![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/images\/tortada1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nTaco Bell likes to keep things fresh. I’m not talking about their food, of course. That would be ridiculous. I’m referring to their constant stream of new menu items that can range from mildly delicious to head-scratchingly bizarre. I’m looking at you, Black Jack Taco<\/a>.<\/p>\n I appreciate their moxie, though. It takes some creativity to take five core ingredients and find different ways to repackage them as a new product. Their latest attempt has resulted in two new products: Taco Bell Tortadas. One is Salsa Roja flavored, and the other is Bacon Ranch.<\/p>\n I had the exact same thought that Marvo did when he wrote his Week in Reviews post<\/a> — Taco Bell had made up the word “tortada.” It’s not like it would be the first time<\/a>. Again, like Marvo, I immediately ran to Google and was surprised to discover that, no, tortada is a real thing. This mildly disappointed me, because I really wanted to say that Taco Bell making up the word tortada is tortarded. Reality is fucking with my puns. You could say I’ve been pun<\/i>ished.<\/p>\n There. I feel better now.<\/p>\n “Pie” or “tart,” which are the English translations of the word “tortada,” are not the first words that come to mind, looking at Taco Bell’s Tortada. I’d say they look more like pita pockets. They should have called them Torpitas! No, no, that’s terrible. That’s tortarded.<\/p>\n I decided to try the Salsa Roja variety, since Bacon Ranch has already been covered by other blogs, like Brand Eating<\/a> and We Rate Stuff<\/a>. Branching out into the world of bacon and ranch is a fairly new thing for Taco Bell, so I’ll throw them a little props for expanding their ingredient list. I will say, though, that anything “Bacon Ranch” doesn’t exactly scream “Mexican food” to me. Of course, Taco Bell in general doesn’t scream “Mexican food” at all, so hey. Go for it, guys. Don’t let hundreds of years of an entire country’s well-established culinary cultural heritage hold you back.<\/p>\n Salsa Roja sounds decidedly more authentic. Taco Bell describes it as “A warm flour tortilla loaded with fire-grilled marinated all-white meat chicken, crisp shredded lettuce, fiesta salsa, flavorful salsa roja, and a blend of three cheeses \u00e2\u20ac\u201c cheddar, pepper jack, and mozzarella, all grilled together hot and toasty.”<\/p>\n Sounds tasty. Fiesta Salsa AND salsa roja? Taco Bell knows the way to my heart is through multiple condiments. For any of you extreme gringos out there, “salsa roja” translates to “red sauce.” Try not to fall out of your chair in shock. With a translation that vague, the flavor could go dozens of different ways. Fiesta Salsa is often used in Taco Bell’s “Fresco” menu, which is a collection of items that supposedly won’t cause your arteries to immediately clog, unlike the rest of their menu. So when you think Fiesta Salsa, think less picante and more pico de gallo.<\/p>\n At $3.29, the Tortadas are one of the more expensive items on Taco Bell’s menu, but when you pick one up you’ll find it has some surprising heft. The smell is enticing; there’s nothing quite like the scent of warm tortillas, and the Tortada adds a hint of cheese and spice to really make it inviting.<\/p>\n There’s the innards, right there. As you can see, there’s no shortage of chicken. I really expected the lettuce to be limp, since it is apparently cooked with the rest of the ingredients, but I found it to be an interesting, crunchy contrast to the meatiness of the chicken, which was indeed plentiful, and surprisingly tender. The cheese was indeed melty, although I didn’t really detect any pepper jack. It just tasted like general cheesy gooeyness. The Fiesta Salsa also added a nice texture contrast and a fresh burst of tomato and onion.<\/p>\n What’s most surprising about this Tortada is that the ingredient that gives it its name, the salsa roja, is almost undetectable. You can detect a little bit of spicy kick that must come from the sauce, but you can’t really distinguish its flavor in the food. I found this most disappointing, because I was really looking forward to getting a good taste of the salsa roja. I thought it might have a nice enchilada sauce flavoring, but instead I got pretty much nothing.<\/p>\n The Taco Bell Salsa Roja Tortada is a decent-sized meal and has decent flavor, but it doesn’t live up to the chain’s ambitious description of their new menu item. The chicken is tasty, the Fiesta Salsa adds a nice, bright flavor, but all the cheeses taste the same and you can’t taste the salsa roja at all, which, if the name is any indication, is supposed to be the star of the show. It’s a tasty, fulfilling meal, and seems like it would be a good choice if you’re eating on the go, but it just doesn’t live up to Taco Bell’s claims. My salsa roja hopes were Tortadashed.<\/p>\n (Nutrition Facts – 1 Tortada (268 grams) – 480 calories, 130 calories from fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 14 grams of total fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,860 milligrams of sodium, 60 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 5 grams of sugars and 30 grams of protein.)<\/small><\/p>\n Item:<\/b> Taco Bell Salsa Roja Tortada Taco Bell likes to keep things fresh. I’m not talking about their food, of course. That would be ridiculous. I’m referring to their constant stream of new menu items that can range from mildly delicious to head-scratchingly bizarre. I’m looking at you, Black Jack Taco. I appreciate their moxie, though. It takes some creativity to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1477,1519],"class_list":["post-6212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-fast-food","tag-taco-bell"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34359,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2019\/01\/21\/spotted-taco-bell-shredded-cheeses\/","url_meta":{"origin":6212,"position":0},"title":"SPOTTED: Taco Bell Shredded Cheeses","author":"Marvo","date":"January 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"For all the things Taco Bell has done with corn and tortilla shells for its restaurants, I'm really surprised it hasn't done more with the cheeses it offers. Maybe these will convince them otherwise. (Spotted by Karri F at Meijer.) Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you\u2019re out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Taco-Bell-7-Layer-Blend-Shredded-Cheese.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Taco-Bell-7-Layer-Blend-Shredded-Cheese.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Taco-Bell-7-Layer-Blend-Shredded-Cheese.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Taco-Bell-7-Layer-Blend-Shredded-Cheese.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Taco-Bell-7-Layer-Blend-Shredded-Cheese.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53812,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2022\/11\/07\/spotted-taco-bell-mild-and-hot-seasoned-taco-shells\/","url_meta":{"origin":6212,"position":1},"title":"SPOTTED: Taco Bell Mild and Hot Seasoned Taco Shells","author":"Marvo","date":"November 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This is nice and all, but salsa verde seasoned taco shells would've been nice too. Or volcano sauce seasoned taco shells? (Spotted by @TheSock334 at Walmart.)","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/tbhotseatacoshells.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/tbhotseatacoshells.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/tbhotseatacoshells.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/tbhotseatacoshells.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/tbhotseatacoshells.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15136,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2013\/07\/31\/quick-review-taco-bell-cantina-double-steak-quesadilla\/","url_meta":{"origin":6212,"position":2},"title":"QUICK REVIEW: Taco Bell Cantina Double Steak Quesadilla","author":"Marvo","date":"July 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Purchased Price: $6.59 Size: N\/A Purchased at: Taco Bell Rating: 7 out of 10 Pros: Bigger than I thought it would be (12 inch tortilla that makes my hands look small). Lots of steak and cheese. Tender steak. Salsa has a nice flavor that goes well with the quesadilla and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taco Bell Cantina Double Steak Quesadilla","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2877\/9408780963_a50a1eb4cf.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7473,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2010\/10\/12\/review-taco-bell-xxl-chalupa-fire-roasted-border-salsa-verde-border-salsa\/","url_meta":{"origin":6212,"position":3},"title":"REVIEW: Taco Bell XXL Chalupa, Fire-Roasted Border Salsa & Verde Border Salsa","author":"Kelley","date":"October 12, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"> XXL Chalupa Described by Taco Bell's website as \"A double-sized Chalupa shell packed with seasoned ground beef, crispy lettuce, tomatoes, real cheddar cheese and nacho cheese sauce, red strips and topped with reduced fat sour cream,\" the XXL Chalupa flies in the face of common sense and the recommendations\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taco Bell XXL Chalupa and Border Salsas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4086\/5074380765_12a23fe6f1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":59102,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2023\/11\/03\/taco-bell-toasted-breakfast-tacos-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":6212,"position":4},"title":"REVIEW: Taco Bell Toasted Breakfast Tacos","author":"Marvo","date":"November 3, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm not a morning person, so please forgive me that my head was foggy enough that I forgot to grab breakfast salsa packets with these new Taco Bell Toasted Breakfast Tacos. Sure, it was 9:45 in the morning when most people's brains are functioning somewhat properly, but mine was not.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/tbtoastedbftaco1-600x450.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/tbtoastedbftaco1-600x450.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/tbtoastedbftaco1-600x450.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77779,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2026\/05\/27\/taco-bell-cantina-chicken-mexican-pizza-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":6212,"position":5},"title":"REVIEW: Taco Bell Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza","author":"James","date":"May 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Taco Bell understands that true innovation isn\u2019t accomplished in broad strokes, but mild refinements. The Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza is proof of this. This fusion of the Cantina brand with the Mexican Pizza works wonderfully, to the point I\u2019d contend it\u2019s one of the best things you\u2019ll find in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taco Bell Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza with the sauces","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/tobcanchimexpiz1-600x450.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/tobcanchimexpiz1-600x450.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/tobcanchimexpiz1-600x450.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6212\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/images\/tortada2.jpg\")
<\/center> <\/p>\n
\nPrice:<\/b> $3.29
\nSize:<\/b> 1 Tortada
\nPurchased at:<\/b> Taco Bell
\nRating:<\/b> 7 out of 10
\nPros:<\/b> Tender, plentiful chicken. High portability. Tortada puns. Fiesta Salsa brings bright flavor. Moxious fast food maneuvers. Miraculously crisp lettuce.
\nCons:<\/b> Salsa roja not actually detectable in Salsa Roja Tortada. Finding out tortada is a real word. Cheeses are indistinguishable. People who think Taco Bell is actually Mexican food. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"