Beef and Bean Burritos are soft flour tortillas rolled around a hot filling of lean ground beef, refried beans, salsa, taco seasoning and melted cheddar. The filling cooks in one pot while the tortillas warm, and the recipe makes 6 burritos in 20 minutes.
How to make it: Brown the beef with garlic and drain the fat. Stir in the salsa and taco seasoning, then the refried beans and cheese, and cook over low heat until the cheese melts. Spoon the filling down the center of warm burrito-size tortillas, fold in the ends and roll them up.
Why You’ll Love It
- Dinner in 20 minutes: 10 minutes of prep and 10 minutes at the stove.
- Pantry staples: a can of refried beans, a jar of salsa, taco seasoning and a pound of ground beef.
- Cheesy filling: the cheddar is stirred right into the pot and melted into the beef and beans.
- Freezer friendly: roll a batch, freeze them, and reheat one whenever you need a quick meal on a busy night.
Ingredient Notes
Lean ground beef: One pound. Ground turkey, chicken or pork can take its place (see Variations).
Garlic: Two cloves, minced. Garlic from a jar is fine when you are short on time.
Salsa: Three-quarters of a cup of jarred or homemade salsa, mild or hot. No salsa in the house? Plain tomato sauce or Mexican tomato sauce can stand in.
Taco seasoning: Three tablespoons of homemade seasoning or one store-bought packet. For a from-scratch spice mix instead, see Variations.
Refried beans: One 16-ounce can, stirred in straight from the can.
Cheese: One cup of shredded cheddar. Colby jack, Monterey jack, pepper jack or a Mexican blend all work in its place.
Flour tortillas: Six of the large, burrito-size tortillas.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup salsa
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning (or 1 packet)
- 16 ounces refried beans (1 can)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or Colby jack, Monterey jack, pepper jack or a Mexican blend)
- 6 burrito-size flour tortillas, warmed
- Toppings, optional: cooked rice, cubed avocado, diced tomato, pico de gallo, extra shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, sliced pickled jalapeños, sliced black olives, fresh cilantro
How to Make Beef and Bean Burritos
1. Brown the beef. Cook the ground beef and garlic in a medium pot or large skillet over medium heat, breaking the meat up and stirring often, until the beef reaches 160°F on a food thermometer. Drain the fat.
2. Season. Pour the salsa over the beef, sprinkle with the taco seasoning and stir to combine.
3. Add the beans and cheese. Add the refried beans and shredded cheese and stir until everything is well combined. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the filling is heated through and the cheese is completely melted.
4. Warm the tortillas. Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover them with a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds, or until warm. If you use raw tortillas, cook them according to the package directions instead.
5. Fill and roll. Spoon a generous amount of the filling down the center of each warm tortilla and add any toppings you like. Fold the ends in, then roll up. Serve right away.
Common Burrito Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
A beef and bean burrito has only a few parts: the filling, the tortilla and the fold. Here is what to watch at each stage.
Tortillas that are too small. Buy burrito-size flour tortillas. The large size gives you enough room to roll the tortilla all the way around the filling and fold it into a neat pocket that is easier to eat.
Rolling cold tortillas. Warm them first, as in step 4, and have them ready the moment the filling is done. If your package says the tortillas are uncooked, cook them before filling; raw tortillas need cooking before they can wrap anything.
Leaving the fat in the pot. Drain the beef after browning, before the salsa goes in. With 80/20 beef, spoon out all the excess fat.
Guessing when the beef is done. Ground beef is safe at 160°F, measured with a food thermometer. Check it at the end of step 1, before anything else goes into the pot.
Filling the tortillas straight off the burner. Take the pot off the heat and let the filling cool slightly while you set out the warm tortillas and the toppings.
A loose fold. Spoon the filling down the center, fold the two ends in over it, then roll the tortilla up, tucking the ends in as you go. The finished burrito is a closed little pocket that keeps the filling inside instead of in your lap.
Tips for Success
Should the cheese go in the filling or in the tortilla?
Either way. Here it melts into the filling in the pot. You can also sprinkle cheese down the middle of each tortilla and spoon the hot filling over it; about 1 1/2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar, more or less to taste, covers 6 burritos that way. For layers, spread the refried beans in the center first, then the seasoned beef, then a generous handful of cheddar.
How much filling goes in each burrito?
Divide it among the 6 tortillas and spoon a generous line down the center of each. Add toppings on top of the filling before you fold.
Variations
- From-scratch spices: leave out the salsa and taco seasoning. After the beef is browned and drained, add 1/4 cup tomato puree, 1 small chopped onion, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon chili powder, 3/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper along with the beans, and cook together for 10 minutes. Put the cheese in the tortillas.
