My Mom’s Famous Freezer Beef and Bean Burritos
These really are the best freezer beef and bean burritos! And they are famous among our family and friends! So flavorful, so ridiculously easy, they are a freezer staple (we can’t live without them).
No really, we can’t live without these burritos. They’ve been a staple in my personal freezer for the last decade and a half…and a staple in my mom’s freezer for even longer.
I actually think these burritos are what won Brian over to my family almost 20 years ago (I mean, other than our incredibly hilarious senses of humor that strangely only we find funny most of the time).
Whenever we visit my parents in Montana, it’s pretty much a given that Brian will be heating one of these babies up right around 2:38 p.m. most days. By virtue of my vulture-like hovering, I usually eat half which means he has to heat up a second one. We’re a good team that way.
My mom is honestly famous for this burrito recipe. She makes dozens and dozens of them at a time and hands out bags to friends, family, neighbors, church peeps, US! Once you get a taste of the cheesy beef and bean goodness, you’ll understand the nature of the cult following.
From-Scratch or Store Bought?
For a long time, I experimented with making a more from-scratch version. This held me back from getting you the recipe…and wasted a lot of time. Guess what? Wasn’t worth it. Maybe it’s the nostalgia of wanting the same flavors my mom has created for years, but I realized life’s too short to make homemade taco or enchilada sauce for a burrito recipe. At least for me.
The key to the great flavor of these amazing freezer beef and bean burritos is using ingredients/spices you already like the flavor of. Like, this is really important. I’ve given some details in the notes of the recipe below about some of my brand preferences (and links to a few homemade ingredients I do use if I have on hand – these refried beans and this homemade salsa).
Once you do some soul searching to get all that sorted out, it’s literally as easy as cooking the beef and onions and then throwing everything else in (well not the tortillas and cheese, obviously) and heating through. The filling is super saucy because we are not championing dry, crusty burritos. Nope, not here.
Because this is a freezer recipe meant to stock your freezer with tons of lunch- and dinner-saving goodness, it makes a lot. Probably right around 20-30 burritos (and oftentimes, I double for maximum burrito making). I almost always use 8-inch tortillas…my mom always uses 10-inch tortillas. Again, personal preference.
My Burrito Rolling Method
I stuff and roll all of the burritos one at a time and place them on large sheet pans. Once they are all rolled, I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then pop them in gallon-size freezer ziploc bags and freeze. Of course this whole process is quicker if you recruit some helpers and do the stuffing, rolling, wrapping assembly-line style.
How to Heat the Burritos
We are microwaver burrito reheaters. How about you?
Grab a burrito, unwrap it and place it on a microwave-safe plate. In our microwave, we heat it for one minute and then use a fork to poke holes randomly on the top of the semi-thawed burrito (or pierce a few times with a paring knife) and heat again for 1-minute intervals until piping hot and heated through. Microwaves vary in power, so keep an eye on the exact time you’ll need to get the burrito safely heated without the risk of 3rd degree burns on the roof of your mouth.
You can also use an oven to heat them up. Unwrap the burrito(s) from the plastic wrap and rewrap in foil (so the tortillas don’t dry out) and place on a baking sheet. Exact time and temperature will vary, but I’d suggest 325 degrees for about an hour.
You can eat the saucy burritos plain Jane or top with sour cream, salsa, avocados, or whatever else your heart desires.
These really are the best freezer beef and bean burritos in the world. They have saved us on so many dinner nights, I’ve lost count. And my kids regularly take them in their lunches (they are lucky enough to have a microwave to use in their cafeteria).
I will often grab a bag of these burritos and throw them on top of whatever take-in meal I’m bringing to someone as a little bonus. As in, here’s dinner for tonight! And here’s a bag of burritos to eat whenever you want (ahem, especially if you don’t like the real dinner I brought).
If you are a longtime fan, as am I, of the other freezer burritos I have on my site, the main difference is that these burritos (my mom’s famous recipe) don’t have rice to bulk up the ingredients and they are much saucier.
Although it does take a bit of time to make a batch or two, it’s worth it, I promise. There is a cost savings for sure. And there’s no doubt these freezer burritos are intensely more delicious than their store bought counterparts. If you haven’t yet established your food presence where you live, it’s time to break out the freezer burritos and start making a name for yourself.
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My Mom’s Famous Freezer Beef and Bean Burritos
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef, or ground turkey
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, I use coarsely ground pepper
- 3 cans (16-ounces each) refried beans
- 3 cans (4-ounces each) green chiles (mild, medium or hot, depending on preference)
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) green taco sauce or green enchilada sauce
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) red taco sauce or red enchilada sauce
- ½ cup (113 g) salsa, green or red
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 6 to 7 cups shredded cheese, I prefer using a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack
- 20 (10-inch) tortillas or 30 (8-inch) tortillas
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef and onion with the salt and pepper until cooked through, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain excess grease.
