: $ 1.04

2 chicken breasts: $2.73

8 tortillas $1.43

8 oz. Salsa $ .85

16 oz. Refried beans $ .99

4 1/2 oz. Green Chilis $1.59

4 oz. Shredded Cheese $ .49

1 Tbsp. Sour Cream $ .12

(1) Green onion $ .14

* I rolled up and baked 4 out of the 8 chimichangas and baked in an 8×8 pan because I was only feeding myself and the boys. I put the remaining meat mixture into a freezer bag, labeled it, and laid it flat to freeze in my deep freezer to make more at a later date.

Great Storage Tip # 49: ( <– haha. I just made that number up.) When freezing leftover chili, or in this case chimichanga mixture, fill quart or gallon bags, close tightly, then flatten out and lay flat in freezer to take up minimal space. Frozen food also defrosts faster when frozen and stored this way. Flattened bags of food stack easily in freezer, allowing for more space.