Taco Bell Menu Adds Two New Takes On a Modern Classic

Taco Bell does not confine itself to what would be traditionally defined as traditional Mexican food. Instead, it uses the flavors and ingredients made popular in that cuisine and openly riffs on it to create new ideas entirely.

Some of these are both bold and familiar. A Mexican Pizza isn't an unfamiliar dish when you look at its ingredients, but it's also not something you saw before the Yum Brands (YUM) chain added it to menus (then took it off, then brought it back, and now finally, has brought it back for good.

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Taco Bell's willingness to do the unconventional (or "think outside the bun," as it said in its commercials for years allows it more freedom than McDonald's (MCD), Wendy's (WEN), and Restaurant Brands International's (QSR) Burger King. Those chains largely stay within what customers expect.

Burger King has been sort of inventive with its Chicken Fries, but those are really just a nugget in a different shape. Wendy's offers chili, that's sort of unique, but it's really just a novel way to get a second life out of old hamburgers. McDonald's, of course, has McPizza and McSpgahetti in its distant past, but it's most novel recent efforts has been Mighty Wings, an uninspired take on a fried chicken wing.

Taco Bell has been by far the most innovative chain and that allowed it to make something that burger chains basically own -- french fries -- and make it its own. Now, the innovative eatery has a new take on its Nacho fries that it's also using in a clever secondary way.

Taco Bell has tried a variety of versions of Nacho Fries.
Image source: Taco Bell

Taco Bell Menu Adds a New Kind of Nacho Fries

One of the smartest things Taco Bell has been able to do is take a new sauce or topping and use it to make multiple new products. That's what the chain is doing with its new Steak Chile Verde Fries which are available through June 28 (or until supplies run out.

Basically, the new fries are the old fries with the addition of steak and Taco Bell's new Chile Verde sauce that "incorporates jalapeño, lime, and zesty herbs." the company shared in a press release. The sauce gets poured over the crispy, spiced fries "along with Taco Bell’s signature warm nacho cheese sauce, three cheese blend, reduced fat sour cream, crunchy Fiesta strips, and marinated and grilled steak.

The new Steak Chile Verde Fries cost $4.49, although prices may vary by location.

"Our Food Innovation team wanted to create layers of flavors for Nacho Fries, and we’re proud of the boldness of the new Chile Verde sauce. You can really taste the balanced pops of lime, garlic, and jalapeño in the sauce and it’s the perfect pairing for our beloved Nacho Fries,” shared Taco Bell Chief Food Innovation Officer Liz Matthews.

Taco Bell Adds More Menu Choices As Well

Taco Bell will also make the Chile Verde Fries with other toppings. You can request any proteins the chain is selling, and while those aren't official menu items, you should be able to order them.

In addition. Taco Bell also offers vegetarian variations which can involve just not including the meat or adding beans to the dish.

And, in classic Taco Bell fashion, the chain is using its new sauce and its fries to make an entirely different product.

"Fans can also try the Steak Chile Verde Fries Burrito, consisting of the same flavors and ingredients as the Steak Chile Verde Fries, but wrapped in a warm tortilla for $3.99," the company shared on its website.

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