Beef & Bean Burritos

Every once in awhile, when they go on sale, my husband buys the big pack of frozen beef and bean burritos at the grocery store for lunch.  He can go through an entire package in a few days, so I knew he would be happy about these.  I was looking for a way to make my own version, but include far less salt than the packaged variety.  By using my own taco seasoning, our family farm raised ground beef, and rinsed black beans, I am able to control the salt content in this meal.  Don’t get me wrong, I love me some salt…I just hate having to lay down on my bed to button my pants the next day.  We decided that these tasted so much better than the ones in the package, and we had leftovers.  I wrapped each leftover burrito in foil so that we could each have one for lunch the next day (well more like me have one, and he the rest.)  I think next time I am going to make a double batch and freeze all of them.  Just one more thing to add to the list of freezer winners for basketball season! 



Start out by browning one pound of ground beef (ground turkey or chicken would work great in this!) along with one medium diced onion.  Drain the beef and then add 3 Tablespoons of taco seasoning and 1/2 cup of water.  Drain and rinse one can of black beans and stir in.  Heat until the beans are cooked through, then remove from heat.  I added in a handful of cheese at this point just to make it creamy and dreamy. 



Put a large spoonful (about 1/4 cup of the mixture) onto a flour tortilla and top with cheese.  Then for good measure, go back and add a little more cheese, and then grate some more and sneak a bite.  Then accidentally drop some in the dog bowl, wonder where all your cheese went, and run to the store for more.



Roll up your burritos and make sure you fold in the sides so none of the goodness gets out during cooking.  I like to roll up all my burritos as this point so that the cooking goes faster and I can clean up while they are grilling….Ok I totally lied about that last part.  And those are my knuckles, but they are looking incredibly freaky at this moment…ignore.



Then cook your burritos on either a Foreman Grill, a griddle, hot pan, or the oven.  I use the grill for sake of time and not heating the whole entire house, and feeling like I’m starting to experience “the change.”  After you cook them, either devour right then, or freeze/refrigerate for later!

Beef & Bean Burritos
printable recipe
makes 10 burritos
Ingredients:
1 pkg (10) flour tortillas
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cups cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
salt/pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. chopped jalapeno
3 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1/2 cup water

Directions:
1.  Heat a pan to medium heat, and sauté the onion in the olive oil until onions begin to get soft.  Add in the hamburger and cook until done.  Drain and return to the pan.  Add the taco seasoning, water, jalapeno, and black beans.  Cook until heated through.  Add in optional cheese at this point and remove from heat.

2.  Put a large spoonful (about 1/4 cup) of the mixture onto a flour tortilla and roll up while folding the edges in.  Cook on a hot grill or griddle until brown on both sides. 

Freezing Instructions:
For precooked burritos to be warmed in the microwave – Grill burritos then wrap in aluminum foil and freeze/refrigerate.  When ready to eat, remove from foil, wrap in paper towel and microwave.
For uncooked burritos – Prepare the filling as directed, then make the burritos but do not grill them.  Wrap each individual burrito in foil and freeze.  Bake in 350° for 20-30 minutes from frozen. 
*Another option is to freeze the burritos on a cookie sheet then store them all in a gallon Ziploc bag