Back where we lived in NW Indiana, there is a small restaurant chain called, “Hacienda“. It wasn’t long after we moved there that we continuously heard, not only the name of the restaurant, but also their “famous specialty”, come up in conversation within every group of people and establishment we happened to be in. Mention the name “Hacienda“, whether in line at the local corner grocery store or amongst 3,000 people at a local venue for a sporting event, all heads would turn and agree that it was THE PLACE to go check out!
Well, they were right. Craving their food in the middle of the night right! It truly was a fun place to go, and their famous “Wet Burritos” that everyone suggested, were something to behold and taste with your very own eyes!! They were incredibly huge, (that ultimately, and most happily, fed me for three days), but what surprised me the most were several elements and the way that they were presented, which I’ll explain in a bit. 😉
I fell in love with one of their very first establishments in Michigan City, Indiana, and went to one of their other ones in South Bend as well. I especially loved the one in Michigan City, though, as the atmosphere was like you were visiting family or having a casual get-together at a friend’s house or favorite pub full of people that you knew and were happy to see you. Yeah. It was that kind of friendly place!
I’m a “booth person”, and the hostess was happy to seat us where we were comfortable. (The feeling of being “on display” in the middle of a restaurant has never been my cup of tea. I’m likely to spill everything in my lap and wear half of my meal if I think people are watching me eat. Strange pet peeve. I know.)
The place was huge, (to accommodate the loving following of patrons), but didn’t have that “cold warehouse feeling”. It was very quaint and comfortable,warmly decorated in an authentic Mexican style, and broken up a bit into sections so that it made you feel at home. That alone was very important to me! I was already happy, which is highly unusual when it comes to most restaurants, and the food hadn’t even arrived yet!
And when it did, I wasn’t disappointed. Shocker, I know! Firstly, these burritos are HUGE. 3-day feasting huge. Secondly, I realized why they are called “Wet Burritos“! It simply means that they’re totally smothered in the secret sauce and cheese like you’ve never seen! I had died and gone to cheese heaven!
And though this sounds silly now, back then, I was very surprised that they baked the lettuce and tomato inside instead of piling it on top after baking. I really enjoyed it very much baked all together and have been doing that myself ever since.
They had wonderful flavor, and a unique “secret sauce” that I also had never had or heard of before. Everything was washed down with their amazing frozen margaritas and even their free chips and salsa made the grade!
When we moved, I knew I HAD to come up with my own version. And that I did. I think mine are every bit as good and I’m sure you’re really going to enjoy these!
This time I made them with pulled and shredded pork, but you can make them from pulled beef or chicken as well. Ground beef is equally delicious, too, so make these with whichever meat you prefer.
The seasoned pulled pork:
Assemble in reverse order as you normally would:
Fold sides over and carefully turn over onto baking plate.
Ladle the “secret sauce” nicely over the top, then PILE on the cheese. I probably used three good handfuls as you want the cheese to melt and completely smother the burrito! (*It isn’t the same if you don’t, so don’t be shy!)
Hacienda’s signature topping, is simply – 3 black olive slices. So olive slices it is! 😉
You can, of course, make these monsters smaller, but they reheat easily in the microwave and when made smaller, they just lose that whole eye-popping “WOW” factor! So I just go all out and recreate what made this whole dish so much fun in the first place. Why not, right? 😀
Then you just bake for 15 minutes, everything is heated through, and the cheese is fully melted! So the next time you’re craving Mexican take-out, but don’t happen to have a very good, if any, Mexican restaurant nearby, do keep these massive monsters in mind! You won’t be disappointed, either! 😉 Enjoy all and see you tomorrow! ~Kelly
—-> Liking the baking platter the burrito is on? Me, too!! It’s part of a set that I won from World Kitchens and works beautifully for this dish! If you’d like one, too, you can order the set here ! 😀 (I’ll tell you all about the contest in a later post! 😉 )
Disclaimer: This recipe is not Hacienda’s, but my own that I created and is my own interpretation of their “Wet Burritos“.
