Beef and Bean Burritos
Ingredients
- Rice:
- 1.5 c chicken broth (plus more for filling)
- 3/4 c rice (long-grain white)
- 1 T minced garlic (plus more for filling)
- 1/2 t salt - table
- 1/4 c minced cilantro (fresh; coriander leaf)
- Filling - beans:
- 1/2 c chicken broth
- 1.5 c cooked pinto beans (divided)
- Filling - meat:
- 1 T vegetable oil
- 1 c finely chopped onion
- 3 T tomato paste (tomato puree)
- 1 T minced garlic
- 1 T ground cumin
- 1 t dried oregano
- 1 t chipotle paste
- 340 g ground beef
- 1 T lime juice
- 3/4 t salt
- To finish:
- 3 flour tortillas (10"; plus 3 more next time)
- 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese (divided; plus 4oz more next time)
Method
FOR THE RICE:
1. Bring broth, rice, garlic, and salt to a boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender and all liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Add cilantro, fluff rice with fork, cover, and set aside.
FOR THE BEEF-AND-BEAN FILLING:
2. Meanwhile, combine broth and half of beans in medium bowl. Using potato masher, coarsely mash beans together with broth.
3. Heat oil in 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, and chipotle paste; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beef, breaking up pieces with spoon, and cook until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir mashed bean mixture into meat mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until nearly all liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining whole beans, lime juice, and salt. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
5. Divide meat-bean mixture: set half aside for a future meal, and leave half for use today. Divide the rice the same way. Freeze the halves left for future use.
6. Heat grill/broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spread out tortillas on baking sheet. Divide today's rice, meat-bean filling, and 2/3 of the cheddar evenly among tortillas. Fold sides of tortilla over filling, fold bottom of tortilla over sides and filling, and roll tightly. Place seam side down on baking sheet.
7. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 of the cheddar over burritos. Transfer to oven and broil until cheddar is melted and starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through broiling. Serve.
FUTURE MEAL:
Thaw rice and meat-bean mixture. Heat. Shred 4oz more cheddar cheese. Assemble burritos and grill/broil. Serve.
Notes
TO MAKE AHEAD: The rice and filling can be made and refrigerated up to 24 hours in advance. Microwave each until hot, about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving, before assembling burritos.
Note from Source: Why this recipe works: To make big, overstuffed, restaurant-style burritos at home, we decided to trade long-braised meat for a simple ground-beef-and-canned-bean filling. We rely on tomato paste, spices, and lime juice to bump up the flavor, and mashing a portion of the beans helps the filling hold together. White rice (cooked in chicken broth for more flavor), sour cream, and sharp cheddar cheese round out the filling, and to eliminate the doughy texture and floury taste of store-bought tortillas, we sprinkle on some more cheese and broil the burritos after rolling them up.
SJ Note: Can't remember when we had these, but we did, and they were tasty. So was the rice on its own. Will definitely have again. Don't let the long ingredient list put you off; it's mostly just spices.
SJ Note 26 Dec 2017: Tasty! Recipe was hard to follow, so have rewritten it. Will have again.