Game day snacks are a challenge at times. Mom likes hot & spicy while my son tends toward the more subdued flavors.  Most of the time I give in, but I can usually sneak in a few snacks that appeal to my taste.

I gave El Monterey Beef & Bean Burritos a try after seeing them in the freezer at the grocery store. I know I'm not getting real Mexican flavor with these types of frozen dishes, but this is about the closest I'll come when purchasing products from the supermarket.  When I want a much better selection, I head out to a local restaurant.  For a snack at home, though, these burritos weren't half bad.

Unlike the chimichangas I tried from El Monterey, I don't expect burritos to have a crisp shell on them so that eliminated one of my major disappointments.  Heating these up in the microwave is fine.  From the frozen state it takes 1 minute 15 seconds to heat one up.  Other alternatives for heating up are in the oven at 375º F for 30-45 minutes (quite a time range there), or using the deep fryer which is not recommended on the packaging.

I did find more beef present in the El Monterey Beef & Bean Burritos than I did the chimichangas, although the taste is still dominated overall by the beans.  There were also the taste of some spices in there, although the taste overall was beans.  It held together quite well for eating although once it was bitten into the outer tortilla did droop a bit.

Nutritionally, this is middle of the road.  There's 300 calories in one burrito.  120 of those calories are from fat.  That translates to 14g of fat, 5g of which are saturated fat (or 25% of the recommended daily value).  The sodium level is actually pretty good at 350mg of sodium or 15% of the recommended daily value.  As a snack or a meal these aren't as bad as many others on the market. Eating two filled me quite well and didn't leave me feeling totally guilty.

While I wasn't dazzled by El Monterey Beef & Bean Burritos I liked them enough that I would probably grab them again.  They are fairly inexpensive and not a huge issue nutritionally.  The taste was good, although the burritos I get at my favorite local Mexican restaurant are much better, which is to be expected.




Ingredients: Water, Wheat Flour 9Enriched With Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Beef Pattie Mix 9Beef, Water, Textured Vegetable Protein (Soy Flour, Caramel Color)), Beans, Vegetable Oil (Soybean, Sunflower, Canola And/Or Corn Oil), Contains 2% Or Less Salt, Tortilla Flour Blend (Salt, Rice Flour, Guar Gum, Sodium Bicarbonate, Corn Starch, Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Fumaric Acid, Wheat Starch, Dough Conditioners 9Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, L-Cysteine, Mono And Diglycerides, Dicalcium Phosphate), Microcrystalline Cellulose, Silicon Dioxide (To Prevent Caking)), Chili Pepper, Savory Flavor (Yeast Extract, Maltodextrin, Salt, Soy Sauce (Wheat Soybeans, Salt), Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Lactic Acid, Natural Flavor, Calcium Lactate, Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking Agent)), Soy Lecithin,Spices, Garlic Powder.


© 2011 Patti Aliventi

Recommended: Yes