Now that you have cooked your No More Dry Roast and you have several pounds of shredded beef, let’s make chimichangas.  These delicious chimichangas are juicy, full of onions, peppers and spices.  They are easy to make and are a perfect, quick dinner for any evening.  I like to add a little lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole on the side to finish the dish.  I just happened to have some Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing on hand to drizzle over the top of the chimichangas for another layer of flavor.  If you don’t have any roast on hand, you can always make these chimichangas with hamburger, too.

How To Make Chimichangas

1.  Slice the onion and pepper into small thin pieces.  Cut the top and bottom off the onion.  Then cut the onion in half from top to bottom.  Pull the outside layer of skin off until there is no more crepe layers on the onion.  Put the flat side down on the cutting board and slice thin layers.  

For the peppers, slice the top of the pepper off.  The stem should be still in the top layer you just cut off.  Use your fingers to pick out the seed ball inside the pepper.  Cut the pepper in half.  Slice from top to bottom on the pepper to make thin slices.

Sauté onions and peppers in butter

2.  Place the onions and pepper strips in 2 tablespoons of melted butter in a fry pan.  Cook these until they are soft and tender.  You will need a deep pan to add all the rest of the ingredients.  I really dislike having to dirty another pan because I did not plan ahead.

3.  Mix in the flour and spices into the onions and peppers.  Stir for several minutes so the flour can cook.  Add the canned green chilies and green enchilada sauce.  Add the shredded beef and stir until everything gets heated through and has thickened up.

4. Heat oil in another fry pan.  I always have coconut oil in my house, so that is my oil of choice when frying.    Any oil will work, canola, vegetable, even shortening can be melted and used to fry the chimichangas.  I like the way the coconut oil tastes and how soft it makes the tortilla without feeling drenched in oil.  Get the oil hot and then reduce heat to medium high heat.

5.  Place a flour tortilla on a cutting board and place 1/2 cup of meat mixture in the tortilla.  Fold in the sides and wrap up the meat like a burrito.  The tighter you can tuck the filling inside the tortilla, the tighter your chimichanga will be.  I often stick the ends back in after I have rolled everything up.  Try to fry the chimichangas as soon as you have them “wrapped up”. Where the tortilla is folded over, place in the oil first.

Cook the chimichangas in oil until brown.

Place the chimichangas in the oil and cook until brown.  Flip over and cook the other side.  If you want that brown color all over, turn them on their side and cook until brown and repeat on the other side.

6.  Use tongs to pull the chimichanga out of the oil and place on a plate.  Garnish with chopped lettuce and tomatoes.  Then add a scoop of sour cream and guacamole.  

7.  Feel free to add some grated, cheddar or Monterey cheese on top.  

8. Creamy tomatillo Dressing is another great addition when drizzled over everything.