This recipe is for when you can’t decide between a quesadilla and a burrito. Just have them both, together! And that’s how the ultimate meat and cheese quesarito recipe is born.

Though not invented by Taco Bell, the quesarito was certainly made famous when they released it back in 2014. And it really just makes sense. Instead of just making a burrito with a plain tortilla, make a burrito using a quesadilla as the delicious cheesy vessel to roll everything up.

This copycat Taco Bell recipe is surprisingly simple to make. There are a few ways you can customize the recipe. But it’s not as hard as you might think to recreate the meal you are used to getting from the drive-thru.

This is my recipe for the ultimate meat and cheese quesarito, which you can enjoy for dinner whenever you’d like. Here’s how to make it at home.

Prep the Quesarito Recipe Fillings

We’re going to make our copycat quesarito recipe using a few other recipes from the site to help us out. If you have another favorite recipe for some of these fillings, then feel free to make those instead.

But, of course, I feel like mine are pretty darn good.

Starting with the ground beef. This was my sort of copycat recipe of Taco Bell’s ground beef. Though it is very much a homemade version. So what better recipe to use than this simple ground beef taco meat?

Next, make some Mexican rice. I made this recipe for Mexican rice in the rice cooker. That way it is very simple to prepare and takes a little less babysitting than traditional rice cooking. But it still packs a ton of flavor.

For a bit of sauce and flavor, prepare some chipotle crema using mostly sour cream and canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

I’ve not included them in my recipe, but pan-fried potato bites could also make a wonderful addition. Just chop, parboil, and then pan-fry them up with some seasonings for another tasty filling.

So, once you’ve got the beef, rice, and sauce ready to go, it’s time to make the quesadilla. 

Build the Quesadilla Shell

Now, we’re going to build our quesadilla.

Start with a large, hot skillet and the biggest tortillas you can get your hands on. The huge tortillas will make a large quesadilla that will be easier to roll and fold up all your fillings.

Toss one tortilla into the pan. Then add an even layer of shredded cheese and a layer of nacho cheese. Note that I just kind of plopped the nacho cheese around. Then when I put the other tortilla on top, I figured that would spread things around evenly.

For the cheese, I suggest choosing one of the following high-moisture melting cheeses: Oaxaca, asadero, queso quesadilla, Monterey Jack, and Colby Jack. However, you can use whatever cheese you prefer to make this. You can even use a mix of different cheeses. I used a mix of Monterey Jack, cheddar, asadero, and queso quesadilla cheese.

Also, know that shredding your own cheese straight off the block is better than pre-shredded cheese in most cases. Pre-shredded stuff usually has added anti-caking things in it that make it a little more difficult to get that perfect melt. But, it definitely isn’t a make-or-break, especially for this recipe. It is more important for cheese sauces like making homemade mac and cheese.

But, perfectly melting cheese is what we aim for in a quesadilla.

Assemble Your Quesarito Recipe

Once the quesadilla is made, gather all of the other ingredients around so we can get to assembling our copycat recipe.

With the quesadilla laid out flat on a plate, start filling it with meat, beans, rice, sour cream, nacho cheese, and chipotle crema. I just kind of randomly piled the fillings in and tried to mix them around a bit so that I don’t get one pocket of a single filling.

Place the ingredients a few inches in from the outer edge. And group the filling on one side of an imaginary diameter of the quesadilla. This will all make it easier to fold and roll the burrito.

Do not overfill the tortilla! That is typically the biggest issue when it gets time to fold it all up. I know all of the ingredients are delicious and so it can be hard to use restraint. But fight the urge to overfill and it will be better in the end. In my opinion, the tortilla looks a little bit empty still when there’s enough room to properly fold it.

Once filled, it’s time to actually roll up your quesarito properly to make sure nothing falls out. Use this guide on how to fold your burrito. It’s one of my most popular pages on the site because it really is a pretty simple step-by-step guide.

Garnish and Serve Your Quesarito

You don’t have to limit yourself just to what goes inside the copycat quesarito recipe. Add some toppings or garnishes to lend even more flavor to this dish.

Use lettuce, sour cream, crema, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, cilantro, and fresh lime wedges to top it off. You can also drizzle the chipotle crema over top, or try adding some pickled red onions to the mix for a bright, vinegary flavor. Have some beans, rice, street corn, or frijoles charros on the side to complete the meal.

In the end, it’s really about making this your own and deciding what you’d love most inside, on top, and on the side.

And there you have it! You’ve just made the ultimate meat and cheese quesarito recipe.

If you’re feeling like it, try making some Mexican desserts for when you’ve finished your meal. Fried ice cream, churros with dipping sauces, homemade flan, or tres leches cake would each make a delicious dessert.

If you’re looking for something similar to this recipe, check out these other burritos:

• Fully Loaded Breakfast Burrito
• Fried Baja Shrimp Burrito

Whatever you make, enjoy your next meal and let me know how it went.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try making a quesarito at home! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Ultimate Meat and Cheese Quesarito (Taco Bell Copycat)

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Lunch, DinnerDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

50

minutes

Burrito or quesadilla? Don’t make a decision, just have both with this ultimate quesarito recipe. It’s a Taco Bell copycat recipe that’s easy to make and tastes amazing!

