bean, rice, and cheese burritos
One of my favorite easy lunches is burritos from the freezer. I like to make a dozen or so at once so I’m prepared when we have lunch emergencies. I’ve experimented with different fillings, and these are the ones I like the most. Once they’re reheated, I like to pour salsa or hot sauce on top, and add sour cream and fresh avocado. They’re also good enchilada style, with enchilada sauce and melted cheese on top. Yum!
Mexican Rice
The Pioneer Woman
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 whole large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups long grain rice
1 can rotel (10 ounce)
1 can whole tomatoes (14.5 ounce)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth (more if needed)
1 teaspoon cumin (more to taste)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh cilantro, chopped
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add rice and garlic. Stir constantly, making sure the rice doesn’t burn. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Add Ro-tel and tomatoes. Stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 additional minutes or until rice is done. Add more liquid as needed; rice shouldn’t be sticky.
Refried Beans
Budget Bytes
1 lb. dry pinto beans
1 medium onion
1 medium jalapeno
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
10-15 cranks cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp salt
6 cups water
Spread the dry beans out onto a baking sheet to pick through them and remove any stones or bad pieces. Place the beans in a colander and rinse with cool water.
Slice open the jalapeno and remove the seeds and ribs by scraping with a spoon. Dice the jalapeno and the onion. Place the onion and jalapeno in the slow cooker along with the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and black pepper. Do not add the salt.
Add the sorted and rinsed beans to the slow cooker along with 6 cups of water. Give everything a good stir to distribute the seasoning. Secure the lid and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8. It’s okay if they cook longer, they’ll just be easier to mash.
After cooking, remove as much water as possible and reserve it in a bowl. Mash the beans and add the reserved water back in as needed. Make the beans a little thinner in texture than you’d expect because they will thicken as they cool. Season the beans with salt at this point. By adding salt at the end, you’ll need to add less and the beans won’t be so tough. I used approximately 1 Tbsp but add a little at a time until you’re satisfied. Serve warm!
The cheese is queso fresco from Costco (I could eat that whole bowl with a spoon), and the tortillas are the fresh tortillas from Costco. I like to make all the ingredients, set them up on the counter, and then assembly line it. Dump a little of everything on your tortilla…
… roll it up and add it to the stack…
… then put it in a sandwich sized ziploc bag, squeeze the air out, seal it, and put it in a big gallon size freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat one, just pop it out of the bag, wrap it in a paper towel, and microwave 2-3 minutes.
The rice and bean recipes are massive, so I ended up with 18 burritos for the freezer, 2 burritos for dinner that night, and two meals worth of rice and beans to go in the freezer. I love stocking the freezer!
