This is my first attempt at making chimichangas and I'm proud to say they were quite a success! I cooked the rest of the roast I made last week in the crock pot with some water, beef boullion and salsa. It cooked during the day and was ready to shred when I got home. As I shredded it I tasted it and thought it could use more flavor/moisture, so I added salt, pepper, garlic powder, chipotle chili powder and some of the cooking liquid. There's really not a recipe since I was just making it up as I went along. Once I liked the taste and consistency, I spooned the meat onto burrito-size flour tortillas and added shredded cheddar cheese. I would have added some onion to mine also (hubby would have protested) but decided to go without so I wouldn't have to remember which one was which. I wrapped them up and put them in a baking dish that had a few tablespoons of vegetable oil coating the bottom. I also brushed the outside of the tortillas with the oil. I wanted to bake them so I wouldn't have to deep-fry, but also wanted to ensure a crispy coating. It worked really well! They baked at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, flipping over after about 10 minutes.
Once they were done I added some more cheese and some green chili enchilada sauce. I didn't even know they sold this until I saw it at Target while shopping for this recipe - hubby loves the verde sauce they put on his chimichanga at Jose Peppers so this was a great substitute. I served with refried beans and cilantro-lime rice.
We will definitely be having this meal again since Mexican food is what hubby misses most about eating out all the time and this is the closest I have ever made to a restaurant-quality Mexican meal. The roast was a bit expensive compared to the ground meat or chicken we have most nights, but still a big savings over eating out.
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Estimated cost of meal:
Beef: $3
Tortillas: $1.20
Cheese: $1.40
Beans: $.50
Rice: $.80
Sauce: $.60
Total: $7.50
Former Life Total: Dinner @ Jalapeno's (my favorite chimichanga): about $30
Leaner Life Savings: $22.50 or 75%!!!
2 comments:
I think I am going to try this one. I have to say your meats must be cheaper there in the midwest or you are finding good deals because I don't think I can get meat or chicken for the prices you are listing. Can you do an entry on where to find the best meat prices/ the best frozen food prices/ the best sundries etc.? Is is fair to say one store usually has better prices in one food area than another?
This roast was $2.69/lb, which mom tells me is a good price. I don't buy roasts very often so I'm not sure what they should cost. I also get overwhelmed by all of the different kinds (rump, chuck, eye of round, bottom round, top round, etc).
I took the liberty of checking your local Safeway ad - the prices do look higher, especially for ground beef. I don't know what other stores you have or if the sale prices get better than that, but if not that is terrible! I have a solution - move back!!!
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