Make-Ahead Vegetarian Burritos
If you ever visit our house and take a peek in our freezer, you’ll find that it’s stuffed to the brim. Odds are high that among the various meats, ice cream, chicken pot pies, gnocchi, and casseroles are a few packages of these super easy make-ahead burritos. They can go from freezer to plate in less than about 10 minutes and are packed full of protein, thanks to a hearty amount of black beans and pinto beans. Perfect for an easy dinner or lunch when the day has gone sideways.
This recipe is adapted from Make Ahead Wraps. I’m fairly sure that’s not the original location, but it’s a close replica!
Yield: about 16 burritos
Ingredients
4 cups cooked white or brown rice (from about 1 1/3 cup uncooked rice), cooled*
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
1 (1 oz.) package of taco seasoning (we use La Tiara Taco Seasoning, but feel free to use homemade instead)
6 cups cooked black beans (from about 2 cups dried black beans)
OR 4 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups cooked pinto beans (from about 1 cup dried pinto beans)**
OR 2 (15 oz.) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears corn)
OR 2 cups frozen corn kernels, or about 1 (15 oz.) can of corn, drained
2 cups salsa (fresh or jarred, about 15 oz.)
1 (4.5 oz.) can green chiles (use Hatch green chiles if you can find them)
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded***
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded***
16-18 (10-12 in.) flour tortillas (we like to use the jalapeño cheddar tortillas from Mission, if available)
Canola oil or sunflower oil
Aluminum foil
Baking sheet(s)
Instructions
If you haven’t cooked the rice already, do so according to package or rice cooker instructions and allow the rice to cool.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and taco seasoning. Cook, with occasional stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Set the cooked onion mixture aside to cool. It’s important to cool the rice and onion mixtures down prior to combining with the rest of the ingredients because you don’t want to start melting the cheese while you’re forming the burritos.
In a large bowl (or a stock pot if you don’t have a sufficiently large bowl), combine the cooked rice, onion mixture, black beans, pinto beans, corn, salsa, cumin, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mix well to ensure even distribution of all the components. Fold in the shredded cheese and mix well.
In order to roll up the burritos in the most efficient manner, tear off about 16-18 pieces of aluminum foil, each about 1 foot long. Stack them up near your rolling station.
Working with one tortilla at a time, use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to place 2 scoops (about 1 heaping cup) of the burrito filling across the center of the tortilla. Tightly roll up the burrito. If you need a rolling guide, check out our handy graphic for rolling up spring rolls - the technique is pretty much the same.
Place the rolled burrito onto a sheet of foil and wrap tightly (we usually place the burrito onto the center of the foil square, with the ends of the burrito each facing a corner to make sure it’s fully wrapped). Place the wrapped burrito on a baking sheet. Repeat with the next tortilla until you’re out of tortillas. Use additional baking sheets if needed to keep the burritos in a single layer.
If you have any leftover burrito filling, don’t stress. Just toss it in a storage container and place in the fridge for up to 3 days. The filling is delicious on its own and makes for a great, quick lunch (think protein bowl). Just zap it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.
Place the baking sheets with the wrapped burritos in the freezer to allow them to fully freeze (about 24 hours). Once frozen, toss the wrapped burritos in a zip-top bag or similar storage container and place back in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To Serve
From frozen: Unwrap the burrito from the foil. Lightly dampen a square of paper towel and wrap around the frozen burrito (make sure the ends of the burrito are covered with the paper towel). Place on a plate and microwave for 2 1/2 minutes on high. Flip the burrito over and microwave for another 2 minutes. While the burrito is on its last minute or two in the microwave, begin heating about 1 tablespoon of oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.
Carefully remove the paper towel from the burrito and place the burrito the preheated saute pan. With a set of tongs, move the burrito around a bit in the oil as you’re setting it into the pan to help prevent sticking. Cook for about 1 minute on each of the four sides of the burrito, until golden brown. While you can skip this saute step, we think it makes for a much more satisfying burrito! Serve with sour cream and hot sauce, if desired.
From thawed: If you’ve thawed the burrito in the fridge overnight, follow the same instructions as above, but reduce the microwave time to about 3 minutes total (1 1/2 minute, flip, 1 1/2 minute).
Notes
*If you’re really in a hurry and don’t want to mess with cooking rice, you can also substitute in 2 packages of Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice - just make sure to choose one that isn’t already full of seasoning. No need to microwave or cook it first, just open and add it to the bowl to combine with the remaining ingredients.
**If you’re not a big fan of pinto beans, feel free to just use an additional, equivalent amount of black beans instead (i.e. 9 cups cooked black beans total, or 6 cans).
***When using shredded cheese, we prefer to shred our own from block cheese since it tends to melt better than pre-shredded varieties. That said, feel free to substitute in a total of 4 cups of your favorite pre-shredded Mexican blend cheese in place of the cheddar and Monterey jack cheese, if you’re in a hurry.