- Add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese and tortillas) and mix to combine. Heat through, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Let the mixture cool slightly. Spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the filling on each tortilla (depending on the size of the tortilla and how stuffed you want them). Sprinkle about 1/4 cup cheese (or so!) on the filling. Fold in the sides and then roll the burrito closed (see pictures in the post for a visual).
- I roll all the burritos and place them on a large sheet pan. After they are all rolled, I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then put them in gallon size ziploc bags and freeze.
- To reheat, unwrap burrito from plastic wrap and microwave for one minute. Poke holes in the semi-thawed burrito with a fork or cut the burrito in half and microwave for 1-minute intervals until heated through. They’ll be piping hot! Eat carefully. 🙂
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
192 Comments on “My Mom’s Famous Freezer Beef and Bean Burritos”
I love these! My husband takes them to work when we don’t have leftovers. My one complaint is you will need a very large pot. I recommend at least a six quart pot so you have room to stir all the ingredients together.
The best burritos ever! Well worth making,thank you very much!
I made a full recipe of this yesterday and froze 16 of them after serving 4 to my discriminating Texas men. I wasn’t sure how it would go with their reviews, but all of us absolutely loved them! I haven’t stopped thinking about them since!
Thank you for sharing your mom’s prize recipe! I microwaved them and served on crisp shredded iceberg with a sliced avacado half, sour cream and salsa. Superb!
These are so stinking good! Wow!!! My friend and I have made a goal to make two freezer meals a month this year and this was my choice for February. It took some time to make and assemble the burritos, but well worth it. I have sent the recipe to both my sisters and told them to grab a friend and have a burrito making party because these were so easy to make and the reward is beyond delicious.
Is the plastic wrap necessary? Any reason why we can’t freeze them on a cookie sheet and then put then in a ziploc? Seems like a lot of unnecessary garbage. I can always wrap them to go as needed…
Sure, you could do that. 🙂
For someone with borderline cholesterol who loves burritos (frozen, store bought)… These are absolutely perfect to replace those frozen, store bought with. The flavor is exceptional, they are easy to make and now hubby has enough burritos for at least 3 weeks (we did the large ones).
These are great! They’ve become a staple in our house quickly.
I did discover by accident that putting a couple table spoons of leftover brown rice as the base for the filling will soak up any excess sauciness ( only exists if you need to eat on the go)
Also I found 6 minutes at 50% power works good for reheating w/o poking holes in it.
Thanks!!
These are so yummy! I love that they are moist. I do your tip of baking for one minute, then poking holes in it and nuke one more minute. Then I cover with more cheese and salsa. So good!
So-ummm, I hate beans. There, I said it!! I think I read that someone used beanless chili and that that worked ok? Thoughts? Thanks so much!
Hmmm, you could try! But leaving out all the beans (which makes up a big part of the texture of this recipe) may make the tortillas soggy and/or mess with the overall outcome.
I love a good burrito. These sound amazing.
This looks fantastic. We don’t have a microwave. Do you have advice on how to reheat these in the oven? Do you recommend thawing first or going strait from the freezer into the oven? Temp? Time? Thanks!
I think you could do either. If you heat in the oven from frozen, I’d cover with foil so they heat through without drying out/burning. You might wrap each burrito in foil whether it’s thawed or not and reheat at 325 or 350 degrees.
Wow these look amazing! Cant wait to they them. I love a good, easy burrito and the idea of freeing them for convenience is genius! Thanks for sharing Mel 🙂
These are amazingly easy, fast, and so good! Thanks for another stellar recipe, Mel! They don’t stay stocked in the freezer for long!
Other than having to switch to my stockpot when I realized all of it wouldn’t fit in my 13 inch frying pan, these are really quick and so
good. These are a keeper!
These have been a life saver when I need lunch in a rush after trying to get the kids and myself out the door on time. Thanks so much for sharing!
I would like to make these for a school fundraiser. Everything has to be “prepackaged due to Covid.” The burritos will be heated up in the Culinary classroom then served out on the football field. My question is, how far in advance could I make them and refrigerate, not freeze. Any tips to prevent leakage? Heating, storing tips? Any info is much appreciated!
