Bean Burritos are easy to make and easy on the wallet. Make up a batch of these Green Chile Bean Burritos for supper or to stash in the freezer at a later date. Either way, you’ll eat good and cheap! This is one of my favorite 5-ingredient recipes!
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Burritos are the spice of life. Well, if they aren’t, they should be.
Bean Burritos are one of the easiest, quickest meals to pull together with little work or planning. All the ingredients can be kept on hand in the pantry, fridge, or freezer. Prepared burritos freeze well and reheat easily.
What’s not to love?
I’ve been making batches of burritos for the freezer on a monthly basis for years now. In fact, Bryan keeps a bag in the freezer at work for his lunch. Every day.
Why Make These
It’s an easy lunch. Having bean burritos in the freezer makes for really quick lunches! It’s much quicker than a stop at Taco Bell.
It’s cheap. While Mexican food tends to be a more affordable cuisine, restaurants have been getting really expensive these days. Making your own bean burritos is super inexpensive!
They are delicious. With refried beans, abundant cheese, green chiles, onions, and a little hot sauce, these bean burritos will rival whatever the local joint can make.
They’re fun party food. Since you can make these in advance and bake them in the oven, they’re great to serve as game night snacks.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for this easy bean and cheese burrito recipe:
burrito-sized flour tortillas – I find these cheapest at Costco or ALDI. If you’re making a batch for the freezer, it’s nice to get these to room temperature. That way they will roll without cracking.
creamy refried beans – you can use canned refried beans or make homemade refried beans by mashing canned pintos and seasonin them with garlic powder and salt. If you prefer black bean burritos, just substitue black beans in this bean burrito recipe.
shredded cheese – Any shredded cheese will work: cheddar, jack, or a blend.
green chilies – I love the kick and freshness chopped green chiles add to the bean burritos, but you can add chopped fresh onion if you prefer.
hot sauce – Hot sauce added to taste adds an extra layer of flavor.
For serving: it’s nice to serve these burritos with salsa and sour cream or even guacamole.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s what you need to make a bean burrito:
Assemble the burritos – On a flat working surface, lay out a tortilla. Spread ¼ cup beans in a line down the center. Sprinkle on a small handful of cheese. Sprinkle a spoonful of chiles over the cheese. Add hot sauce to taste.
Roll ’em up – Roll up the tortilla over the filling, tucking in the sides as you go. Continue until all the burritos are filled and rolled.
Heat and eat – The filled burritos can be placed in a ziptop freezer bag and frozen. Or you can heat them and serve them right away. We like to heat them on the griddle, turning to crisp all sides. Or bake a bulk batch at one time in the oven.
If you’re not sure how to roll a burrito that will stay together, you can check out my vlog on making burritos. It’s an old video, very homemade, but it does the job.
To make a bulk batch
Assembly is easy, particularly if you’re preparing many burritos at once. If you’re serving a burrito bar, once everyone has served himself, assemble the rest of the burritos, chill, and freeze for easy snacks. You’ll be so glad you did.
I package the burritos in a gallon-size freezer bag, first wrapping each one in a deli paper.
To serve after freezing:
As for reheating, we use the microwave, the griddle, or the oven. Nuke each frozen burrito for a minute or two until hot. You might want to flip them on the plate to distribute the cold spots.
If I’m using the griddle or a hot skillet over medium heat, I just heat the bean burritos until hot and crispy, turning every once in awhile to prevent burning, about five to 10 minutes, depending on how cold/frozen they are. If I know I’m going to be reheating a bunch, I thaw them for awhile before throwing them on the griddle.
I’ve put frozen bean and cheese burritos in a baking dish or baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes and they are good to go.
FAQ
Bean burritos are simple, containing beans and cheese, wrapped in a flour tortilla. You can add cooked rice, if you like.
Typically, cooked black or pinto beans are good for burritos as are refried pinto beans.
You can definitely add fresh chopped onions to your bean burritos as well as chopped green chiles.
More Great Burrito Recipes
Tell us what you think!
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Easy Bean Burritos with Green Chiles
Ingredients
- 12 burrito-size flour tortillas
- 3 cup Refried Beans
- 8 oz jack cheese (shredded) you can use cheddar, too (2 cups)
- 1 7-ounce can green chiles (chopped)
- hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- On a flat working surface, lay out a tortilla. Spread ¼ cup beans in a line down the center. Sprinkle on a small handful of cheese. Sprinkle a spoonful of chiles over the cheese as well as a teaspoon of onions. Add hot sauce to taste.12 burrito-size flour tortillas, 3 cup Refried Beans, 8 oz jack cheese (shredded), 1 7-ounce can green chiles (chopped), hot sauce
- Roll up the tortilla over the filling, tucking in the sides as you go.
