Name: Green Chile Burritos
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
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); 1/2 onion (finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)); hot sauce (to taste)

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Make up a batch of these Green Chile Burritos for supper or to stash in the freezer at a later date. Either way, you’ll eat good and cheap.

Burritos are the spice of life. Well, if they aren’t, they should be. They 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 a batch of burritos for the freezer on a weekly basis for awhile now. Like these Chicken Fajita Burritos, or Red Burritos with Beef and Beans. They rarely last the full seven days since we grab them for quick meals and snacks.

FishPapa’s eyes have lit up on more than one occasion when I’ve said, “There are burritos in the freezer.”

What do I need to make these green chile burritos?

While certain teenage boys in our home prefer meaty burritos, I find that it’s quicker and easier to make them meatless. With homemade “refried” beans, abundant cheese, green chiles, onions, and a little hot sauce, these babies will rival whatever the local joint can make. Plus, they’re pretty much guilt-free, made of real food and prepared at home.

Here is the ingredient breakdown:

burrito-sized flour tortillas
refried beans – you can use canned or try making your own refried beans
jack cheese – but cheddar cheese would also work
green chilies
onion
hot sauce (optional)

How do you make these green chile burritos?

Assemble the burritos – On a flat working surface, lay out a tortilla. Spread 1/4 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.

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.

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.

Are burritos expensive to make at home?

Did I mention that they are also good cheap eats?

Price breakdown:

dozen tortillas: $1.99
homemade refried beans: $0.50
8 ounces shredded cheese $1.50
chopped green chiles $0.77
chopped onion and hot sauce: $0.15 (if that)

One dozen green chile burritos cost a total of $4.91, or $0.41 each. That’s at least half what Taco Bell or Del Taco charge, and this is worlds better in terms of nutrition and taste.

I call that a win.

Can I make these burritos ahead of time?

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. I know some folks prefer to wrap them in plastic wrap or foil, but we’ve never had a problem just stashing them in a bag together. Sometimes a couple stick together, but that’s generally not a problem when you’re feeding a small army. If you prefer, wrap each burrito before stashing in the bag.

How do I reheat these green chile burritos?

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), I just heat 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 burritos in a baking dish in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes and they are good to go.

Real Food Real Easy

Making homemade food easier and more affordable is my passion. Here are some things you can do to make this recipe easier on the wallet:

How to make this cheap:

Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. For instance, when I see a tortillas, I buy a lot. The same goes for jack cheese. In some ways jack is a specialty item around here, so I shoot for buying it at less than $3/pound.
Do a price comparison. I know that ALDI is the best place to buy ingredients like whole wheat tortillas when there isn’t a great sale elsewhere. I keep track of prices so that I know who has the best deal where.

Tools I use to make this recipe easy:

This is a pretty straight-forward dish. You don’t need any fancy equipment. However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.

box grater or food processor – for shredding cheese
large ice cream scoop – This is great for evenly portioning burrito filling.
deli wrap – I use deli waxed paper to wrap each burrito if I’m going to be freezing them.

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