I tried Taco Bell's new $2 burritos, and the best one had the simplest ingredients

Taco Bell recently announced it's kicking off 2022 with a new "Cravings Value Menu."

Items from Taco Bell's former dollar menu — like the Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito and the Spicy Potato Soft Taco — are still available at the same price. But the Cravings Value Menu now also features three new flavors for an extra dollar: the Beefy Melt Burrito, Fiesta Veggie Burrito, and Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito.

I've been a big supporter of Taco Bell's recent burrito additions. The chain's Grilled Cheese Burrito was one of its most exciting new menu items in years, and its follow-up with the Double Steak Grilled Cheese Burrito (and its spicy sister) was even more impressive.

So both my hopes and expectations were high when I visited my local Taco Bell this week to see how the new flavors stacked up. Would the chain be able to deliver three more home runs?

Taco Bell's new Beefy Melt Burrito includes seasoned rice, seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, fiesta strips, a three-cheese blend, and sour cream all wrapped in a warm tortilla, according to the chain's website.

Of the three new flavors, the Beefy Melt Burrito was the one I had been most excited about. Its promotional pictures reminded me of the Grilled Cheese and Double Steak Grilled Cheese Burritos, which seemed like a very good sign.

Yet unlike its predecessors, which had been oozing with cheese from the moment I unwrapped them, the Beefy Melt Burrito just looked kind of naked and average at first glance.

But like a good book, you should never judge a burrito by its cover — or, erm, tortilla. The real test, I knew, was all in the taste.

The burrito ended up being as dry as it looked. I couldn't taste the nacho cheese sauce at all and barely got any beef. At first, I thought I was given a vegetarian burrito instead, until I saw a few shredded pieces of meat hidden under the rice.

Overall, the burrito just didn't have much going for it. There was no real flavor except for the rice and definitely not enough cheese, meat, or sauce.

Thankfully, though, the two Taco Bell burritos that followed were vast improvements.

I was super excited to try the Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito, which looked very different from anything I've recently tested at the chain.

According to Taco Bell's website, this burrito includes grilled chicken, fiesta strips, avocado ranch sauce, creamy chipotle sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheddar cheese wrapped inside a warm flour tortilla.

There were beautiful grill marks stamped across the tortilla, which felt far heftier than the Beefy Melt Burrito.

Maybe there was still hope for this taste test.

The Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito has such an interesting flavor. The grilled tortilla and lettuce gave each bite this invitingly crispy texture that reminded me of a deli wrap. The chicken was nicely cooked and seasoned, and the delicious ranch and chipotle sauces were well-distributed throughout the burrito.

Plus all the veggies tasted super fresh — something Taco Bell has been hit or miss with in some of its recent offerings. Things were definitely looking up.

The Fiesta Veggie Burrito comes with seasoned rice, black beans, red strips, Chipotle sauce, tomatoes, guacamole, a three-cheese blend, and reduced-fat sour cream, according to Taco Bell's website.

I hoped it was a sign that this $2 burrito would also be oozing with flavor.

There's an explosion of flavor when you bite into the appropriately named Fiesta Veggie Burrito, which is definitely a party for the taste buds. I was surprised by how much I loved the black beans, which had a great texture and paired really well with the seasoned rice.

The guacamole, though, was definitely the star of the show. It tasted very fresh and was perfectly distributed. And the delicious flavor added depth to the burrito, keeping each bite interesting and exciting. This is a really great addition to Taco Bell's vegetarian menu, especially as fans continue to wait for the return of the famously beloved Mexican Pizza.

I love that Taco Bell is mixing things up with the new Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito, and was even more impressed by the Fiesta Veggie Burrito's exciting flavors. The Beefy Melt Burrito could definitely use a few tweaks (and a lot of sauce), but overall I think the chain's new Cravings Value Menu has a lot to offer.

Taco Bell has been delivering exciting new menu items pretty consistently, and I can't wait to see what we get next.

If you're looking for more Taco Bell adventures until then, check out my complete review of the world's most beautiful Taco Bell (which definitely lived up to its name).