Ingredients

• 10 large flour tortillas

• 3 cups shredded cheese (see above for best varieties)

• 15 ounce can nacho cheese

• 2 pounds ground beef taco meat

• 2 cups Mexican rice

• 16 ounce can refried beans

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 cup chipotle crema

Directions

• Add a tortilla to a large frying pan over medium heat
• Spread a layer of shredded cheese and nacho cheese onto the tortilla
• Place another tortilla on top of the layer of cheeses and let it heat until the cheese has nearly melted then flip it over to finish cooking until everything is melted
• Repeat steps 1-3 to prep all of the quesadillas
• With the quesadillas done, add layers of beef, beans, rice, nacho cheese, sour cream, and chipotle crema to the lower half of the quesadilla
• Fold in the sides, fold up the bottom and then roll the burrito up, see burrito folding instructions if needed
• Garnish and serve as desired

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Rice is one of the simplest building blocks for recipes. It is almost infinitely adaptable to whatever your dish needs. From homemade risotto to sweet rice pudding, it can be a main dish, side dish, or dessert. And so, it is the perfect base for the mouthwatering mix of flavors that make up this rice cooker Mexican rice recipe.

Mexican cuisine is famous for being savory, spicy, and full of flavor. It has a huge selection of foods ranging from tacos, quesadillas, and tortas to enchiladas and burritos. But, one of its many commonalities is that nearly every dish is accompanied by a side of rice and beans.

They just pair so well with everything, that there’s no reason not to have them as a tasty side dish.

However, I don’t want to just settle for plain rice on the side.

So, it is time to mix it up. Combine the rice with lots of powerful seasoning ingredients to make the flavors pop. Then cook it in a mix of water and chicken stock to let it simmer in even more flavor. It is all about building cohesive flavors for a unique final side dish.

Here is how I make my favorite rice recipe every time – and it’s a breeze!

What is Mexican Rice?

Mexican rice is a popular dish in northern and central Mexico and the southwest United States.

Put simply, Mexican rice is seasoned, cooked rice. To season the rice, it is first toasted in vegetable oil. Then garlic and onion or shallot are added to the mix.

Then it is cooked with tomato paste, tomato bouillon, chicken broth, water, and chili powder. It is usually served with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream. It is usually served as a side to other dishes, such as tacos, burritos, or enchiladas.

You can try mixing it up by adding in minced cilantro, beans, lime juice, or anything else that seems like it would fit within the mix of flavors.

It can also be referred to by the names Spanish rice (though it definitely doesn’t come from Spain), arroz rojo (red rice), or arroz Mexicano.

Why I Use a Rice Cooker

Learning how to cook rice is an important kitchen skill. But when you are making a meal and handling multiple things at once, sometimes it is easier to pop things into a rice cooker and let it handle most of the cooking and timing for you.

Making this rice cooker Mexican rice does not mean that you just dump everything into the rice cooker and then forget about it until dinner time. It still needs some time and attention. Especially with this preparation of rice cooker Mexican rice, since we will be adding in more than just rice and water.

I love cooking with a rice cooker.

Besides prepping everything beforehand, I find that it can take some effort after the rice cooker has finished cooking. I usually will lift up the lid, try to fluff and turn all of the rice over and check the moisture level. Sometimes it needs a little extra water, sometimes I need to leave the lid open so it can steam off extra liquid.

You can kind of set it and forget it, but make sure to check it out and fluff it up before serving.

I have used this Aroma Housewares rice cooker for at least 5 years.

Preparing the Rice Ingredients

The first step to making Mexican rice is to rinse the rice until the water is clear. Then mince the garlic and shallot and measure out all of the other ingredients to have your mise en place. With everything ready to go, it’s time to toast the rice.

If you can toast the rice directly in the rice cooker, then I would recommend going that route. I kind of was able to trick the rice cooker into letting me sautee the rice, garlic, and shallot together in the vegetable oil. If you can’t, then just toast it in a saucepan first and then transfer everything into the rice cooker to cook the rice.

I also decided to add the tomato bouillon, tomato paste, and chili powder to the mixture and sauteeing for a bit before adding the liquids.

Then add the water and chicken stock, give it a good stir, and set the rice cooker to cook.

What to Serve with Mexican Rice

Unless you are making fried rice or risotto, rice is usually not served by itself. It is typically accompanied by some other food or protein to help turn it into a full meal.

