Lacey’s Pantry – Beef Chimichangas

Servings: 8

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1-2 cups vegetable oil

½ cup diced white onion

2 tsp minced garlic

½ TBSP chili powder

¼ tsp oregano

½ tsp ground cumin

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ to a full can of Rotel tomatoes and green chilis

8 (burrito-sized) flour tortillas, warmed

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Toppings: salsa, sour cream, guacamole, queso

Instructions:

Brown hamburger meat and onions in a large skillet until onions are slightly softened. Add in garlic chili powder, oregano and cumin. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in Rotel. Cook and stir another five minutes. Set aside.

Warm tortillas in the microwave. On each tortilla, place about ½ cup of meat mixture. Do not overfill. Top with shredded cheese. Fold sides over the meat and cheese, then fold bottom over the sides and roll up. Place all folded chimichangas, seam side down, on a large plate and repeat with remaining tortillas.

In a separate large skillet, pour enough vegetable oil to fill 2 inches full of oil. Heat oil over low heat. The oil needs to reach 375 degrees. Using tongs, lower one chimichanga at a time into the hot oil, seam side down. Fry until golden brown on both sides, 1-2 minutes on each side. Place cooked chimichangas on a paper towel lined place to absorb oil. Repeat with the rest of the chimichangas. Serve warm with your favorite toppings.