- Continue until all the burritos are filled and rolled.
- The filled burritos can be placed in a ziptop freezer bag and frozen. Or you can heat them and serve them right away. We like to heat them on the griddle, turning to crisp all sides. You can also bake them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on March 27, 2014. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Sandy
The link for the deli paper that you use says it isn’t microwave safe. Do you find that you can still use it in the microwave?
Jessica Fisher
It’s possible that the product has changed since I linked to it. I would recommend finding one that is micro-safe. I buy it at Smart & Final locally.
Alison
Made these last night!!!! So.super.good! So simple, so cheap????
I came away with enough to feed 7kids two adults with 14 leftover for the freezer and 6cups of healthier retried beans! Thanks for all you do ????
Jessica Fisher
Thank you for letting me know. Makes my job easier. 🙂
karen
One more thing….if you are making spicy and mild burritos, rub a dab of hot sauce on the outside of the spicy ones. Then it’s easy to grab the right one!
Jessica Fisher
Great suggestion. Thanks!
karen
I love having a stash of burritos in the freezer. I usually toss everything together in a bowl then fill the burritos. We like rice, black beans, chicken, onions, and fire roasted corn (from Trader Joe’s). Add salsa or any leftover bits and bobs and you’re ready to go.
Jessica Fisher
I wish my people liked corn in things…. I might just make a batch for myself like that. And yes, mixing it all together does make it easier, depending on your fillings. I wanted to even out the chiles and onions, so I chose the layer method here. But, with my chicken, bean, and cheese ones, I mix it all together.
Sandra
I really love the chicken, bean and cheese recipe. Last time I made them I added corn and brown rice. It’s a family favorite!
Jessica Fisher
So glad to hear it!
Hilarie
Thanks for the info re: the truncated feed. Several of the blogs I follow have started doing that lately, and I wondered why. I’ll be honest, I don’t have time to click over to all of them, but I’m still following you and will click over whenever it grabs my interest. Thanks for all you share with us!
Jessica Fisher
Thank you so much for your kind words and support. It’s not a decision I take lightly. I, too, am not a fan of truncated feeds. Know that I am committed to making the content worth your extra click. Please let me know if you have any suggestions in that area. 🙂
Michelle K
I keep saying that I’m going to do this and never have. I think it’s time to get off the stick and do it already!
JessieLeigh
These sound super tasty! In fact, I could go for them for lunch– they’d be a great, meatless treat.
Jessica Fisher
I was tempted to have one for breakfast. LOL
Jessica
Thanks jessica for your blogs. I love them both. I wish I could make a lot of the foods you write about but I have A super picky eater with texture issues. I have made your brownies over and over. Delish. I will try this for my husband the Mexican lover. Thanks again for the blogs.
Jessica Fisher
Let me know how it goes over!
sheila
I’m putting the pinto beans to soak right now!
Have a great weekend Jessica.
Sheila
Jessica Fisher
Bon appetit! A lot of commenters on the bean post said that the omit the soaking section. I’ve noticed that the longer I soak, the less gassy the beans are. TMI? I dunno, but that was a helpful discovery for me. 🙂
Cathy @ Chief Family Officer
Just curious – what size tortillas do you use? I’m partial to the handmade flour tortillas at Trader Joe’s, but am afraid they’d be too small for burritos. Do I *have* to use burrito-size tortillas? Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
Ha! If you want it to roll into a burrito, yes, get the burrito-size. These were Trader Joe’s “no-added sugar”. 🙂 They tend to be more fragile than Costco’s that are rife with preservatives. So be it. If you don’t care if the burritos aren’t well-shaped go for the handmade. They are yummy, but I use them more for fajitas….
Cathy @ Chief Family Officer
Thanks, Jessica! I’ll give those no-added sugar ones a try. (Been enjoying your updates on that foray, by the way!)
Carla
I’ve also used fajita or taco sized tortillas and rolled them into the foil (or plastic wrap), not folding the tortilla. The insides don’t fall out because the tortilla holds it in. I hope that makes sense. 🙂