Hi Brittany, the longer they sit in the fridge the soggier/softer the tortillas will get, so I don’t think I’d make and refrigerate them longer than a couple of hours (maybe a day, but that might be pushing it).
these are so so good! i love that they are saucy with tons of flavor. i froze ours and reheating worked really well following your instructions. they are perfect for a quick lunch!
I’m wanting to make this. I wonder what the best green taco sauce is? Would it work to just use a salsa verde?
Yes, you could use salsa verde (I also like the tapatio brand of taco sauce).
We have made these 4-5 times. They always turn out great no matter the brands I use. I’ve only used enchilada sauce, not taco sauce and only use 2 cans green chiles and it’s the right amount of heat for my 1 and 4 year old. We usually microwave these, but they are great fried in a small amount of oil, baked, or with cooking spray on a griddle.
These were very yummy when I made them last. I am planning in making the again by using the homemade refried beans. I was wondering if one recipe of the beans is enough for these burritos.
Yes, I think so. I haven’t measured it out exactly, but it should be enough.
I always love having these in the freezer as our go-to. They have saved me on days I didn’t feel like cooking…top with some enchilada sauce on a busy night and bam-dinner!! I had a happy accident when I went to make these and only had 1 can of refried beans. I had some chili but had purchased the “no-beans” by mistake…so I tossed them in and they were yummy!!! Now I always make ours this way. I do cut down on the other sauces because chili comes spicy and saucy already. Love that you do the hard work and we get to benefit from your super recipes!
These are awesome and reheat great for a quick lunch. My husband loves them and helped me make a double batch a few months ago. It’s time to make them again! Also, I accidentally left out the cheese the first time I made these and they are still so tasty. We continue to leave it out because we know we like them and it saves a bit of $. Thanks for a great freezer staple!
Best burritos ever! These have become a staple in our household. I make mine without beef and prefer to use the taco sauce instead of enchilada sauce. I also only use the red taco sauce. Probably with the meat, you would need the extra sauce of another bottle of taco sauce to keep the burrito saucy. I have found microwaving for one minute and flipping the burrito over and microwaving another minute or so to be a good combination of reheating the frozen burrito.
I just made up a batch of these and they were SO good! I’m still trying to figure out the best way to reheat them so that it’s hot in the middle and the end of the tortillas don’t dry out. The taste was great and my husband loved that it wasn’t a dry burrito. I will definitely be making another batch when we finish these. Thank you!
My kids devour these! Thanks for the recipe.
I want to make these and have the raw tortillas from Costco on hand. Do you think those would work? Should I pre cook them on both sides? One side?
I would precook them on both sides before using.
Wow! I made a huge batch of these today. Made your IP refried beans and used ground turkey. I also made a batch without meat as 2 of my kids are vegetarian. In that batch I used 3 cans of drained black beans in place of the meat. They turned out fabulous! I really think it was worth the effort to make homemade refried beans because it’s the main ingredient in this recipe.
This recipe is easy and my teen son has made it for our family twice in the last few weeks. The burritos only last a few days around here. Delicious! Thanks for sharing this. This will be a family favorite for years, I’m sure. 🙂
Hi Mel, I love your blog and recipes! I want to make this for a sister with a newborn but she’s not eating beans because of baby colic. Do you think I could replace the beans with quinoa? Would you replace it 1:1 or less?
Thanks!
You could definitely try – I worry they might be a little dry – but certainly worth trying! I’d probably do a 1:1 sub and see how it goes (or maybe slightly less to account for less moisture).
I am not a meat lover… can i follow the recipe and leave the beef out? I LOVE a good bean and cheese burrito! These look amazing!
Sure! Maybe add a can of rinsed, drained beans for texture? Optional but would be a tasty addition.
This has been my go to recipe for take in meals for new moms. I’ve gotten so many rave reviews, and my husband and 1.5 year old love it when I make them for us too. Thanks for another awesome recipe!!!
And my burrito rolling has definitely improved after making dozens and dozens of these
How long do they last in the freezer?
Several months.
Made. Loved. Making again.
We loved it, everyone had seconds and we still have about 10 left to freeze. Plus it was SO easy to make and came together quickly, this will definitely go in our rotation. Thanks Mel!
I’ve made three batches of this recipe! One I shared with my daughter-in-law, one I made for my daughter’s family and today I made a batch for my son. He asked for these burritos for his birthday since his wife is about to have their 3rd child! Everyone loves them! Thanks so much for sharing!
I learned two things making these… First, that grocery stores carry more types of refried beans than I ever could have imagined (Kroger fat free for the win) and second, that burrito rolling probably isn’t my calling . These were delicious, however, and I look forward to making them again in the future!
