Copycat Taco Bell Quesarito Recipe

If you guessed that the Taco Bell Quesarito is essentially a burrito made with a quesadilla instead of a tortilla, then you are absolutely correct. Whether you've had the Quesarito before or you've never experienced its cheesy deliciousness, you are in for a mouthwatering treat with this copycat recipe on deck. In the words of recipe developer and private practice registered dietician Kristen Carli of Camelback Nutrition & Wellness, "This one is incredible!"

Coming in at around 650 calories, according to Taco Bell's website, the Quesarito is a great portion size for lunch or even as a dinner entree. And when you make a DIY version, you can always play around with the ingredients based on your personal preferences. For example, Carli says, "To make this vegetarian, I would sub black beans and corn for beef."

One thing not to mess with, though? "Don't skip the quesadilla sauce," Carli says. "It is so delicious!" Now, assuming you have an Instant Pot ready and 20 free minutes, let's get cooking! (No Instant Pot? No problem — just budget more time to cook the rice.)

To make your very own copycat Taco Bell Quesarito, you'll need to first gather the necessary ingredients: large flour tortillas, shredded Mexican cheese, white rice, water, Caldo de Tomate (aka tomato bouillon), sour cream, copycat Taco Bell quesadilla sauce (following the Mashed recipe for best success), copycat Taco Bell-style ground beef (following the Mashed recipe), and nacho cheese sauce.

This recipe works under the assumption that you have already cooked your ground beef, but just as a quick primer, all you need to do to cook ground beef is pan sear it in a lightly greased pan, stirring and breaking up clumps, until the meat is browned all over. (That being said, you really owe it to your taste buds to follow that copycat Taco Bell beef recipe!)

Preheat the oven to a high broil. Next, place a tortilla flat on a baking sheet, and then cover it evenly with the shredded cheese. Top that with the other tortilla, then broil the quesadilla in oven for 2 minutes, until cheese is melted. Ideally, you can flip it halfway through the cooking — just hold the pieces together, as the tortillas may not yet be fully bonded by the melted cheese.

After 2 minutes, remove the quesadilla from the oven, and set it aside. Note that you can always pan sear the quesadilla instead of broiling, just do so at a low heat and flip it a few times, watching for burning that will make it crack when you try to roll it.

In an Instant Pot, add the 1 cup of white rice, 1 cup of water, and 1 tablespoon of tomato bouillon. Stir those ingredients well, then close the lid and set the valve to sealing. Pressure cook the rice for 3 minutes, then allow the pot to naturally release. If you don't have an Instant Pot handy, just cook the rice in a traditional pot on the stove, but plan ahead and get it cooking before you work on other parts of the recipe.

Now, it's time to heat the nacho cheese in the microwave, according to package directions, or in a small saucepan if you prefer.

Place the quesadilla on a plate, ideally working while it is still quite warm and the cheese is still melted. You can always briefly microwave it, if need be. To assemble the Copycat Taco Bell Quesarito, first spread the sour cream on the quesadilla. Next, spoon on Taco Bell quesadilla sauce over the sour cream. Top the sour cream and sauce layers with cooked ground beef, then spoon rice on top of the beef. Finally, drizzle (or spoon) nacho cheese sauce over the top of the beef and rice filling. Roll up the quesadilla, leaving the ends open (not tucked in burrito-style, e.g.), and enjoy!