Bean and cheese burritos are tasty, easy, and inexpensive, and they can be adapted to what is in season and what your family likes. They are a great "fill your own" dish to serve with a variety of fillings and let each person make their own.
⏲️ Time needed
The time needed to prepare bean and cheese burritos is just the time to cook the onion, garlic, and pepper, then to heat the beans. I like to cook a batch of dried pinto beans and serve Pinto Beans and Cornbread for one meal, then use the planned leftovers to make these bean and cheese burritos.
🥘 Ingredients
In addition to beans, cheese, and tortillas, the ingredients in bean and cheese burritos are both basic and flexible. This recipes calls for:
- chopped onion
- minced garlic
- chopped red bell pepper
- oil for sautéing
- seasonings
- optional fillings, such as cilantro, green onions, rice, sour cream, etc.
Although I love the sweet flavor of red bell peppers, when they are expensive (and their price can vary widely - I have bought a package of 6 for $3.99 and have at times paid that much for one pepper), omit them or substitute a green bell pepper.
If you like rice in your burritos, feel free to add it (I'm not a fan of rice in burritos, but I seem to be in the minority).
📋 Instructions
💭 Tips
Although canned pinto beans may seem easier, planning ahead and cooking dried beans is not only less expensive, but also creates a more tender bean filling than using canned beans. Since cooking dried beans is time-consuming, I like to cook a big batch and freeze the cooked beans in can-sized portions for use in recipes like this. Just thaw and use as you would canned beans.
📖 Recipe
Bean and Cheese Burritos
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 30 ounces canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed (or prepared equivalent from dried beans)
- 6 burrito sized tortillas
- 1-½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Optional Fillings
- Cilantro, optional burrito filling
- Green onions, optional burrito filling
- rice, optional burrito filling
- sour cream, optional burrito filling
Instructions
- In a skillet, sauté onion, garlic, and red bell pepper in a small amount of oil.
- When vegetables are tendercrisp, reduce heat.
- Add seasonings and beans, mixing with previous ingredients.
- Mash some of the beans with a potato masher, adding a small amount of water if needed.
- Continue cooking over medium-low heat until hot.
- Warm tortillas and let each person assemble their own burritos with the filling, cheese, and other optional fillings.
Notes
Nutrition per serving
🥗 Side dishes
Suggested sides for bean and cheese burritos:
- Tex-Mex Cole Slaw
- Spanish Rice
- Green Salad
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