Baked Turkey Chimichangas

Boo for blogger being down yesterday. I know all about site updates and bug fixes, but c'mon, Google developers. Did you guys not know that I made the husband really tasty chimichangas last night and really wanted to share the recipe with my 14 blog readers? Apparently not.

There may have easily been other times that Blogger has been unavailable that I blissfully missed. I know I'm not always the most consistent blogger. Honestly, I have no excuse for that except that sometimes dinner just doesn't go as planned and I'm too embarrassed to tell y'all about it. (Case in point: Tuesday night. I picked a recipe for pan-fried breaded fish. Unfortunately, the husband and I ate pan-fried fish with a side of pan-fried bread crumbs.)

 But last night I made a very quick and easy - and healthy and filling - meal that I was soooo excited about. And not that I want to pat myself on the back too much, but I even took pictures that I think are some of my best yet, thanks to PW and her awesome photo-editing tips.

So without further ado, here's my take on Christine Avanti's Turkey Chimichangas. The husband thought they were great, I thought they were great, and they were perfect for a quick weeknight meal. I think I had dinner on the table in 20 minutes. The only thing I'll do next time (at the husband's request, if you can believe that!) is to add a few vegetables to the turkey and bean mixture.

Baked Turkey Chimichangas
Inspired by Christine Avanti

5 ounces extra-lean ground turkey
1 pinch each of salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup salsa
2⁄3 cup black beans
red pepper flakes, to taste
nonstick cooking spray       
2 large whole wheat tortillas

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the turkey, seasoned with salt and pepper in a medium nonstick pan, until almost done.

While the turkey is cooking, mash the beans with a potato masher and get the rest of your ingredients ready. 

Stir in the salsa, beans and red pepper flakes and cook off any liquid from the salsa.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and lay the tortillas out flat.

Pour half of the turkey mixture into the center of each tortilla, and roll up like a burrito. 

Set your timer for 10 minutes. While the chimichangas cook, mix up some freshly chopped tomato, onion and green pepper. Season the pico de gallo with salt and pepper, and let the salsa flavors mix while the chimichangas cook.

After the chimichangas have cooked for about 10 minutes and are lightly brown and crisp to the touch, top them with fresh salsa and enjoy!