Bean And Cheese Burritos

These freezer-friendly Bean and Cheese Burritos are a convenience food that is healthy, fresh, and easy to make. Most importantly, they are absolutely delicious and the entire family will be snatching them up!

The busyness of fall is hitting me full throttle so I’m definitely appreciating quick and easy meals lately. These bean and cheese burritos have been saving me from turning to takeout for dinner or for getting me out of a midday lunch rut.

Sure, a burrito loaded with meat and veggies may sound more appealing. But I assure you these burritos filled with flavourful refried beans, topped with brown rice and oozing with melty cheese are incredibly satisfying, nutritious, and super tasty.

And of course, as with any burrito recipe, the best thing you can do is make large batches to freeze so you can reap the rewards on your busiest of days.

Why You’ll Love This Cheesy Bean And Rice Burrito

• Great for meal prep! This cheese burrito combination creates an easy yet wildly flavourful meal that is make-ahead friendly. Prep a large batch and enjoy them throughout the week.
• A satisfying meat-less option meal for a busy night. If you’re looking for more plant-based meals, give these burritos a try. They’re high in nutrition and super delicious.
• Budget-friendly. A bean and cheese burrito is filling, satisfying and inexpensive to make.
• Portable. Burritos make great travel food, even for airplanes! Wrap them in foil so they don’t unravel. This also makes them easier to eat.

About The Beans

Though I love making my own homemade beans, for these bean and cheese burritos I like to keep it ultra simple and use canned beans. Refried beans or whole beans will both work but I generally stock more cans of whole beans in my pantry so that is what I used here. Admittedly, canned refried beans will make the job much easier so go that route if you are pressed for time.

As for which variety of beans to use, creamy and dense pinto beans are one of my favourite beans to make refried beans. Black beans will also be delicious and might be easier to find.

Either way, straight out of the can, the beans can be quite bland. Since they are the main ingredient in these burritos, it’s important to blast them with lots of flavour. For this recipe, they are sautéed with lots of onion, garlic, chopped peppers, spices, and salsa to create a super flavourful filling. If I’m in a hurry, or feeling a little lazy, I go the route of using ground spices only — still delicious!

Ingredients And Notes

• Canned beans – You can use whole canned beans or refried beans. Pinto or black beans are my favourite for these burritos.
• Onion and garlic – To build flavour into the refried beans. You could omit the fresh garlic since we are adding garlic powder, but I like to add both to make the beans really tasty.
• Fully-cooked rice – This one is optional but I love rice in a burrito. It adds heft and another layer of texture that helps break up the monotony of the beans. I’m a fan of brown rice in burritos but this cilantro rice would also be delicious.
• Poblano or green bell pepper – Either of these peppers will add loads of flavour to the beans. You can even cheat (like I did) and buy a jar of sliced roasted poblano peppers. And if you are using a jarred salsa that has a lot of chunky chopped veggies, you could even omit the extra peppers.
• Salsa – Jarred salsa is an easy way to blast a lot of flavour into the beans. Use your favourite here but make sure its pretty chunky and very flavourful.
• Spices and seasoning – Here we are adding cumin, garlic powder, paprika (I use smoked), a pinch of oregano, and salt and pepper.
• Tortillas: I highly recommend you use burrito-sized tortillas. Anything smaller and it becomes too difficult to wrap. If you are gluten-free La Tortilla Factory has many wonderful GF options and is sold at most well-stocked supermarkets.
• Optional sauces for serving – A sauce for dipping the burritos before every bite is optional (sort of) but a really good idea. Use your favourite salsa, sour cream with a few splashes of hot sauce, a quick avocado crema (find the recipe here), or this delicious guacamole.

How To Make, Fill, And Roll Bean And Cheese Burritos

Once the burritos are filled, rolled up, and ready to serve, I like to pan-fry them until golden on both sides. This makes them delightfully crispy on the outside and oozing with creamy melted cheese on the inside.

