About This Recipe
I love Tex Mex food, especially this recipe for Beef and Bean Burritos, and have ever since my family took a vacation to Texas and Mexico in the early 1970s. We rented a Winnebago, which seemed huge when we left our home’s driveway, but shrunk to very small proportions by the end of the three week trip!
We had some wonderful food in restaurants, and my mom actually cooked in the camper’s minuscule kitchen. Believe it or not, this recipe for Beef and Bean Burritos is one of the dishes she made. I guess this really is a recipe for enchiladas, but we always called it a burrito, so I’m not going to change the name.
This is the perfect recipe to make for Cinco de Mayo (try Mexican Pizza too!), or just because it’s Tuesday. It’s simple but rich and exotic and the perfect dinner for a weeknight.
You can make this beef and bean burrito recipe as mild or as spicy as you’d like. If you like really spicy food, use habanero or Scotch Bonnet chiles in place of the jalapeño, and add some cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes to the meat mixture.
This recipe makes a lot of burritos. I make them in two pans, because I like to be able to remove a whole burrito without too much trouble. Bake both pans, then you can freeze one of them for later. (To use the frozen casserole, defrost in the fridge overnight, then reheat, covered, at 400°F for about 15 to 20 minutes until hot.)
However you make it, serve with a cold beer and a plain green salad tossed with some avocados and ranch salad dressing. Yum.
Tips for the best Beef and Bean Burritos:
- You have to use flour tortillas. Corn tortillas just won’t do as they are too firm and add too much texture.
- Really try to find the type of refried beans that you have to rehydrate. I think they are better than the canned variety.
- Be sure you use taco sauce, not enchilada sauce and not salsa. The smoothness of the taco sauce is important to the recipe.
Why this recipe works:
- Refried beans make ANY Mexican or Tex-Mex recipe better. There’s something about that rich creaminess and nutty flavor of refried beans that elevates any recipe to the next level.
- The combination of Pepper Jack cheese and Colby cheese adds richness and a kick of flavor. Both of these cheeses melt beautifully in the burritos.
- Make sure you include the sour cream and avocados when you serve these burritos. The contrast in temperature, taste, and texture is just superb.
Steps
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1
Done
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Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 13 x 9" glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. |
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2
Done
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Cook the beef, onion, garlic, and jalapeño pepper in a large skillet until the meat is browned, stirring to break up the meat. Drain well. |
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3
Done
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While the meat is cooking, bring the water to a boil in a saucepan and add the beans. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are rehydrated and thick. |
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4
Done
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Add the pepper and the refried beans to the meat mixture. Stir in 3/4 cup of the taco sauce, and simmer for 5 minutes. |
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5
Done
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Wrap the flour tortillas in heavy duty foil and place in the oven for 5 minutes to soften. Make sure you only use about 5 tortillas in each stack. If you package too many together, the steam the tortillas produce while they are heating will break some of the tortillas apart. |
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6
Done
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Pour about 1 cup of the taco sauce into the prepared pan. Then fill each softened tortilla with about 1/3 cup of the meat filling and top with some of the Pepper Jack cheese; roll up and put in the dish. |
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7
Done
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Pour the remaining taco sauce over all and sprinkle with the Colby cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cheese melts and starts to brown. |
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8
Done
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Serve the burritos with the avocados and sour cream. |
