Fans of the blog know that we now have a long-running series of posts that explain how to make different Taco Bell menu items at home, for cheaper, and healthier, all of which taste the same or better. We’ve covered the quesarito, burritos, chicken flatbreads, and even the quesalupa which hasn’t been released outside of Ohio yet! Well, let’s continue that tradition with another favorite, the gordita.

In Mexican cuisine, gorditas are actually closer to what we know as chalupas, since they make them using thick, fried tortillas, and are sometimes stuffed rather than folded like a taco. Nonetheless, whatever you want to call it, Taco Bell’s version of the gordita is yummy enough and ever so slightly less greasy than the rest of the shit on their menu, considering their flatbreads are not deep-fried for it. As with most of the recipes we post, you can follow it exactly if you’re looking for how to make your own gordita, or experiment a little to customize it to your preferences. Afterall that’s what you do when you go to a restaurant or fast-food joint, you can ask them to omit or add different things based on your tastes.

The best part about making it at home is it doesn’t cost an extra $1.30 for added chicken. (http://instantrimshot.com)

Homemade Taco Bell Gorditas

• 1 pita flatbread
• 2 tbsp queso sauce (or chipotle ranch, or other sauces of your choice)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup cooked chicken, shredded or sliced (or other meats, or omit for vegetarian)
• Assorted chopped veggies (tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, etc…)
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• Shredded heese of your choice (Mexican blend, cheddar, mozzarella, etc…)

1. Place your pita on a hot griddle, or in the oven at 250º and warm up for 2-3 minutes, or until it’s softened.
2. Spread the queso sauce in a thin layer all around the pita so that it covers most of it, leaving a 1″ border around the outside.
3. Add the chicken on top of the cheese in a vertical line parallel with how you want to fold your gordita in half. In other words, this bar of chicken will represent the midway point of the gordita, and will be where all the other toppings go.
4. Garnish with vegetables on top of the chicken in another layer, and then spoon the sour cream on top of this. Lastly, sprinkle the cheese on top.
5. Place the gordita back into the warm oven and let the cheese begin to melt. Remove and fold the gordita at the edges of your filling’s border, leaving about a 2″ bottom area for it and it’s ready to eat!

Serves 1 person

Of all the Taco Bell WCDIB posts, this one is one of the least involved. There’s no frying, no grilling, no real special preparation. You just take a pita, throw some toppings onto it, warm it, and it’s good to go. Simple and easy, and if you cut back on the heavy sauces, it could even be pretty healthy for you too! And ironic fun fact, gordita actually loosely translates to “little fat one” in English. So yeah, don’t go calling anyone you like  “my little gordita”, if not because of the fat implications, then because of the literary redundancy.