Basic Beef Burritos with Mexican-style Rice

"A burrito is a sleeping bag for ground beef"

Doesn't everyone get a burrito craving now and then? Some more often than others (like my friends and I lol) I was craving a saucy ground beef burrito with refried beans and rice...nothing too fancy, so thought I would give it a try at home. I've never made Mexican-style rice before but knew I had to have it, so did some research online and found out that it's actually quite easy to make! Basically it's rice cooked with onions, tomato sauce and veggie or chicken stock. Once I realized the missing piece to my homemade burrito would be a cinch to make... I set off on creating the Basically Cooking Basic Burrito :)

Like I mentioned, I wasn't really in the mood for any fancy ingredients that would take a long time to prepare, so this burrito recipe is all about the basics! I sautéed ground beef in onions, tomato paste and taco seasoning, made a quick "guacamole" of avocado/tomato/onion and garlic, and then heat up some canned refried beans! The only other toppings were fresh jalapeño and CHEESE!

The assembly was pretty quick - layer of refried beans (yum), spoonful of the Mexican rice, top with a lot of ground beef, large dollops of the quick guac and then finished with a sprinkle of jalapeños and cheese! You can thrown on some extra hot sauce or sour cream if you like too! Once rolled up, I seared all sides of the burritos on the stove to get the cheese nice and melty - DELISHHH!

Other than having to wait for the rice to cook, this came together pretty quickly. It also made A LOT of burritos lol This recipe made about 10 large burritos, so once all the leftover rice and ground beef were cooled down I made the burritos, wrapped those in tinfoil and stuck em in the freezer for the next time I need to satisfy those burrito cravings! To reheat - Just thaw the burrito, wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for a minute or so! You can also heat in a toaster oven or even on your stove top :)

Check out my recipe for these basic burritos and let me know what you think in the comment section below!

Basic Beef Burritos with Mexican-Style Rice

Makes 10 Burritos

For the Mexican Style Rice

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 C brown rice

1 C tomato sauce

3 C vegetable stock

For the ground beef

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 lb ground beef

1 tbsp tomato paste

pinch of salt

1 packet spicy taco seasoning

For the Quick Guac

2 avocados, mashed

1/4 tomato, chopped

1/4 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Toppings:

Whole wheat tortilla wrappers

1 jalapeno, chopped into small pieces

1 tomato, chopped

1 can of refried beans, heated on the stove

Tex Mex Cheese

1. Make the Mexican Style Rice: In a large pot, on medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes. Then add in the rice and sauté for another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and mix until combined with the rice. Then add in the vegetable stock, stir together and let sit until it comes to a boil. Then cover the pot and let cook for 35 minutes (or according to the package of your brown rice...mine took a little bit longer!) Also, feel free to add more vegetable stock if the rice is still hard, I started off with 2 cups but added in a 3rd cup after 20 minutes or so. Make sure to check on the rice frequently to make sure it's not burning.

2. Make the ground beef: In a large skillet on medium heat, sauté the olive oil with the onions for 3 minutes. Add in the ground beef (crumble the ground beef beforehand in a bowl with your hands) and stir continuously until almost cooked through. in the middle of the pan, add in the tomato paste and then mix together with the ground beef until combined and cooked through. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt. Next, follow the instructions on your taco seasoning packet (e.g. mix the packet with water) and then add the taco seasoning and water into the skillet. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

3. Make the quick guac & refried beans: Add the avocado, tomato, onion and garlic into a small bowl and stir to combine. Heat up the refried beans on the stove in a small pot.

4. Assemble the burrito: In the centre of a tortilla wrapper, layer on the refried beans, a few scoops of the Mexican rice, a layer of the ground beef, a few dollops of the guac and finish with a sprinkle of jalapeños and cheese. Fold the two sides in and wrap tightly from the bottom to form your burrito!

5. Heat the burritos in a hot pan on all sides (about 30 seconds per side), so that the cheese melts and the tortilla is a little crispy in some areas. Then serve with more guac, salsa, hot sauce, sour cream or any other sides you'd like!! Delicious home made burritos ready to serve, devour & enjoy!