Dr. Gourmet's Food Reviews

evol Foods Egg & Green Chile Burrito

Egg & Green Chile Burrito and Spicy Uncured Bacon & Egg Burrito

"How nice to see actual burritos from evol."

That about sums up the panel's take on evol Foods. We were first introduced to evol back in 2011 with their Mini Burritos, and although they've branched out to other foods, from flatbreads to variations on Mac and Cheese, it's clear from a look at our body of reviews (of 30 products in all) that burritos are what they do best.

We've come to expect a soft flour tortilla, a generous amount of filling, and good flavor in those fillings, and neither of the two burritos we tested for today's review disappoint in those three areas.

We chose to review these two together today because we thought of them as "breakfast burritos," although our first review item, the Egg & Green Chile Burrito, isn't included in their listing of breakfast burritos - only the second, the Spicy Uncured Bacon & Egg Burrito, makes that list.

Not that it really matters: "A good burrito is a good burrito any time," as a panelist observed. True enough.

The Egg & Green Chile Burrito (350 calories, 500 milligrams sodium, 6 grams fiber) surprised us a little when it came out of the microwave: the tortilla puffed up as it cooked, making the whole look a little like risen bread. Unfortunately, that meant that as the tortilla cooled, the tortilla deflated and became not only tough and chewy, but even a bit crunchy in spots.

As we have come to expect from evol Foods, there's plenty of filling in these burritos so we count them as a good value as compared to the many burritos and "pockets" that are mostly breadstuffs. That said, in this particular case the filling doesn't really live up to the description. While it's labeled "Egg & Green Chile," our panel feels that in the interest of truth in advertising the dish should be termed "Potato... and Green Bell Pepper."

The overwhelming scent of the burrito is that of... "potato, with a faint green bell pepper tinge." The ingredient list bears this out, unfortunately: the first ingredient is potatoes, with a "vegetable blend" of jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, tomatillos, and carrots. They are followed by scrambled eggs, pinto beans, and cheese along with a brief variety of spices.

And the flavor, according to our panelists, is about the same: that of ("grainy") potato with "a faint green chile flavor, not necessarily tomatillo [or other chilis]." There are "bits of yellow egg" as well as diced red bell peppers and a few carrots, and the flavor of the jalapenos come in "late on the back end." It's not bad, said our panelists, but it's "not Egg & Green Chile," either. Overall we gave it a thumbs down for its emphasis on potato, not egg.

The Spicy Uncured Bacon & Egg was "much more breakfasty," said the panel (340 calories, 430 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber). This is predominantly scrambled eggs - reflected in the overall scent of the dish - in the same slightly puffy, chewy, and sometimes hard tortilla. The eggs are dotted with bacon in a tiny dice along with a few fluffy diced potatoes. While the green chiles were no more visible than those in the previous burrito, their flavor is much stronger - strong enough to overwhelm the "definite bacon flavor."

This burrito is "far more spicy" from the outset than the Egg & Chile burrito: the panel wanted me to note that although they had initially read the name of the burrito as containing "spicy bacon," the fact is that it's the overall burrito that's spicy - not just the bacon. For those who are looking for spicy scrambled eggs in a burrito, choose the Spicy Uncured Bacon & Egg rather than the Egg & Chile burrito.

Reviewed: December 22, 2017