Several months ago, my husband was pining for a stack from Moe's Southwest. We couldn't really justify the $35 trip to get everyone a meal at Moe's and still be hungry afterwards, though. After a bit of googling and a quick trip to the grocery store, we gave it a shot. With some trial, error, and realism added (so many failed cheese-sauce attempts), I've got the hang of it. Now it takes me about twenty minutes to have 7 stacks done, with plenty of supplies for later!
Ingredients:
2 pouches velveeta cheese SAUCE (these have been found in the Portage Wal-Mart and Schoolcraft Hardings so far). Original or queso blanco
1 package tostadas
1 package of the biggest flour tortilla shells you can find
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese-- if it's room-temp, that's perfect for later step
Optional: This is where you get to the customization part. Whatever you like on a taco, put on these! We use:
1 can black beans
Meat (for us, that's shredded bbq chicken that has been in the crockpot since the morning. Set it and forget it!)
Faux Meat (Gardein Chicken Teriyaki is amazing and the sauce blends with the cheese and guac and ugh so goooood)
Guacamole
The key is to not make it too thick. Otherwise, the tortilla may tear or you don't have enough tortilla to cover and wrap it!
You're gonna start to layer it up like this in the middle of the tortilla:
Tortilla shell
~1tbsp of cheddar cheese
Tostada
Meat
Beans
Queso
Spread guac in a thin layer on another tostada, then put it guac-down on top of the pile
Bit more cheddar cheese
Now, before you start wrapping it up, grab your most non-stick skillet and heat up some oil in it. I'm talking like half a cup of oil. If these stick it's a huge pain (though they are still delicious. Just messier). When it's nice and warm, you're ready to go.
Here is Taco Bell's official e-learning video on wrapping a crunchwrap. You may still see some of the cheese and tostada in the middle, and that's okay! You can put a little more cheese on that spot-- when it melts, it'll glue it all together. This is why having it room-temp works great: you can stick it together while you put it on the pan!
Put it on the pan cheese-down. The first one, like in pancakes, will take the longest. When the cheese is evenly crisp, flip it over with a spatula and lightly brown the other side. Put it on a paper towel to get the extra oil off. Enjoy!
Seriously. These are SO SO easy, delicious, and cheap! I'll save the ingredients leftover and usually make myself one the next day for lunch. Not a lot of dishes used!
Note: if you like guac and plan to save a stack for the next day, don't put the guac on the stack. Instead, add in one of those mini tubs to your lunchbox and spread it on top the next day.
My husband is a grocery manager and actually started carrying both tostadas and the giant flour shells just so we wouldn't have to go to Meijer to get them! XD
These are a once-per-week treat that the whole family loves! My husband gets the works, I love the teriyaki faux chicken version, and Oli will chow down on a meat'n'cheese stack. You can even do minis with circle tortilla chips and regular burrito tortillas! Have fun and let me know what you think!