*My recipe for Pulled Pork. (*Can also be used for beef chuck roast or boneless chicken breasts and thighs, or a boneless turkey breast.)
*See my recipe for pulled pork in the search bar under "Route 66 Pulled Pork Manhattans". (*Do not make the gravy.)Copycat Hacienda Wet Burritos (Shredded Pork, Beef, Chicken or Ground Beef)
Ingredients
Seasoning Mix:
Secret Sauce:
Rest of ingredients:
Extra Toppings:
Instructions
Notes
**Extra beans can be used to make basic Mexican Red Beans and Rice as a side dish if desired.
***If desired, you can omit the red kidney beans and use spicy refried beans instead. Spread refried beans on tortillas first before anything else.
Made these last night with ground sirloin. They were amazing!! The family raved over the taste of the meat and the secret sauce. We are from northern Indiana and miss Hacienda. I always loved their cheese soup too. Thank you for this keeper of a recipe.
OMG! I am so happy. I crave these all the time. I am from South Bend but retired to Sun City West, AZ ten years ago. I don’t go back home very often but when I do its straight to Hacienda. Used to go at least once a week. My favorite thing is the ground beef wet burrito. I can’t believe I get to make them in my own kitchen. So so excited.
Thank you very much
Liz
I’ve been using your recipe for awhile now and these are the best burritos around! We love them!
Hello Kelly. I ran across this recipe. Can’t wait to try it, since I love Hacienda as well. I’ve lived in MC my whole life. Best of luck to you!
Oh how cool, Jennifa! 😀 And nice to meet you! Small world, isn’t it? 😀 Hope you like my recipe!! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! 🙂 (I MISS the midwest!!!)
Do you have a copycat version of Hacienda’s ranch dip?
i Was never a huge fan of Hacienda’s wet burritos, but this recipe has me craving them all the time. It’s better than the restaurant! I’ve made these at least a dozen times and will keep coming back again and again.
Awww!! Thank you, Cara!! SO happy that you enjoy them!! 😀
We still go to Hacienda in Michigan City, so I was beyond happy to have a copy cat recipe and save the trip. Other than being WAY too salty, this was a decent wet burrito, but unfortunately, nowhere near a hacienda copy cat. We’ll keep trying. 🙁
Salt is a personal thing. Some can barely taste it and add too much for most to tolerate. My ex brother-in-law was notorious for making things so salty, that NO one could eat it.
Others are overly sensitive to salt, and even the most minute amount is overpowering for sensitive tastebuds.
Luckily, my hubby and I fall about in the middle. I use less than what professional chefs use, but enough that it suits the masses.
*Just use less salt next time, as you seem to fall into the category of VERY sensitive to salt.
This was a hit!!! My parents moved to Maine to live near me and all I heard was how much they missed Hacienda!!! I made this for them and they loved it!! They said it tasted just like Hacienda!! Thank you so much!
Can’t beat a burrito! This sounds amazing and I’d make it now if i hadn’t just got back from the shops and haven’t half the ingredients 🙁 would chicken and minced beef work together? Thanks, John
Hacienda used to be my favorite restaurant; my hometown of Elkhart has one. Although we have a couple in Mishawaka (I’m not sure if there’s one in South Bend where I live…), I can no longer eat gluten, so I can’t eat there safely anymore. So, I thought I’d give your recipe a shot using GF ingredients. I used most of the ingredients you listed unless I couldn’t easily find a substitute (i.e. beef consomme; I’d have to make it myself since Campbell’s has gluten, but I didn’t have the time) and I’d say it’s a very good recipe. It still wasn’t what I remember from Hacienda, but it was very tasty! I didn’t have individual platters so I cooked them all on a single, shallow aluminum cookie sheet. In place of consomme, I used a very rich homemade chicken stock. My only regret is not putting more sauce over the burritos; I covered them, but it spread out in the pan instead of collecting around the base like it would in the baking platter. No harm done, but the sauce cooked up so nicely in the oven! Overall it was a very labor intensive meal, as I made my own pulled chicken in the crockpot the night before, but it was worth it in the end. Thank you for sharing your story and recipe.
