A staple in our house, these burritos are made usually on the weekend and then wrapped up individually and stashed into the freezer for busy weeknights. Not only are they fast and easy to make, they are fairly economical, healthy, and filling for hungry teens. We've been known to eat them cold in lunches, or serve them up for dinner topped with chopped avocado, fresh salsa, and a side salad. If you wish, you can even substitute the beef with ground chicken. You can make them spicier by adding a little chipotle to the meat or a hot salsa, or keep them mild by reducing the spices. We've tried a bunch of different ways to make these, but somehow this always comes out as our favourite.
Ingredients:
8 ten inch flour tortillas
1 lb of ground beef
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 small onion, chopped finely
3 tbsp salsa, or a bit more to moisten.
cheddar cheese
Homemade bean spread:
one 19 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 lime
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro stalks
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
In a large frying pan, saute the onion in a little olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the jalapeno (if using) and sweet pepper, sauteing and stirring, until softened as well. Push to the side of the pan, add a little bit more oil, and then the ground beef. Continue to cook and stir, moving the beef around the pan, until it's cooked through and no longer pink. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, then chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook a little longer to allow the spices to really add flavour into the meat, then stir in the salsa. Set the meat mixture aside to cool.
Place the garlic clove, coriander stalks, kidney beans, chili powder, cumin, salt, olive oil, zest from 1/2 lime, and juice from 1/2 lime in a food processor. Add about 2 tbsp of water and process until smooth. You can always add a little more water if you need to in order to moisten it or make it smooth enough to spread.
Lay the tortillas out on the counter in front of you. Divide the bean mixture evenly among the tortillas, placing a dollop in the center of each. Use the back of a spoon to gently spread the bean paste out a little across the center of the tortilla. Divide the meat between the tortillas as well, mounding it on top of the bean paste in the center of each.
Sprinkle Cheddar cheese on top of the bean mixture and meat in the center of each tortilla. To roll up, take the tortilla closest to you and fold in the sides. Taking the end closest to you, fold it up and over the filling, and tucking in the sides, roll the tortilla away from you. Place seam side down on a square of cling wrap. Roll up in the cling wrap tightly, then fold over the ends. Place the rolled tortillas in a large freezer bag in a single layer and seal.
If you plan to eat the burritos immediately, instead of rolling them in cling wrap, place them seam side down in a greased baking dish. Bake for about 15 minutes in a 350 F oven until heated through. If you are heating them from frozen, defrost in a microwave and then heat in a 350 F oven for about 15 or 20 minutes until the tortilla is hot and crusty, and the filling is hot.
These burritos are delicious served with fresh salsa, sour cream and guacamole, along with a side salad.
Makes 8 burritos
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