Frozen Bean and Cheese Burritos

From-scratch Frozen Bean and Cheese Burritos are a delicious make-ahead meal that are extremely budget friendly. These burritos are delicious as a quick and healthy lunch or dinner, making them perfect for busy weeks.

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Make-Ahead Freezer Meals {aka Big-Batch Cooking}

Cooking from-scratch can be sometimes feel incredibly overwhelming. However, one of the secrets to keeping your sanity with from-scratch cooking is having a selection of healthy make-ahead freezer meals available for busy weeks. Once these Bean and Cheese Burritos are in the freezer, lunch, dinner and sometimes even breakfast, becomes incredibly simple.

Who are these Freezer Burritos good for?

• Anyone who is interested in cutting food budget costs. Or in other words, these burritos really help to get more bang for your buck.
• Those who are concerned about eating highly processed premade food items. Here is a glimpse into why this is important.
• Beans have a good amount of health benefits, which makes eating these burritos even more attractive.
• Finally, the simplicity that these freezer burritos can provide on busy days is absolutely invaluable.

Note About Ingredients

The ingredient list needed to make these frozen burritos is not extensive. However, larger quantities of the ingredients are needed as this recipe falls into big-batch cooking. Costco has the best value on these products.

Also, there is no lard used in these freezer burritos. Only wholesome ingredients. However, you would never know though based on the incredible flavor.

Ingredients Needed

• Beans– The two best beans to use for this recipe are either pinto beans or black beans. I have used both successfully in this recipe in equal portions.
• Oil– Either extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil are needed for making both the refried beans and homemade flour tortillas.
• Ground Beef– These burritos are a staple in our house and we used 2 packages of Costco’s ground beef 95% of the time. As a treat, the other 5% of the time we use chuck roast cut into bite sized pieces, seared and slow cooked on the stovetop in its own juices. Note: Costco’s packages of organic ground beef are 1.34 pounds each and 85% lean.
• Spices– Larger quantities of coriander, cumin, real chili powder and salt are used to give incredible flavor to the ground beef and refried beans. Either Mexican oregano or regular oregano may also be added.
• Onions– Diced brown onion (aka yellow onion) is cooked until golden brown, giving the beans and extra layer of incredible flavor.
• Garlic– Do not fear with the amount of garlic used. It gives the beans an incredible flavor.
• Salsa– Using a jar of Costco’s 2 pound and 6 ounce shelf stable organic salsa brings in the flavors of tomatoes and peppers. Additionally, the salsa is an important ingredient binding the beans together and adding moisture.
• All Purpose Flour– Only need if making your own homemade flour tortillas.
• Cheese– One of the best ways to save money on cheese is to buy it in block form (another reason I love Costco) and grate it yourself using a food processor. Once grated, freeze until needed. It will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Equipment Needed

Since this is a big-batch recipe, certain pieces of equipment makes the job immensely easier. These are the most important tools needed when making these freezer burritos.

• Cooking the dried beans can be done in either an Instant Pot (preferably 6-10 quart size) or in a 8 quart stockpot.
• 6 quart or larger frying pan with a lid for making the refried beans and storing overnight in the refrigerator.
• When blending hot beans an immersion blender is truly the only way to go to save your sanity.
• Food processor for shredding the cheese. It is important to note that trying to hand shred the amount of cheese needed for these burritos is incredibly challenging. Using a food processor makes the job simple and quick.
• A kitchen scale is needed when weighing the tortilla dough for consistently sized burritos.
• When making Homemade Flour Tortillas you will need two cast iron frying pans to cook the tortillas or a frying pan and a cast iron griddle pan. Additionally, stainless steel frying pans may also be used to cook or reheat tortillas.

Cooking the Dried Beans

No matter the method of cooking the dried beans you choose, the beans must first be measured, rinsed well in a colander and then sorted through to remove any discolored beans, pebbles or clumps of dirt. Also, presoaking is not necessary and there is no need to add seasonings to the dried beans. A ton of flavor is added when making the refried beans.

Instant Pot Instructions

1. Add beans to the inner pot of the Instant Pot and cover with approximately 12 cups of water. Note: The water level should not go over the max fill line.
2. Secure lid on pot and close pressure valve to “sealed” position.
3. Cook on bean setting (aka high pressure) for 33 minutes.
4. Once cooked, let the beans naturally release. Natural release will take approximately 30-40 minutes. Note: I have gone as long as 6 hours letting the beans sit in the natural release state before proceeding to make the refried beans.
5. Drain the beans of the cooking liquid and proceed to making the refried beans filling.

Stovetop Instructions

1. Add beans to stockpot and cover with approximately 10-12 cups of water.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat.Once boiling, lower to a simmer.
3. Cook until tender stirring occasionally. The age of the beans will determine how long they cook for. However, it will take approximately 1 1/2 hours- 3 hours.
4. Once tender, drain beans of cooking liquid and proceed to making refried beans filling.

Slow Cooker Instructions

1. Place rinsed beans in inner lining of slow cooker and cover with 10-12 cups of water.
2. Cook on high heat for approximately 8 hours or low heat for 12 hours. It is important to note that slow cookers can vary in heat levels. When cooking on high, check the beans midway through cooking and at the 6 hour mark.

