Our beef chimichanga recipe is simple and delicious, a kid favorite! Made with gluten-free tortillas, ground beef, refried beans, and rice. Try this restaurant favorite right at home.
⭐️ Brown the beef and combine the beans. In a large skillet add the ground beef and onions. Brown the ground beef, drain, then add back to the skillet. Add the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, refried beans, rice, 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Stir well.
1 pound ground beef, 1 small onion, diced, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 16 ounces refried beans, 1 cup cooked rice, 29 ounces tomato sauce, divided, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Wrap the chimichangas. Add 1/6th of the meat mixture to the first tortilla shell. Wrap the sides in then gently roll up. Secure the end with 2 toothpicks. Repeat.
6 large gluten-free tortillas
⭐️ Heat the oil and fry. Heat 1 inch of oil to 350°F. Add 2 chimichangas and cook for 2 minutes. Using tongs, flip then cook for an additional 2 minutes. Carefully remove from the oil and place the chimichanga onto a baking pan lined with a wire rack. Repeat until they are all cooked.
⭐️ Heat the sauce. Add the rest of the tomato sauce with the green chilis. Simmer over low heat.
29 ounces tomato sauce, divided, 4 ounces green chilies
Serve. Serve the chimichangas hot with the sauce drizzled on top. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and cilantro. Garnish with limes and avocados if desired.
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided, cilantro, limes, avocados optional
Notes
Simply swap the ground beef with ground chicken for chicken chimichangas.
Serve with any side dish such as salsa, guacamole, rice or beans.
Swap the beef with a can of black beans for a vegetarian twist. You could stuff sauteed bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, jalapenos in the tortilla too.
You can even make and freeze these chimichangas. To freeze, simply assemble as written but not fry. Once assembled, wrap in plastic wrap or tin foil then place in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge then fry right before serving.
If you prefer not to deep fry, spray with nonstick cooking spray then bake on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and a wire rack at 350°F for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. You could also cook these into an air fryer. If you try, let us know how it goes!
CCK Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you're new to eating gluten-free we understand it's overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don't. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn't require a helper.