I have made steak, egg,cheddar cheese. Sausage, egg,potato, cheddar . Black bean, pepper jack,egg,steak. Chorizo, potato,egg. Sweet potato, black bean, queso fresco. Chicken, rice, cheese. You name it, I have made it.
I make burritoes like this, brown them quickly and freeze in wrap and ziplocs. To eat they go straight from freezer to microwave after removing the wrap and placing in a paper towel.
These have been on my list to make for a while and I finally did it last week. They’re great! I had a bunch of instant pot refried beans left over and this was the perfect use. I had a little less than called for so I added a rinsed and drained can of beans. I also used 2 lbs. beef. As for it seeming too liquid, I found that as it cooled it thickened up and had a great consistency both eaten right away and for (unfrozen) leftovers the next day. The rest went in the freezer and we’ll be glad to have them for easy meals in a pinch.
Love this recipe! The trick for reheating burritos in the microwave is to wrap them in a damp paper towel and then microwave. The steam keeps the tortilla from drying out!
Made these this weekend and they are awesome. Great taste, perfect liquidity. Thank you!!!!! Will absolutely make again and a great thing to give away!
This made a marvelously big batch and fed my large family 4 times! I only had 2 cans of refried beans. It seemed a bit soupy but all turned out well. Next time I will be sure to add that third can to thicken it up more. Thank you so much for keeping us happily fed.
I made a TON of these and stocked up the freezer. Everyone loves the flavor but the tortillas end up soaking wet and falling apart by the time they’re done cooking in the microwave and very unappealing. Any tips?
Someone else down below left this comment about soggy tortillas: My husband always runs his frozen burrito under water just enough that the tortilla is wet. Shakes off any extra water and then puts it in the microwave. He says that the water on the tortilla allows the microwaves to heat it up faster (he is a food scientist).
Winner for our family of eight! Outside of saving supper on more than one occasion, having these on hand satisfied my growing teen’s mid afternoon food search and gave my husband something to take for lunch (I felt like such a good wife!). Six burritos are left in the freezer (I made these in November) so it’s time to head back to Aldi for ground turkey and get more made! Thank you!!
Do you use the Trader Joe’s fat free refried beans?
Yes
These are a lifesaver! My toddler was diagnosed with leukemia a couple of months ago and the chemo takes away his appetite. It’s been so hard to find things he will eat. Well, he loves these burritos! And it is so easy to have them on hand. Thank you, thank you!!!!
I’m so sorry about your sweet little boy!! I’m glad these burritos are a quick fix for his missing appetite…many prayers for the both of you.
These are the best burritos ! I’ve made them several times and my family loves them! I like to add a packet of taco seasoning to the ground beef. And I use half a package of frozen green chiles. I think they have a lot more flavor than canned. I thaw them in the microwave, spray a little olive oil on top of the burrito and sprinkle with kosher salt. They cook up so crispy in the air fryer. So good!
That’s amazing! Thanks, Tricia!
As a non-meat eater, I made these yesterday and used the Gardein brand of faux beef crumbles in place of the meat, and used the vegetarian Old El Paso refried beans (I did about a 2/3 batch of the recipe and used 1 bag of the faux meat and 2 cans of beans). I tried using the recommended brands where I could, and had wonderful results! I prefer the texture of oven-baked burritos but hate waiting an hour for them to cook, so to save some time, I microwaved the frozen burritos for about 1.5 minutes and then did the foil wrap and baked at 325 for 25 minutes. Using 8-inch tortillas, I ended up with 17 burritos. I already wish I’d done a full batch! I wouldn’t change anything about the recipe.
Thanks for adding your notes and changes, Amelia!
Getting ready to make my second batch of these. They’ve been a hit in my family of seven!! Thanks for a great freezable recipe that hits the spot when things are hectic. Now my family is requested freezer breakfast burritos…I need to check and see if you have such a recipe, but I think it would be a little harder to make in bulk because of the quantity of each ingredient, made and portioned out separately in the burrito; it’s not quite as easy as dumping a spoonful of this burrito filling and sprinkling some cheese. If you have a way to work around that, I’d be so excited!!
I’m actually working on the perfect freezer breakfast burrito! I’ll keep you posted!
Sounds fantastic!
Mmm .
I made these yesterday with a few alterations. 2 lbs. ground sirloin ( thank you Publix for the great sale this week!) 2 cans Rosarita refried beans, one 10 oz. can enchilada sauce and 1/2 jar Pace salsa.
I kept looking at the recipe thinking it would be too wet if I used all of the sauces so I went with my instinct and cut back. They were perfect in consistency, not too wet, nor too dry.
Thanks for another great dinner idea!
Thanks for the review, Susan!