Burritos
Biweekly

Burritos

40 min
Serves 9
Mexicanbeefbeans

Large flour tortillas stuffed with seasoned ground beef, Spanish rice, refried beans, two cheeses, and two kinds of onion. Built to reheat well — skip the lettuce and tomato if you're making extras.

The Story

A burrito is just a soft taco with more in it and a tortilla big enough to close. The assembly order matters here the same way it does on tacos — meat and beans go in first while they're hot, rice next, then onions, then the cilantro onion, then cheese so it melts against the warm filling, then lettuce and tomatoes last so they stay cold. The two-onion setup from the soft tacos carries over here: plain diced onion with the filling, a separate onion-cilantro mix on top. The El Pato variation works the same way — swap the seasoning packets for two cans of El Pato green sauce and water, cook it down until the liquid is absorbed. One note on reheating: if you're making extras to eat later, leave the lettuce and tomatoes out of those. A burrito without lettuce and tomato reheats fine in the microwave. One with them turns into a soggy mess.

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Small saucepan (for beans)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 headiceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 2tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2onion, diced (for filling)
  • 1/2onion, diced and mixed with cilantro (for topping)
  • 4 ozcheddar cheese, grated
  • 4 ozMonterey Jack cheese, grated
  • 1 boxSpanish rice
  • 2 lbsground beef
  • 2 packetsburrito seasoning
  • 1 canrefried beans
  • 9flour tortillas, large thin
  • to tasteCholula hot sauce (optional)
  • to tastesour cream (optional)
  • 2 cansEl Pato green can (optional — replaces burrito seasoning)

Pudgy's Notes

Start the Spanish rice first — it takes 25 minutes and everything else moves faster. The two-onion setup is the same as the soft tacos: plain diced onion in the filling, cilantro onion on top. For reheating extras, leave out the lettuce and tomato — they turn soggy and make the tortilla wet. El Pato variation uses two cans here instead of one since the beef quantity is larger; cook it down until the liquid is mostly absorbed.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Shred the lettuce and dice the tomatoes. Dice one half onion for the filling. Dice the other half onion and mix with chopped cilantro for the topping. Grate both cheeses. Set everything aside.

  2. 2

    Start the Spanish rice according to box directions — it takes about 25 minutes and should be going before you start the beef.

  3. 3

    Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over high heat, about 8 minutes. Drain off the grease.

  4. 4

    Add the burrito seasoning packets and finish cooking according to package directions, about 3 minutes. (For the El Pato variation: replace the seasoning packets with two cans of El Pato green sauce and a splash of water. Cook over medium heat until the liquid reduces into the meat, about 15 minutes.)

  5. 5

    Heat the refried beans in a small saucepan over medium heat, about 3 minutes.

  6. 6

    Assemble burritos on large flour tortillas in order: meat, beans, rice, plain diced onion, onion-cilantro mix, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes. Roll and fold to close.

  7. 7

    Finish with Cholula hot sauce and sour cream if desired.

  8. 8

    If making extras to reheat later, assemble those without lettuce and tomato — they don't survive reheating.

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