- Creamier filling: stir 1/4 cup sour cream in with the beans and heat through.
- Other meats: ground turkey, ground chicken or ground pork. Cook ground turkey or chicken to 165°F and ground pork to 160°F.
- Spicier: add a chopped jalapeño or a can of diced green chiles to the beef, use pepper jack, pick a medium salsa, or finish with hot sauce.
- With rice: add a layer of cooked rice inside each burrito, or serve Mexican rice on the side.
- Crispy: heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook the rolled burritos 3 at a time, seam side down, until golden, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Baked: set the rolled burritos in a baking dish (lined with parchment if you like), sprinkle any leftover cheese on top and bake at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Heat leftover enchilada sauce to serve as a dip.
- Smothered: drizzle the burritos with enchilada sauce or Mexican tomato sauce, sprinkle with extra cheese and finish with cilantro leaves.
- Freezer batch of 20: brown 3 pounds of ground beef and drain it, add 3 packets of taco seasoning and 3 cups of water, and simmer over medium heat, stirring fairly often, until thickened. Let it cool slightly. Fill 20 large flour tortillas with 2 cans (14 ounces each) of vegetarian refried beans, the beef and 2 packages (8 ounces each) of shredded cheddar, then roll and freeze.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F) in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months.
To freeze: put each burrito in its own small freezer bag, or lay them in gallon freezer bags flat in the freezer, not touching, until they are frozen solid, so they don’t stick together. Sheets of waxed paper between them do the same job. Leave lettuce out of any burritos headed for the freezer; FSIS lists lettuce, mayonnaise and cream sauces among foods that do not freeze well.
To reheat: thaw burritos in the refrigerator, or reheat them straight from frozen, which takes longer. Microwave on a microwave-safe plate, covered, turning it partway through, until the center reaches 165°F. Microwaves have cold spots, so check the temperature in several places. For a crisper tortilla, reheat in the oven or air fryer instead, still to 165°F. Do not reheat them in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve the burritos with a side salad of shredded lettuce, chopped avocado or guacamole, pico de gallo or chopped tomatoes, chopped bell pepper and fresh cilantro, with salsa on the side. For the same beef, beans and cheese layered and baked, make Mexican tortilla casserole, or turn burrito night into a chicken bake with easy chicken burrito casserole. Layered taco bake stacks ground beef and flour tortillas in a baking dish, and loaded steak quesadillas are another filled-tortilla dinner. For game day, set out epic beef nachos supreme, and on a cold night try quick and easy taco soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best recipe for a beef and bean burrito?
Keep it simple: seasoned ground beef and refried beans cooked together with cheese, rolled in warm burrito-size flour tortillas. The recipe above takes 20 minutes.
What kind of beans are in a beef and bean burrito?
Refried beans. A regular can works, and so do vegetarian refried beans. Canned black beans or kidney beans can replace them; mix them in with the beef.
What’s the best filling for a burrito?
For this one, seasoned beef, refried beans and melted cheese. Add any toppings you like before rolling: cooked or Mexican rice, avocado or guacamole, pico de gallo or diced tomato, sour cream, green chilies, pickled jalapeños, black olives, lettuce, queso or cilantro.
Can you make beef and bean burritos ahead of time?
Yes. Roll them, freeze them and reheat one at a time; the freezing and reheating steps are under Storage & Reheating above. Scale up with the freezer batch of 20 in Variations.
Final Notes
Warm the tortillas, drain the beef well and fold the ends in before you roll, and these burritos come together fast on any weeknight. If you make them or have a question, tell me how they turned out in the comments.
Beef and Bean Burritos
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Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup salsa
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning or 1 packet
- 16 ounces refried beans 1 can
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded; or Colby jack, Monterey jack, pepper jack or a Mexican blend
- 6 flour tortillas burrito-size, warmed
- toppings optional: cooked rice, cubed avocado, diced tomato, pico de gallo, extra shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, sliced pickled jalapeños, sliced black olives, fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef and garlic in a medium pot or large skillet over medium heat, breaking the meat up and stirring often, until the beef reaches 160°F on a food thermometer. Drain the fat.
- Pour the salsa over the beef, sprinkle with the taco seasoning and stir to combine.
- Add the refried beans and shredded cheese and stir until everything is well combined. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the filling is heated through and the cheese is completely melted.
- Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover them with a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds, or until warm. If you use raw tortillas, cook them according to the package directions instead.
- Spoon a generous amount of the filling down the center of each warm tortilla and add any toppings you like. Fold the ends in, then roll up. Serve right away.