And so, try this rice recipe out as a side for any Mexican or Tex-Mex dish. I find that it goes well with all of the following recipes:

• Fried Baja Shrimp Burrito
• Ground Beef Taco Meat
• Taco Bell Copycat Quesarito

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this rice cooker Mexican rice! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Rice Cooker Mexican Rice

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

This is a very easy and flavorful rice recipe for the rice cooker. This quick, simple, and mostly hands-off side dish will be great for your next meal.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 cups rice, washed

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 small shallot, minced

• 4 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 tablespoons tomato bouillon

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 2 cups water

Directions

• Add the oil to either a hot rice cooker or saucepan, then add the rice and toast it for 3 to 4 minutes
• Add the garlic and shallot to the rice and continue to sautee until the shallot is partially translucent, about 5 minutes
• Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir them together until well combined, if you were using a saucepan then pour everything into the rice cooker
• With everything combined in the rice cooker, start the cooker according to its directions
• When the rice cooker has finished, fluff the rice and serve it

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Get ready for some stirring. The real trick for how to make risotto is all about constantly stirring things around. As long as you have the time to dedicate to standing in front of the stove with little distraction, it is a simple recipe. So get out a nice stirring spoon or spatula and try your hand at risotto.

For a more hands-off rice recipe, take a look at my rice cooker Mexican rice.

The simplest of risottos are just stock and rice. For this recipe, I embellish a bit more than that, but not by much. With just seven total ingredients, you wouldn’t expect the dish to have such a good flavor profile. But many times simpler is better.

It is worth it to make your own homemade chicken stock for this recipe. A homemade broth will have so much more flavor than a generic boxed one. Don’t get me wrong, I love using store-bought stock. But when it is such an important part of the dish, it does take it to the next level to make your own.

All About That Rice

The type of rice used to make risotto is very important. Use high-starch short-grain rice to get the right texture. The two recommended varieties are Carnaroli and Arborio rice. Both are high-starch varieties. The more common long-grain rice varieties won’t make a risotto.

It all has to do with how risotto is made. The rice cooks in the broth and releases starch. This thickens the stock and turns into a creamy sauce that, combined with the now cooked rice, becomes risotto.

To make risotto, heat olive oil in a pan and sauté a shallot (Step #1). Use onion as a substitute for shallot if needed. Then add in the rice, stir to coat, and cook for a couple of minutes (Step #2). However, make sure not to let the rice brown. Add a cup of hot chicken stock to the rice and stir (Step #3). Continue stirring and stirring so that nothing sticks to the bottom. When the rice has absorbed nearly all of the broth, add another cup and stir again.

Repeat the process of adding stock and stirring until the rice comes to the right texture (Step #4). The texture of a good risotto should be just a little past an al dente pasta. There will be a bit of bite to the rice still – you don’t want to cook it into a pile of mush that could be slurped up a straw. After it is cooked, turn the heat off and stir in the parmesan cheese (Step #5).

Ladle a bit more stock into the risotto and give it a good stir if it gets too thick after adding the parmesan. Now you have a finished risotto (Step #6). Make sure to plate it and serve while warm so it doesn’t lose steam and over-thicken.

Optional Risotto Ingredients

This basic risotto recipe is delicious itself as a side dish. But it can easily be transformed with other proteins, herbs, and spices to become something else. It is a great template from which you can experiment to find something that you truly love.

For proteins, add cooked shrimp, grilled chicken, or sautéed mushrooms after you have stirred in the parmesan cheese. Other flavors can be added to the mix. Saffron is a common addition for its color and signature flavor – this is called risotto alla milanese. Various wines can also be used in the cooking process. Use about 1/2 cup and replace the white wine vinegar that starts off the rice cooking process.

Note that you will want to have proteins and vegetables cooked prior to adding to the risotto. In most cases, it doesn’t make sense to try and cook them within the risotto itself. Most spices and dried herbs would be added towards the start of the cooking process to release flavors while it simmers. Fresh herbs would be introduced with the parmesan cheese, or as a topping while plating.

I have seen some online recipes for ‘sweet risottos’ but those really fall under the rice pudding category in my opinion. Rice puddings are similar in that you cook starchy rice in a liquid (typically milk) but they are sweet.

However you flavor it, risotto provides the perfect creamy texture as a side dish and is an excellent canvas for your creativity.

How to Make Risotto

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Entrees, SidesDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

55

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Let’s make risotto – a traditional Italian method of cooking rice in chicken stock to create deep flavor from simple ingredients

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 cups chicken stock

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/3 cup chopped shallot

• 2 cups Arborio rice

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

• 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Heat the chicken stock in a large saucepan over medium-low heat
• In a separate frying pan with deep sides, heat the olive oil on medium heat
• Add the shallot, stir it into the oil, and let it cook while stirring for a few minutes until it starts to become translucent
• Pour the rice into the pan, stir to coat it in the oil, and cook for two minutes while stirring – do not let the rice brown
• Add the white wine vinegar to the rice and cook while stirring until the liquid is almost gone
• Stir one cup of the hot chicken stock from the saucepan into the rice
• Continue stirring constantly until nearly all of the liquid is gone
• Repeat steps 6-7 with the remaining chicken stock until the rice is cooked through to the right texture – a little past al dente, not mushy
• Remove the rice from the heat, add the parmesan cheese and salt, and stir to combine
• The finished risotto should still flow a bit if stirred around and not hold its shape, if it doesn’t flow, then add a ladle or two of chicken stock and stir to combine until it is the right consistency

Notes

• If you run out of stock and the rice is still not done, then water can be used to take it to the right texture without affecting the flavor much

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