Super Bean Burritos
These super, homemade bean burritos freeze beautifully and make a wonderful and healthy lunch or dinner option to enjoy on a busy day.
I think I mentioned a while back that I was on a quest, The Great Bean Crusade to be precise, to get my children to eat beans (the non-green bean variety since they eat those pretty well) without gagging and complaining.
In my efforts to do so, I gathered bean recipes from all of my family and friends.
These Super Bean Burritos were among them. And they have since appeared at our dinner table no less than five times, and that doesn’t even count the ones we’ve pulled from the freezer to eat for a quick lunch.
From my cousin-in-law, Julianne (the same one who brought us the Baked Blueberry Pecan French Toast), these bean burritos are more delicious than a bean burrito has any right to be.
Packed with incredible flavor, including but not limited to garlic, onion, jalapeno (not spicy, just flavorful, I promise!), light hint of tomato, beans and of course cheesy goodness, these burritos are downright fantastic.
The biggest plus is that they freeze beautifully and make a wonderful and healthy lunch option for my husband to take to work and for the boys and I to enjoy on a busy day.
What to Serve With This
- Homemade Refried Beans {Slow Cooker}
- Green salad, or My Favorite Coleslaw
- Fresh, seasonal fruit
Super Bean Burritos
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or white rice, or 2 cups already cooked rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, finely diced (can substitute 1 can of green chiles)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed (or use 1 can pinto beans, 1 can black beans)
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn or 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
- 6 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 16 burrito-sized flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Cook rice; set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and golden, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
- Add one can of beans and mash gently in the pan (a potato masher or fork works great here). Add the second can of beans and the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10-12 minutes, being careful not to let the mixture stick to the bottom of the pot. Add corn; cook to heat through, 2-3 minutes. Stir in onion and garlic powders. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and cooked rice.
- Heat tortillas in microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until all are warmed through.
- Fill each tortilla with about 2/3 cup bean and rice mixture and 1/4 cup cheese on one side of tortilla. Fold, and hold in sides. Starting from filled end, holding sides in as you work, tightly roll into a bundle. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down, and prepare remaining burritos.
- Serve warm immediately, with salsa and sour cream if desired — or, to freeze for later consumption, put the baking sheet of burritos into the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until very cold so that they don’t come apart in the wrapping process.
- Remove them from the freezer and wrap each burrito individually in plastic wrap and place all the wrapped burritos in a freezer-safe resealable bag and freeze up to three months.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Julianne W.
I tried these and Loved them. I used great Northern beans and Black Beans. Turned out great. I froze the leftovers. I have also made your black bean and sweet potato burritos and must tell you they are on my top five favorite foods ever. Loved them. Thanks for sharing all these great recipes!
I made these and they were great! I used the tortillas you can bake yourself and had no trouble rolling them up. My 16-year-old son had a couple of friends over so it was nice the recipe made so much, and they gobbled them up. They didn’t even know how good for them they were with brown rice and beans, ha! I did have some leftover to freeze and I love them. Such an easy, quick, healthy lunch. Thanks Mel!
Wow, these look great! My 4 year old daughter and I love bean burritos – this looks great for us to make and enjoy together 🙂
I love them! Reviewed the recipe here on my blog: http://womeneverywhere.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/super-bean-burrito-review/
Ok, I’ll try that next time. Thanks for responding!
Sara – that can probably happen if they are reheated at too high of heat. If you are using the microwave, I’d suggest using low power to reheat so the tortilla doesn’t get too tough.
I’ve found that wrapping the burrito (or tortilla) in a damp paper towel before microwaving helps. Love these burritos! Thanks Mel! 🙂
Love these burritos! So delicious. One question, though – when I reheated my frozen ones in the microwave, the tortilla ended up super tough and crispy. Is there something I am doing wrong? They still tasted yummy, but the tortilla almost ruined it because it got so tough and crispy…
Delicious. I had some fresh cilantro that I needed to use up and threw that in there also. So yummy. Thanks for another great meatless option.
And please ignore the typo in that last post. Auto spell, ugh… Throw, not through…. 🙂
I made these tonight and my goodness are they good! I’m going to freeze the majority of them to stick in my lunches in the weeks to come. As a teacher, I’m always looking for great things to through in my school lunch! Thanks for the recipe! Btw- I left out the garlic due to my garlic allergy… They were still yummy!
We had this tonight and it was so good!! We have tons leftover! Can I freeze just the filling and then defrost it later to put in tortillas?? Thank you!
Ang – yes, that should work just fine!
I soaked my own pinto beans, and the recipe was kind of bland I think it might be because I did not use canned beans. I added some chili powder, and some salsa to the mix and some other seasonings. I would add some more veggies, like tomatoes and lettuce and avocado. Great base Mel thanks.
As much work as these took, I really wanted to love them. They were kind of blah. Super healthy and filling, yes, but not much flavor to them. Or maybe I forgot a key ingredient that would have made them ‘wow’. I think next time I’ll try some chili powder in them. Thanks for sharing.
Do you think could bake these from the freezer? What temp and time?
