#19: Make Your Own Frozen Burritos!

Hi Tiff!


So what do you do with all that leftover chili?  You make your own burritos!  These are really easy to make, and then you have an easy go-to meal for when you don't want to spend a lot of time or effort cooking.


There are 2 ways to do this.  First, my mom's method to cook for a group, and second, my method for individual servings (that you could microwave in a rush or take in your lunch).  I'll list both here.


The Basics:
Prep time: About a minute per burrito, plus cook time (see below as the 2 methods have different cook times)
Good for leftovers: hmm. haha. they ARE leftovers. so yes.
servings:  however many you have extra beans for.
cost: about 25-50 cents per burrito or less.


Ingredients:
"large" burrito size tortillas.  You can also use extra large but this size burrito is easier to store I think.
leftover chili or pinto beans, even black beans
grated cheese (optional)
salsa or your favorite hot sauce or taco sauce (optional)
nonstick spray



The Process:
Place 1-2 scoop of beans on your tortilla, closer to one side rather than in the middle.  Add salsa and cheese if desired.  Roll your burrito- if you have trouble with this like I do, check out this video I found which was really helpful.  I'm no expert burrito-roller, so it took me a few tries to get the right amount of beans so it wouldn't explode, and to get the folding process down right.  Thus, my first few are a little sloppy-looking, but once I got it figured out they worked out fine.  Repeat to make as many burritos as you want.


Mom's multiple serving method:

you can fit more burritos in a larger
casserole dish...but I can't, since it
wouldn't fit in my toaster oven! 

Spray a casserole dish with non stick spray, line up those babies, even 2 deep (I spray the top line of burritos with the nonstick spray too).  Cover tight with aluminum foil, and put in a plastic bag, and freeze it.   The next time you need a carefree hot meal that stays hot for a really long time, cook them in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour or more depending on how many and if they are still frozen.  You can wrap the casserole dish with a thick towel, place it in a cardboard box, and 1/2 hour from then they are still too hot to eat.  Serve plain, or with salsa and tomatoes, sour cream.  They are complete hand warmers for an out door event.


I have a mini fridge (not much freezer space!) and no oven (just my toaster oven).  Plus, I like to have some burritos wrapped in smaller portions to microwave instead. So here's the way I do them:


My individual serving method: 
Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray, line up your burritos, and cook them at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  Let them cool a bit, then place in freezer bags.  I found 3 burritos to fit one quart size bag just perfectly if they were rolled will; for my ones that didn't roll so perfectly I fit 2 burritos to a bag.  Freeze them, and next time you need a meal, pop one of those in the microwave for 3 minutes or so.  OR if you have a toaster oven, defrost in the microwave for about 2 minutes, and then cook in the toaster oven for another 2-3 minutes so it comes out crispy :).






Enjoy!


-joy