The Perfect Taco Bell Quesarito Copycat Requires Tomato Bouillon

The quesarito is one of Taco Bell's more notorious portmanteau dishes, alongside the enchirito and quesalupa. Notorious for the naming convention, that is, but not for the flavor, as this quesadilla/burrito mashup is, as might be expected, jam-packed with cheesy goodness. Developer Kristen Carli, when asked to describe her copycat recipe for us, characterized her quesaritos as "incredible." Cheese, needless to say, is an important ingredient, and two types of this are used: a shredded Mexican cheese blend in addition to the type of nacho cheese sauce you can purchase in a can or a jar.

One ingredient you may not be expecting to see in these copycat Taco Bell quesaritos is tomato bouillon, which is not quite as standard as the beef or chicken versions of this condiment. While you'll only be using a tiny amount of tomato flavoring, it nevertheless makes for a tasty addition to the rice. Carli uses an Instant Pot to cook her rice, but it's not necessary to own or use such an appliance. Cook the rice any way you prefer, simply adding a spoonful of tomato bouillon to the water before you start heating it. Once teh rice is done, it will not only have taken on a tomato-y tang but should lso have a pretty pale pink hue, as well.

Before you can make this copycat quesarito, you'll need to follow a couple more recipes: our copycat Taco Bell beef and our copycat Taco Bell quesadilla sauce. Carli insists you not skip the sauce, enthusing " "It is so delicious." It takes just 5 minutes, though, as it's basically ranch dressing pepped up with sriracha and jalapenos. The beef requires 20 minutes, though, so plan accordingly. In addition to these two recipes, plus the aforementioned tomato bouillon, rice, and shredded and nacho cheeses, you'll also need flour tortillas and sour cream. If you'd prefer a meat-free quesarito, Carli suggests omitting the beef and using a combination of corn and black beans in its place.

The first step in making this Taco Bell-style quesarito will be to make the "quesa" part by sandwiching shredded cheese between two tortillas and broiling this until the cheese melts. You'll then cook the tomato bouillon-flavored rice and warm the nacho cheese. Build your "rito" by layering the quesadilla with sour cream, quesadilla sauce, beef, rice, and nacho cheese. Once all of the necessary components are in place, you can now roll up your quesarito. Don't bother trying to tuck and fold it to look like a standard burrito, though, The cheese-filled quesadilla is a little less flexible than a plain tortilla would be, so in this instance it's okay to leave the ends open and let the fillings fall as they may.