Abby – probably but I’ve never tried it. You’ll need to experiment with baking times…a starting place would be 350 degrees for 20 minutes and then check for doneness. It might take much longer than that. I don’t know.
Made these for dinner tonight and they were delicious. I used one can of black beans and one can of pinto with brown rice and added some avocado when I wrapped them in the tortilla — yummy!
Hi. Yummy burritos. However, I only got 8 out of this recipe when using the posted measurements and tortilla size. Clearly there is a discrepancy–either the cheese (2 cups with 1/4 cup in ea yields 8) or the total of 16 appears to be off. The burritos are yummy; I’ll just make a note that this recipe yields 8 yummy burritos instead of 16.
Cassandra – glad you liked these burritos. Sounds like I may fill mine a bit less than yours but glad you liked them regardless of the yield!
Superb! Loved this dish! I made mine with smashed pinto beans and used whole black beans. It was very tasty!
Thanks, Alicia! I love the idea of smashing the pinto beans and using whole beans for an added depth.
MelanieL – what a nice sister you are! I’m glad you liked these burritos…they are so nice to have on-hand in the freezer for a quick meal. Thanks for letting me know!
I made these to give to my sister after she had her baby (along with your sweet & sour meatballs & manicotti!). I froze them and gave her half and kept the rest for us. These are awesome! I finished them off last night so I’m going to make another batch this weekend so I’ll have them ready in the freezer for the nights I really don’t want to cook! Thanks for this great and yummy recipe:)
Vicky – thanks for letting me know the baked brown rice worked great in these…and that the burritos themselves were a hit! My husband takes them for lunch now and again, also.
I've been wanting to add more bean recipes to my menus, and these were great. My husband likes meat, but he didn't seem to care in this case. I used the baked brown rice for the first time and it seemed to work really well. Thanks for both recipes! I think my husband will enjoy taking these burritos to work on occasion.
Oh, and I shared the love over here: http://reciperhapsody.wordpress.com/2010/02/21/super-bean-burritos/
Veronica M. – I'm glad that these have made a frequent appearance so far! Thanks for letting me know.
We eat as many vegetarian meals as my beef-loving husband will allow, and we both loved this. I've made it three times in the last month! Thanks for sharing!
EmilyCC – so glad these worked out for you! Thanks for letting me know.
We made these last night, and no one missed the meat :). Thanks for a keeper!
idahomichele – thanks for letting me know the black beans worked. I’m going to try them next time!
Maureen – I’ve never used another type of bean but a commenter above indicated they used black beans and loved it and I think I’m going to use black beans next time, also, since they are my favorite variety.
Gracie – glad you liked these! I should measure the exact amount of filling I put in each burrito, but usually I just estimate, so that’s ok if you didn’t end up with 16!
Candace – I love your enchilada style variation on these burritos. Sound delicious. I’m so glad these were a hit with you and your brood!
Yummy recipe! My boys ate them too!
I accidentally bought too small of tortilla shells, so I stuffed them like enchiladas on a cookie sheet pan with cheese on top. I also put tin foil over them to steam and cook in the oven. They were delicious! I have made them twice this way and they were all eaten up so fast!
Thanks!
Made these tonight and we loved them! I am so excited to have a bunch in the freezer for lunches, etc. I will definitely be making these again- Thanks!
I followed the directions but I didn’t end up with 16 burritos. Maybe I overstuffed :/
Have you ever tried this recipe with any other type of bean? Black beans maybe?
These were great! I brought one to a vegetarian friend at work and she loved it. another hit. Thanks. ps I used black beans because my family likes them better and they were delish!
Tauna – so glad you liked these. Thanks!
Ooh, another good one! I need a few recipes that can freeze and don’t take up a ton of space. Good thinking!
Boomarked!
healthy AND delicious?
top class
Yum! My fam will love this! I’ve been looking for meatless meals that my husband will tolerate and this is one he will love. It will be great for his lunches too! Thank you!
Beans Beans the more you eat……you know the rest!!!lol
When in university, I monthly set aside a few hours dedicated to burrito building to supply my need for quick frozen dinners while at work. Oh, how this brings back tasty memories. (Did I mention always stopping by Taco Bell and requesting extra sauce packets?..Yes, I was bad.)
I’m actually one of those people that doesn’t like beans. but if this will make your kids eat beans, I can only guess it will do the same for me 🙂 Plus my husband will love it, and I’m all about things I can pull out of the freezer to make for an easy meal.
Just tried these for dinner tonight. They were great! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Fantastic way to get everyone on the bean-eating wagon! And they freeze too. Man, I like that idea.
Yum!! I’ve been trying to add a meatless night or two to our menus… those sound like the perfect addition!
I see these in my future. They sound and look amazing.
although it blows my mind to think that some people actually don’t like beans, i can appreciate this recipe as a method to entice those folks. good stuff, melanie!
i will DEFINITELY be trying these!
I love the freezer idea. My 12 year old son thinks frozen burritos are the bomb, these are sooooo much healthier than the jumbo bags he makes me buy from Costco!
Yay for bean burritos! Though this list looks long and the instructions are kind of long, this is (in my opinion) a great burrito and does so well in the freezer and then back again. Anyway – woohoo!