Meat and Bean Burritos
These burritos are the best I have ever eaten. My sister and I prepared them by trial and error, and I wrote up the recipe. I hope you like them.
These burritos are the best I have ever eaten. My sister and I prepared them by trial and error, and I wrote up the recipe. I hope you like them.
- Carbohydrate 173.81145960603 g
- Cholesterol 6.40714285714286 mg
- Fat 25.7547755004232 g
- Fiber 17.7232110187782 g
- Protein 33.3917398763052 g
- Saturated Fat 6.95187170380805 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (518g)
- Sodium 2794.06098714993 mg
- Sugar 156.088248587251 g
- Trans Fat 1.56779335810402 g
- Calories 1070 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook ground beef until brown.
- Add onions and continue cooking until they are tender.
- Add enchilada sauce, reserving 1 cup, and cook 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Set aside.
- In a separate pot, cook the refried beans and the rest of the onions, until they are tender.
- Add the ranch style beans, the taco seasoning, and the water, and cook ten more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place soft tortillas in baking pan, and fill each with bean and meat mixture.
- Roll tortillas, and place seam side down.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over burritos.
- Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
- Place in oven and cook at 350 F until hot throughout and the cheese is melted.
Thermal Mechanics of the Filling
Operating under strict budget constraints often leads cooks to rely on canned beans and ground beef. Browning ground beef at 325 degrees Fahrenheit triggers the Maillard reaction, developing complex savory compounds. Enchilada sauce contains acetic or citric acid, which breaks down tough meat proteins during the ten-minute simmer. Stirring frequently prevents scorching as starches from the refried beans thicken the surrounding liquid.
Starch Hydration and Texture
Ranch style beans introduce excess moisture that must be controlled. Adding half a cup of water along with taco seasoning allows the dry spices to hydrate evenly without burning. Simmering this mixture for ten minutes gelatinizes the starches in the beans, creating a cohesive paste that holds its shape inside the flour tortillas instead of leaking out during baking.
Baking and Doneness Cues
Assembling the burritos seam-side down in a baking pan prevents the flour tortillas from unravelling under the weight of the sauce and shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the internal temperature reaches a safe threshold and the cheese melts completely. Visual doneness is achieved when the edges of the cheese turn golden brown and the residual enchilada sauce bubbles vigorously around the perimeter of the baking dish.
