Review: Taco Bell - Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco

Taco Bell's Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco features new, braised, seasoned, shredded beef served with Creamy Jalapeño sauce inside of a fresh-fried-daily white corn taco shell (the same one they used for the Crispy Cantina Melt Taco) with a three-cheese blend (cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack) melted inside the shell and grilled on the outside of the shell. Each taco comes with warm nacho cheese sauce and savory red sauce for dipping.

I went and bought the Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco for $3.79.

Opening the wrapper yield a bit of a disappointment as the taco was rather flat (due to the grill-press required to melt the cheese) and appeared to have only a line of cheese along the seam of the taco shell. Fortunately, there was almost a complete coverage of cheese on the other side of the shell and the even layer sported an attractive browning. The browning added a toasty note to the cheese.

The shredded beef was heavily seasoned and savory with a finely shredded texture. There wasn't a lot of beef but what was there offered enough flavor to make up for it.

The shredded cheese inside the taco was only slightly melted here and there and offered a contrasting stringy texture versus the gooey cheese on the outside.

The Creamy Jalapeño sauce under the shredded cheese struggled mightily here as I really couldn't pick up on the slightly spicy, tangy, creamy quality of it against the cheese, beef, and dipping sauces.

The taco shell was delicately crispy with a thinner, more bubbled texture versus Taco Bell's normal taco shell. Additionally, it was softened by the grilled cheese (the cheese also helped hold it together) so that it was more prone to bend rather than crack when bitten into.

The dipping sauces contributed a nice variety to the taco although dipping was a bit awkward as the cups were fairly small. I basically had to take bites out of the taco to make it fit into the cup opening.

The red sauce was good for a slightly tangy, savory flavor, while nacho cheese sauce delivered a familiar, creamy, mildly-cheesy flavor. Between the two, I preferred going with the red sauce or a combination of the red sauce and nacho cheese. Dipping the nacho cheese alone felt a bit excessive with all the cheese that was already in the taco.

Taken altogether, I enjoyed Taco Bell's Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco quite a bit. I appreciated the return of crispy, white corn taco shell and the addition of the grilled cheese aspect. The new shredded beef makes for a nice addition to Taco Bell's protein options with a different texture than their ground beef or steak and a bolder flavor that would work well with their other savory menu items. They would go nicely on some nachos or in a burrito.

Nutritional Info - Taco Bell Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco - Shredded Beef
Calories - 290 (from Fat - 150)
Fat - 16g (Saturated Fat - 7g)
Sodium - 460mg
Carbs - 20g (Sugar - 1g)
Protein - 15g