“When you think about the biggest innovative items Taco Bell has ever launched, the Quesalupa is in that bucket,” Ciresi said. “It has a cult-like following, and Taco Bell’s customers really wanted the Quesalupa to return to the menu.”

The Quesalupa, which a different DMI food scientist helped create five years ago, features a flaky flatbread shell that is now stuffed with a whole-milk mozzarella and Pepper Jack blend. The shell is deep-fried before traditional taco fillings, including sour cream and cheddar, are added. Ciresi said this version has “significantly more” cheese than the original.

It will roll out nationally on March 11 as a limited-time-only offering for 10 weeks, DMI said.

“We’re excited to see the Quesalupa come back,” said Liz Matthews, chief food innovation officer at Taco Bell. “It’s one of the cheesiest, innovative products we have, and the DMI partnership was instrumental in making this happen.”

Ciresi and fellow DMI scientist Kimber Lew said this new version required some updates to ensure it could be produced consistently in more than 7,000 Taco Bell kitchens across the country. They spent nearly two years working with new suppliers and updating the recipe.

“It’s a pretty difficult product to make, and it wouldn’t work with how Taco Bell’s kitchens are set up today, which is why it took so long to bring back,” Ciresi said. “Kimber and I put in many hours in our test kitchen formulating the cheese blend inside the shell and evaluating several samples to ensure product consistency. It was a long time in the making, but it’s really exciting to be able to bring back such an iconic product that is not only good for Taco Bell but is beneficial to our dairy farmers.”