I originally posted this recipe over two years ago, but since it’s one of our favorite quick lunch “recipes” — perfect for busy summer afternoons — I figured I should share it again for those of you who might not have been reading my blog two years ago!
I will often whip up 15-30 burritos at a time so we always have a supply in our freezer for days when we don’t feel like a sandwich or leftovers.
Oh, and I make a similar recipe for frozen breakfast burritos — SO yummy 🙂
About a month ago, I got 3 free coupons for packages of frozen burritos. I was excited to try them out and figured they would make quick lunches since they only took 2 minutes in the microwave.
However, I was sadly disappointed by their tiny size, their lack of filling, and their lack of flavor. So I decided to make and freeze my own burritos…with a lot more filling, a lot more flavor, and a lot less cost.
Thankfully, my experiment worked!!
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 lbs. ground beef, ground turkey, or shredded chicken
- 2 small onions
- Two 1.25 oz packages taco seasoning
- 12-16 8″ soft tortillas
- 1 15 oz. can refried beans {I accidentally put two in the picture}
- 1 c. of your favorite salsa
- 1 c. shredded cheese
DIRECTIONS:
- Brown meat and onions until meat is no longer pink — drain
- Add taco seasoning and water {cook according to the directions on the taco seasoning}
- Assemble according to directions below
ASSEMBLY:
- Spread about 1 T. of refried beans over the surface of the tortilla {this helps everything “stick”}
- Top with 2 T. of meat, 1 T. salsa, and 1 T. cheese
- Fold in the ends and roll up into a burrito shape.
At this point, you can put them in a 9×13″ pan, top with some type of sauce and cheese, and then bake them in the oven.
OR, you could package them individually and put them in the freezer. I packages half in individual ziploc bags for lunches outside of home and half in the original tortilla bag for lunches at home.
These are so delicious and can be altered to fit your family’s taste buds — swap out chicken for beef; go meatless and add more beans and cheese; use spicy salsa, mild salsa, or no salsa; add in more veggie, etc. etc.
Once they are frozen, they can easily be popped in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until heated through. You could also pack these in a school lunch and they’ll usually be defrosted by lunch time.
Either way, it’s a simple, quick lunch or a hearty snack on the go.
What are your favorite easy summer lunches?
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Erma says
I made these a few years back froze some they were good may make more of them.
Jennifer says
Thanks for making the recipes printer friendly and easy to read. Some bloggers don’t do this and it just makes it so much easier instead of having to scroll through pictures and comments to prepare their recipe. Can’t wait to try these.
Barbara says
I’m on weight watchers AND don’t like refried beans. Any suggestions on how I could change this recipe to accommodate or what I could do in place of the beans?
Caitlin says
What a great idea! I really need to do more of this freezer-cooking…so easy and healthy! Thanks, Andrea.
Rebecca says
Those are very similar to what I do, except I throw it all in one pot.
I brown ground turkey with onion and green peppers; drain..
Add the following to the pan and mix well and cook until heated through:
– cooked brown rice or one of the packages of prepared mexican, fajita or spicy rice
– can of corn, drained
– can of refried beans
– can of black beans, rinsed well
– salsa to taste
– can of green chilies
– fresh tomatoes or a can of diced tomatoes, drained
– 2-5 tablespoons of ground flax seed
Fill individual flour tortillas with some of the mixture and top with cheese and salsa. I wrap them individually in aluminum foil, so the kids can grab them whenever they want. I love these because they are easy and inexpensive to make. We are a family of seven with two teenage boys that eat ALL day and these fill them up.
If they are every soggy, I throw it in the toaster oven for a minute and it dries it up perfectly.
Debbie says
My husband loves these!!! He also loves that it saves us so much money too!
I love after heating them to top it with all kinds of stuff then cutting it up and eat it with a fork
instead of picking it up. It can dress up a meal fast 😉
Amy says
I’m excited to try these for my college son who will be living off campus this fall – a perfect quick meal that he grab between classes, work and studying.
kris says
Make a batch of these yesterday. 1/2 for my neighbor (her hubby is in the hospital and she and her son have been running back and forth to the hospital constantly) and 1/2 for us all for the freezer. Also made a batch of breakfast burritos. 1/2 for neighbor and 1/2 we ate for dinner. Yum!
Tonya says
I have done these in the past. I mix my cheese and beans together then add some green chilies to the mixture. Everything else is the same, even down to reusing the tortilla bag. 🙂
Nora says
These sound fantastic! Do you think sour cream would freeze ok if I added it? This is probably an ignorant question but I am just realizing how awesome frozen homemade meals are!
Thank you!
Nora
Shiann says
I am curious how you keep these from getting soggy when heating them up. I have not yet successfully figured out how to keep this from happening. These do sound super yummy!
Andrea says
well, I wouldn’t say the burritos are “soggy” but they definitely aren’t super crispy like they would be if you baked them in the oven. When we heat them up in the microwave they are basically like warm soft tortillas filled with delicious meat, beans, cheese. etc. — definitely not “soggy” though.
I don’t do anything special, just fill them, roll them up, and put them in the freezer. We heat them directly from their frozen state.
Hope this helps!
Mara @ Super Savings says
Ooh, Andrea, I love this! I was just thinking about finding a recipe for freezing burritos for the kids lunches and easy lunches at home – perfect timing! =) And they look delicious – yes they’d totally go for them!
thanks!
Mara @ Super Savings
Tiffany @ No Ordinary Homestead says
This recipe is really similar to the chimichangas I make, and I often freeze the filling on its own without assembling — but individual burritos in the freezer sounds like an awesome idea. Will have to try this out for quick lunches!
Andrea says
Yes, try it Tiffany — you’ll love it! Of course, you can make all kinds of alterations, but then when you need a quick lunch {or snack} it’s only 2 minutes away!
Frances says
I wonder if you could do this with corn tortillas? They are less bendy so it might take more prep work.
Andrea says
Yes, you could probably use corn tortillas, but you would want to warm them up first so they don’t crack.