Beef Burritos
Simple, super tasty everyday beef burritos made with a homemade beef mince filling (ground beef), rice and your choice of fillings. One of the best freezer meals ever. I use this beef filling for all things Mexican - tacos, nachos, burritos, enchiladas etc. Feel free to change up the fillings to your taste. Makes 8 - 10 burritos.
Simple, super tasty everyday beef burritos made with a homemade beef mince filling (ground beef), rice and your choice of fillings. One of the best freezer meals ever. I use this beef filling for all things Mexican - tacos, nachos, burritos, enchiladas etc. Feel free to change up the fillings to your taste. Makes 8 - 10 burritos.
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 cloves
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp each onion powder ( dried oregano, salt)
- 2 tsp each dried cumin powder ( paprika)
- â¼ tsp cayenne pepper ( or to taste (optional))
- â½ onion ( finely chopped)
- 5 lb beef mince (ground beef) i use lean
- 6 - 8 large soft flour tortillas or round wraps
- 3 cups cooked rice ( warm not piping hot (i use white long grain))
- 3 cups iceberg lettuce or cabbage ( finely sliced (use cabbage if freezing))
- 1 cup corn kernels (i use canned drained)
- 1 cup black beans (i use canned drained)
- 3 tomatoes deseeded and diced
- 1/2 red onion ( finely chopped)
- finely chopped coriander ((optional))
- 1 1/2 cups / 150g shredded cheese of choice (melting kind)
- Carbohydrate 3.60910583246079 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.435447500098925 g
- Fiber 1.0128750231361 g
- Protein 0.797158333134 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0623266666787065 g
- Serving Size 1 1 - 8 burrito (454g)
- Sodium 8.76670832881383 mg
- Sugar 2.59623080932469 g
- Trans Fat 0.0537983333300012 g
- Calories 19 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes until onion is lightly browned. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it turns from red to brown.
- Add Taco Seasoning (or use 1 packet store bought) and cook for 1 minute. Then add tomato paste and water, cook for 3 minutes until the water is mostly evaporated but the beef is still juicy, not dried out. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes – piping hot filling will steam the burrito, making the tortilla soggy.
- Optional: If not warming rolled burrito, warm the tortillas before rolling (per packet directions).
- Place a burrito on a work surface. Place 1/4 - 1/3 cup of rice just below the centre. Top with 1/4 - 1/3 cup beef, then some lettuce, corn, black beans, tomato, a sprinkle of red onion, coriander and cheese.
- Fold up the bottom to cover the filling then fold the edges in (video helpful to see how to do this). Roll up tightly, then wrap in foil. Serve as is or heat per below.
- HEATING: To warm through, pan fry (dry pan) in the foil over medium high heat for a few minutes on each side to slightly crisp and warm the outside. Or for 10+ minutes on a medium low heat if you want to melt the cheese. Or they can be baked at 180C/350F for 20 minutes in the foil – this will warm them all the way through and crisp up the tortilla slightly. If they are straight from the fridge, they will take around 30 minutes to warm through.
- Burritos are best served with something to dollop/dip - sour cream (or yoghurt) and some sort of chilli sauce are my usual because it's easy. When I'm making more of an effort, I use Restaurant Style Salsa or Guacamole.
Ground beef carries the entire flavor profile of these burritos, absorbing a precise blend of cumin, paprika, onion powder, and garlic before tomato paste binds the spices into a rich coating. Browning ground beef over high heat develops deep savory notes through the Maillard reaction, but managing moisture prevents the meat from turning gray and tough. Cook the beef until no pink remains and moisture reduces completely, leaving behind rendered fat that fries the spices directly in the pan. Cool the cooked beef filling for ten minutes before assembling; trapping piping-hot meat inside a flour tortilla releases steam that softens the wrapper and causes structural failure upon rolling. Cabbage withstands freezing much better than iceberg lettuce if storing batches for later use, as crisp leaves retain structural integrity without weeping excess liquid into the rice bed.
Accompanying Dips and Side Dishes
Burritos require acidic and creamy counterparts to balance the concentrated salt and fat of spiced beef. Restaurant-style salsa provides an acetic bite that cuts through melted cheese, while plain Greek yogurt serves as an efficient substitute for sour cream without sacrificing tanginess. Keep a bottle of fermented hot sauce nearby to adjust capsaicin levels dynamically per bite.
- Soggy tortillas usually stem from assembling the bundles while the beef or rice remains too hot. Ensure both components drop to room temperature before rolling.
- Cold spots in reheated burritos indicate uneven heat distribution; press foil-wrapped packages flat against a dry skillet over medium-low heat for ten minutes per side to thaw center layers entirely.
- Tearing wrappers during folding typically means the tortilla lacks flexibility. Microwave flour tortillas for twenty seconds under a damp paper towel to restore elasticity before loading.