Thank you so much for trying, and so sorry you can no longer have gluten. It must be very difficult! Glad that it worked out for you with all of the substitutes you must’ve had to make! And so happy you enjoyed!
Since the Hacienda in Lafayette, IN went out of business (I KNOW..how could it!?) I have been searching for a recipe like this. I cannot wait to try this! I don’t get up to Michigan City very much, but when I do, going to the Hacienda is a given. Now, I can stay home and make my favorite dish. Thank you very much.
You are so very welcome! SO sad it closed! Hope you enjoy my version!!
There still a kick ass Hacienda in Kokomo.
Great
Thanks, Debby! 🙂
I’m pinning this recipe. Thanks you. Where about did you live in NWI? I’m in Chesterton{ Indiana Dunes } not far from Michigan City. We always enjoyed Hacienda.
I lived in several towns, but mostly Laporte! Always loved going to Chesterton!
Can these be frozen and baked another time? Or frozen after baking?
Hi, Karen! I can certainly see why you miss those restaurants! They sound fantastic!! Since the burritos are easily assembled, I sometimes just make a double batch of the meat and freeze half of it (just the meat) to thaw and assemble another time. I’ve never assembled and frozen them, but my only worry about that would be that the shells would get soggy when they thaw. And since these have lettuce and tomato inside, the lettuce would get very watery and probably the tomatoes as well. But the meat freezes beautifully by itself. (Tortillas and shredded cheese freeze just fine, too). Hope that helps and hope that you enjoyed them! 😀
I was born and raised in Seattle/Tacoma and moved to Northern California 15 yrs ago. When we went to visit family, there was an amazing fast food type of mexican restaurant in the corner of 38th and Pine. It wasn’t a chain. Thats where I had my first wet burrito. I dream of how good it was. Another amazing and AUTHENTIC mexican place is one 4th and Pacific. They have their pork roasting right in front of you, and a gal makes the tortillas. . Lol. NOW I can make my wet burrito at home thanks to thus recipe! I made Lechon, Filipino roasted picnic roast, the night before last and made my own pinto beans and Spanish rice. So I combined all, in Dutch oven, added jalapeno, and the other seasonings in your recipe, but needed a BIT more moisture, so I added a can of diced tomatoes with green chile’s in it. I have stired it and it’s warming now, and had broken corn tortillas so I fried those up too. As soon as the burrito recipe is warmed up, I am gonna build the burrito, shred my cheese, and make the sauce! Yum! Thank you! BTW, My cousins all live in Winona Lake and my other cousins live in Waterloo.
I used to work there when I was a kid. I can tell you the recipe is really not that complicated. The shredded beef, chicken, and pork is literally just boiled it with salt and shredded it. I’m not even kidding, I was there every morning when they made it. The “wet sauce” is just a basic enchilada sauce and brown gravy mix if I remember correctly, and flour for thickening, so similar to what you have posted. It went together like this, flour tortilla, a layer of beans, meat, ench sauce, lettuce, tomato, wrap it up, more ench sauce ONE SCOOP OF CHEESE or two for a large (they were Nazis about cheese). Only a scoop and a half for “extra” (which cost a dollar for extra), and the olives on top were what was in it. 3 olives for shredded beer, and one for chicken. (At the time they didn’t offer pork). So yea, your recipe is nearly spot on. The meat probably tastes better in yours. Good job!
Thank you SO MUCH!!!! 😀 This is one of the coolest reviews and comments I’ve ever received! I had never even heard of “wet” burritos, until we were told to go there! LOVED them! Then, I tried another one of their dishes that I loved just as much, until they changed it. It wasn’t the same, and quite frankly….terrible. I was so mad and disappointed that I came home and cracked that one, too, even better. 😉 (I’ll add that one SOON). After that, we just never went back due to too many things going on, making it better at home, and then moved.
You confirmed what I always say. Restaurants make cheap food. Seriously. You really can make everything at home. And even better. 😉
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment! Meant the world to me!!
