Well-known fact about me: I create healthy food recipes for a living, but I really love trashy food. I basically became a healthy cookbook author because I wanted to make all of the chain-restaurant menu items from my childhood better for me. And these Healthy Chili’s Southwestern Egg Rolls are the ultimate example (they’re vegetarian, optionally vegan, and baked, not fried—and they’re just beyond delicious).
Chili’s was one of my favorite restaurants as a kid (second only to Applebee’s and Chevy’s), and I still hit them up whenever I’m in an airport—which is how I can say confidently that these are actually better than the original Southwestern Egg Rolls, and they’ll make you FEEL way better too.
They’re also pretty dang easy to make, and you can freeze any leftovers for a quick nosh throughout the week (in case you didn’t know, I’m a huge fan of make-ahead meals like these customizable breakfast burritos and these soba noodles that are perfect for a WFH lunch).
Fill ’em up!
To make the filling, you basically just toss your fresh veggies in a skillet for 10 minutes, add your frozen veg, black beans, spices and cheese (or skip the cheese—they’re just as good without). Once everything’s cooked, spoon your filling into your tortillas, and do your best to wrap your burritos into cute little veggie-packed egg rolls, and bake!
Did I mention the sauce?!
Obviously these wouldn’t live up to the original Chili’s Southwestern Egg Rolls without a side of avocado ranch, so I made a healthier version of that too. All you need is a very-ripe avocado, unsweetened yogurt (again, dairy-free or dairy-full—doesn’t matter) and a handful of spices. Stir it all together to your personal level of smooth or chunkiness, and get ready to dunk your rolls.
Watch it being made!
Enjoy, and tag me if you make it on Instagram (@lizmoody)—I can’t wait to see!
PrintHealthy Chili’s Southwestern Egg Rolls
Ingredients
Southwestern Egg Rolls
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 15 ounce can canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup frozen spinach
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup pasture raised cheddar or pepper jack (totally optional; they’re great either way)
- Avocado oil, to cook
- Fine-grain sea salt
- 10 soft taco-sized tortillas (use Siete Foods for grain-free)
Avocado Ranch Dressing
- 1 very-ripe avocado, mashed
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened yogurt of choice
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat a drizzle of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, yellow onion and a big pinch of salt. Cook until edges turn brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add corn, beans, spinach, green onion and spices; cook for 10 more minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and add cheese if using.
- Toss one tortilla in the oven at a time for 30 seconds or so, until they’re just warm and pliable. Add a line of filling and roll like a burrito.
- Repeat on remaining tortillas, placing seam side down on a parchment-lined pan. Brush with avocado oil and bake for about 20 minutes, until bottoms are brown. Flip and cook for 5-10 more minutes, until both sides are even.
- While your burritos bake, make your dressing by combining all ingredients in a bowl and stirring together. Or, for a smoother sauce, add all ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth.
- Cut the egg rolls on the diagonal (Chili’s style), and serve with the avocado ranch!
