This site contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.
Healthy Oven-baked Chimichangas are a delicious kid-friendly meal that is a big health improvement over traditional chimichangas. Restaurant (or traditional homemade) chimichangas are deep fried, and deep fried foods are loaded with unhealthy PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids- see my linked post that gives examples and reasons to avoid). Making these will have the whole family begging for more!
This recipe does a great job of disguising mushrooms- a healthy food that many kids (and adults!) don’t find appealing. I can promise you no one will know they’re there, as they blend in perfectly with the ground beef. You can also hide other veggies if that’s the best way to sneak them in for your kids. Some ideas to get you started: shredded zucchini, finely chopped bell pepper, and shredded spinach all hide well in the delicious filling.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup refried beans
- 4 oz chopped green chilies
- 8 tortillas-preferably whole wheat (bonus points for homemade!)
- 8 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese-or more if wanted/needed
- cooking spray
- lettuce
- salsa
- sour cream
- guacamole
Equipment You Will Need:
Cutting board
Large skillet
Directions to Prepare Healthy Beef Chimichangas:
Place large baking sheet into oven, and preheat to 425˚F.
Chop one cup of onions, and mince 2 cloves of garlic.
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat, and add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are soft, about 2 minutes.
Add mushrooms and beef.
Sprinkle the chili powder, cumin, basil, and salt into the pan. Stir, break up the beef, and cook until the beef is no longer pink.
Place chilies and refried beans into pan with beef mixture. Stir together until thoroughly combined.
Lay out your tortillas. Put in 1/2 cup of beef mixture.
Sprinkle about a tablespoon (more is definitely allowed!!) of cheese onto your beef mixture in the tortilla.
Scoot the tortilla so that the filling is toward you. Tuck the sides inward, and fold upward, tucking as necessary.
Repeat with remaining filling, tortillas, and cheese.
Put all chimichangas onto preheated greased baking sheet, making sure they do not touch. Spray the tops of the chimichangas with oil. Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes, or until nicely browned on top.
Place chimichanga(s) onto a plate and put as many or as few toppings as desired!
Healthy Beef Chimichangas
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup refried beans
- 4 oz chopped green chilies
- 8 tortillas preferably whole wheat
- 8 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese or more if wanted/needed
- cooking spray
Optional Toppings
- lettuce
- salsa
- sour cream
- guacamole
Instructions
- Put large baking sheet into the oven, and preheat the oven to 425
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Adding onions and garlic, cook until the onion is soft. Be sure to stir!
- Add next six ingredients-through salt-into pan and stir. Break up the beef with a spoon, and cook until the beef is no longer pink anywhere. This should be about 5 minutes.
- Add the refried beans and the chilies; cook, stirring, until hot, 1-2 minutes.
- Carefully remove the hot baking sheet, and place on heat-proof surface and coat with spray.
- Put tortilla on a clean work space and spread one 1/2 cup of beef filling.
- Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of cheese on top.
- Tuck in the sides of tortilla, and fold up like a burrito.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef filling, and cheese.
- Spray tops of chimichangas with oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until browned.
- Serve with toppings.
