Have a hankering for something Mexican? You might want to try Burrito El Grande. In this dish, 10-inch flour tortillas are spread with refried beans, covered with a mixture of cooked ground beef, salsa and rice, then topped with shredded cheese, lettuce and chopped tomato. The tortillas are folded to enclose the filling, and served with a dollop of sour cream. They're easy to make, but each burrito contained 35 grams of fat.

For this recipe, we:

• Used very lean (93 percent or leaner) ground beef.

•  Replaced the refried beans with a fat-free variety.

•  Used fat-free tortilla shells.

•  Used Kraft 2% cheeses and reduced the amount by 25 percent.

•  Served them with a fat-free sour cream.

This rehab was a success. No one could tell which was the lower-fat version. With less than 12 grams of fat per serving, this is one burrito the whole family can enjoy.

Tip of the week: Mexican food is typically very high in sodium, and this burrito is no exception. However, our rehab contains 50-60 percent less sodium than the average restaurant burrito.

Burrito El Grande

1 pound 93 percent lean or leaner ground beef

16 ounces salsa

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup instant rice (uncooked)

16 ounces fat-free refried beans

6 fat-free flour tortillas

6 ounces shredded 2% sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 medium tomato, chopped

3/4 cup fat-free sour cream

In medium skillet, brown ground beef. Drain; blot with paper towels. Add salsa and bell pepper. Bring to boil; stir in rice. Cover; reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. In small saucepan, warm refried beans. Spread beans down center of each tortilla. Top with meat mixture, cheese, lettuce and tomato.

Fold top and bottom of tortilla about 1 inch over filling. Fold sides over to enclose filling. Serve with 2 tablespoons sour cream on top. Makes 6 servings.

Before and after

Values based on one serving (1/6 of recipe)

Burrito el Grande		Adapted Burrito el Grande
Calories	817	553
Fat	35 g	11.5 g
Carbohydrate	76 g	64 gm
Sodium	1,212 mg	1,205 mg
Fiber	7 g	6 g
Cholesterol	97 mg	63 mg
Calories from fat	42%	21%

Karen Weber, Pat Streicher and Ellen Illig are registered dieticians at Jewish Hospital's Cholesterol Center. To have your recipe rehabbed, send it to: Recipe Rehab, Jewish Hospital Cholesterol Center, 3200 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45229.