Here is the step-by-step:

• If using whole beans: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, diced peppers, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, smoked paprika (or chili powder) and cumin. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the drained beans, reserved bean liquid and salsa. Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture has thickened and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Use a potato masher, the back of a fork or an immersion blender to mash up about two-thirds of the beans. Season with a pinch more salt and a few pinches of pepper. Transfer refried beans to a bowl.
• If using refried beans: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, diced peppers and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic, garlic powder, smoked paprika (or chili powder) and cumin; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add refried beans, salsa and 1/2 cup of water and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Transfer refried beans to a bowl.

• Fill the burrito: Working with one tortilla at a time, spread 1/3-1/2 cup refried beans in a strip across the center, leaving some space on the sides so the fillings don’t spill out when you roll it. Top with a 1/4 cup rice then follow with ⅓ cup cheese. Drizzle with a little hot sauce, if you wish.

• Wrap the burritos: Fold the short left and right sides of the tortilla over the filling. Keeping the sides folded, fold the bottom of the tortilla up and over the filling, rolling tightly away from you until the burrito is completely rolled.

• To finish: When ready to serve, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Place 3 burritos seam side down and cook until golden about 2-3 minutes a side. Repeat with remaining burritos. Alternatively, transfer the burritos to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a 400ºF oven until golden, about 12-15 minutes. Serve warm with your favourite sauce for dipping.

How To Wrap Burritos For The Freezer

These bean and cheese burritos are excellent for freezing because all the ingredients are freezer-friendly. Whenever freezing burritos, avoid adding sour cream, avocado, guacamole, raw tomatoes or lettuce.

1. Wrap each burrito tightly in one layer of parchment paper and then one layer of foil. This double-wrap may seem excessive but the parchment paper will prevent the burrito from drying out when reheated.
2. Place the wrapped burritos on a sheet pan and freeze until solid. This prevents the burritos from getting smushed when stored in containers.
3. As soon as the burritos are frozen, transfer them to a large ziplock bag or freezer-safe container.
4. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How To Reheat A Frozen Burrito

The microwave is the fastest way to to thaw one or two frozen burritos but it also tends to make the burrito soggy. Here’s what I do to avoid a soggy burrito:

1. Unwrap the layer of foil on the bean and cheese burrito but leave the parchment paper wrap on it. Place the burrito on a microwave-safe plate. Don’t microwave more than two at a time.
2. Using the defrost setting, microwave for 7 minutes. Flip the burrito(s) over, and repeat for another 6 minutes. If you don’t have a defrost setting, use a medium-power setting.
3. Next, heat a skillet over medium heat. Remove the parchment paper and place the burrito(s) in the warm skillet; heat for about 3 minutes a side, or until the tortilla starts to get crispy and is no longer soggy.

How To Reheat A Large Batch Of Frozen Burritos

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF and place a wire rack over a large sheet pan.
2. Place the frozen, foil-wrapped burritos on the wire rack and bake for 25-30 minutes.
3. If you’d like the burritos to crisp up a bit on the outside, remove all wrapping and place under broiler for a few minutes a side.

Recipe Variations

The beauty of this bean and cheese burrito is how stupendously simple it is. But that doesn’t mean you can’t pack it with a few more things. Here’s a few delicious ideas:

• Spice up the burritos with canned green chiles or chopped fresh jalapeño slices.
• Toss in 1/2 cup of corn or more bell peppers to the skillet when sautéing the vegetables.
• Make it a breakfast burrito by adding a scrambles egg.
• Add some ground meat or tofu.
• If serving right away, add some guacamole or avocado slices.

Serving Suggestions

These bean and cheese burritos are great on their own but here’s a few sides I will occasionally serve alongside:

• Mexican chopped salad
• Street corn salad
• Coleslaw
• Guacamole
• Charred tomato salsa (exquisite with these burritos!)

If  you give this Bean and Cheese Burritos recipe a try, please feel free to leave a comment and/or a star rating below. We appreciate and welcome all your feedback. Thank you!