Oh, and normally, I do use spicy refried beans on the bottom, but the day that I did this for my blog, I realized that I was out. (Used my can up for a previous recipe!!) But either way seemed to produce a great wet burrito! I think I mentioned in the notes to just use either.
But yep. Tasted like the Hacienda ones, but had more flavor.
Thank you so much for sharing this Kelly, made these this evening and they were a big hit. The wet sauce is amazing.
Oh, Ana, I’m so happy to hear!! And you’re very welcome!! knowing that I’m helping families to make good food at home just makes my day!! Thrilled that you all enjoyed!! 🙂 <3
We made this tonight for dinner and it was amazing. We cut it in half since it was only 2 of us.
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Jenni! (I’d have this once a week if I could!) It’s one of my favorites! 😀 Thanks for stopping by! 😀
I live in Indiana and have been to the Hacienda in Michigan City two or three times. I love going there, such a fun atmosphere and the food is fantastic! Can’t wait to try this wet burrito, it looks delicious!
Ooohhh, I envy you! 🙂 I miss living there and going to Hacienda! They had the best food! Hope these compare and that you enjoy them as much as we do! 😀
Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe. I made them today and my hubby and nine year old daughter loved it as much as I did. This recipe has to be as good as or better than a good Mexican food restaurant. I am living in Europe now and Mexican food is hard to come by so again, thanks for sharing your recipe. Super delicious!
This is a five-star recipe.
Thank you so very much!!! So happy to hear that you all enjoyed! It’s one of our favorite Mexican dishes! Thanks for the kinds words and stopping by! 😀
Thank you for the recipe! I am still here in South Bend and go to Hacienda at least twice a month! Love their wet burrito and now I’m making them now for dinner!
Lucky you, Heather! 😀 But at least now you can make them any time that you want! 😀 There was another place in South bend I used to love, too, called BW-Wings, I think? (Buffalo Wild Wings?) Is it still there? Nice to hear from someone back home! 😀 Take care!! 😀
Lots of Buffalo Wild Wings in Indiana. 2 in Fort Wayne. Regulars call it B Dub’s. (Dub’s for the 2 w’s) Best deep-fried pickles!
Whoop whoop south bend HOOSIERS
Love wet burritos! Your next challenge should be a copy cat chips and salsa recipe like hacienda
I agree, Dolly! They sure were addictive! 😀 And I’m pretty sure that I remember what the waitress told me about how to make that as well. 😉 I’ll have to make some soon! 🙂
I have been looking for a good copy of the “wet sauce “.
The Hacienda salsa is simple.
1 28oz can Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes
1-6oz can Red Gold tomato paste
1/4 c sliced pickled jalapeños (more or less to taste)
Blend the tomatoes and jalapeños and fold in the tomato paste. That’s it. You can substitute the tomato brand but other pastes are too sweet.
Thanks, Bob!! I’ll give it a try! Thanks for stopping by! 😀
I used to love Hacienda and have never tasted another burrito like Hacienda’s famous wet burrito. since we live in the Pacific Northwest I have been looking for this recipe for ages. Thank you so much.
You’re very welcome! Hope you enjoy! 😀
You made me homesick! I am originally from a small town between South Bend and LaPorte, IN and Hacienda was always one of my favourite places to go. I now live far away from that region and I still get cravings for the food, so I am so happy to be able to recreate it at home. 🙂 Thanks!
You are so very welcome! Small world, eh?! 😀 I miss the midwest, too. We moved out here to New Jersey for my hubby’s job, and it sure is different here!!! Pretty, but the people aren’t the same. 😉 There’s no place like home!! 🙂 😉
Hey girl! This looks amazing! I am super busy with 5 kids, so I was wondering if I could throw all ingredients in a crock pot with a roast in the morning?
That would be a great way to do it, Jalenn!! 😀
What a treat these would be. Holy cow there’s a lot in there but I’m looking at the photos and drooling so I know this is for me.
Thanks, Maureen! They’re huge, I won’t kid ya! But they reheat easily in the microwave and I love to make them just like the restaurant for that “WOW” factor! 😀 Always brings smiles! 🙂 Hope you enjoy! 😀