Taco Bell Bean Burrito
Calories & Nutrition

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

One of the most delightful one-meal, hand-held food selections in the burrito.

How to Build a Healthy Burrito

It can be build in a number of ways - from plain beans in a soft, warm whole grain tortilla shell to a combination of beans, extra lean ground beef, salsa, peppers - including authentic jalapeno, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, shredded low fat cheeses, steamed or Spanish style rice, low in fat sour cream and shredded lettuce.

Seasonings such as the following are also used often in the combo: table salt, ground chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, ground pepper, cayenne pepper and fresh or dried cilantro.

As long as all of the ingredients are prepared using reduced fat methods, one burrito recipe should come out quite well-rounded in caloric content as well as in positive nutritional values.

We'll share one of our favorite original burrito recipes below but before doing such, let's talk about Taco Bell's Bean version.

At almost 400 calories, it is pushing the envelope for dieters, but it can certainly fit into a healthy weight loss plan as long as any accompanying side dishes are kept to a minimum.

We recommend ordering a healthy side salad; if the restaurant that you visit doesn't offer such, then simply request a side of shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and onions.

Our Delicious, Original Recipe

Use flour tortilla shells that are low in caloric values. If possible, start with an 80 calorie shell and either heat it in the microwave and fill with the following recipe ingredients or fill and then cook it in a non-stick pan on the stove top using cooking spray until it is golden brown on both sides.

Some individuals prefer the softer shell while others enjoy the crisp golden brown texture; and fortunately - this low calorie recipe can be prepared using either method.

The Healthy Ingredients

1/2 cup of heated seasoned refried or smashed beans*
1/4 cup of chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup of chopped onions
1/4 cup of shredded reduced fat cheese, Mexican style works great
1/4 cup of fresh chopped cilantro

Spread the beans on one side of the shell. Top with the remaining ingredients. Cook as outlined above depending on whether you like your shell hard or soft. Serve with a side salad.

You can also add any of the ingredients that were mentioned at the beginning of this article to personalize the recipe.

*If the beans lack seasonings, simply add ground chili powder to them along with your other favorite seasonings. OR you can use your favorite seasoning packet for tacos or fajitas - but in this situation, you will need to season more than 1/2 cup of beans with the packet or they will be over-seasoned.

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