How to Make Frozen Bean and Cheese Burritos

Refried Beans Filling

1. Cook the beans (see section above).
2. In a 6 quart or larger frying pan with a lid add oil and heat frying pan over medium-high heat.
3. Add the ground beef and using a spatula, break the beef up while cooking. Add 1/4 of the spices and cook the beef until fully browned with no pink remaining.
4. Remove beef from pan and set aside.
5. Add diced onions to the beef drippings. Sauté over the same heat until onions are golden brown.
6. Meanwhile, drain the beans of their cooking liquid and transfer beans to sautéed onions. Stir well.
7. To the bean and onion mixture add crushed garlic, remaining spices and salsa. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
8. Simmer the beans stirring frequently until salsa as broken down and beans thicken slightly.
9. Process beans with an immersion blender until mostly smooth leaving a few beans whole.
10. Take off heat and stir in ground beef. Let cool slightly and then cover with lid. Refrigerate overnight.

Note: Refrigerating the beans allows not only the flavors to marry well with one another but also makes for much easier assembly the next day. In other words, cold refried beans stay in place on the tortilla and do not gush all over the place.

Cheese

If not using store bought pre-grated cheese, grating your own is a wonderful way to save money. We use the Costco’s Dubliner’s cheese for these burritos.

1. Open cheese package and cut the block of cheese into smaller sections (small enough to fit into the feed tube).
2. Using the grater attachment, add the chunks of cheese one at a time to the feeding tube and grate the cheese.
3. Store excess cheese in freezer storage bags in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Flour Tortillas

The step by step guide on how to make the tortillas is laid out in my Homemade Flour Tortilla post. However, follow these steps when making the tortillas from scratch for these burritos. Note: It is perfectly fine to purchase your flour tortillas premade. Just make sure to buy the burrito sized tortillas.

1. Once the tortilla dough has rested, divide the dough into smaller portions weighing 68 grams each. This will ensure that the tortillas are all evenly sized and will be large enough for making burritos.
2. Note: Shortly before staring the rolling process, start to preheat two pans over medium heat. At this stage 2 people will be needed. One will be rolling the tortillas while the other cooks the tortillas and forms the burritos.
3. Lightly flour a large flat surface, the rolling pin and your hands.
4. Place the portioned dough ball onto the floured surface and gently press with your hands to slightly flatten.
5. Using a steady rolling motion, roll out the dough in one direction and then turn the tortilla halfway and repeat the process until an 8 inch circle is formed.
6. As soon as the tortilla is formed, transfer to heated pan and cook until bubbles begin to form, about 1- 1 1/2 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip the tortilla and cook on opposite side.

Note: If using premade store bought flour tortillas it is crucial to warm the tortillas before forming the burritos. This will prevent the tortillas from splitting and breaking while forming. To warm, heat a cast iron or heavy bottomed stainless steel pan over medium/high heat. Cook on each side for approximately 30 seconds. The tortilla should be warm and pliable. Additionally, there is no need for oil to be added to the pan when warming tortillas.

Assembly

1. Once the tortilla is cooked, transfer and lay flat on a large glass plate.
2. Add approximately 1/3- 1/2 cup of chilled refried beans to the bottom third of the tortilla.
3. Sprinkle approximately 2-3 tablespoons of grated cheese on top of the beans.
4. To roll the tortilla, fold the edge that is closest to the beans over the top of the beans. Now fold the sides over the top of the beans and then roll the folded portions until a burrito is formed (see video).
5. Transfer burrito to a large platter or roasting pan. Repeat the process until all the burritos are formed.

Freezing

When freezing these burritos it is best to form all of them first before attempting to package for freezing. The cold refried beans will cool the heated tortillas, making for easy packaging.

1. Open a large gallon sized freezer bag.
2. Working one by one, slide the burritos into the bag in a single layer with the seam side facing down.
3. Each bag will hold approximately 6 burritos. Once filled, remove excess air and seal the bag.
4. Store the bags flat in the freezer. The bags may be stacked on top of each other. However, to prevent the burritos from sticking together they must be frozen flat.

Reheating

Individual or dinner portions of these bean and Cheese Burritos may be taken directly from the freezer and reheated.

Microwave Reheating

Reheating in the microwave is perfect for a single serving. Remove burrito from freezer and place on a microwave safe plate. Heat on high power for 4 minutes.

Note: Microwave ovens vary in intensity of heat. The average amount of time to heat the burrito through will be approximately 4 minutes. If after 4 minutes the beans are not heated, work in 30 second increments until desired doneness is achieved.

Oven Reheating

Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray a roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line burritos in a single layer in the pan with about an inch in between each burrito for air flow. Cook until beans are heated, approximately 45 minutes. This method will crisp the outer shell of the tortilla.

Sprucing Up Frozen Burritos

Growing up these burritos were a staple in my house and the tradition has carried into adulthood. Both my husband and I not only adore eating these, but will often enjoy a burrito for breakfast. Since they are so flavorful and satisfying, we usually eat them by themselves. However, here are a few ways to spruce them up.

• Top with a dollop of sour cream and salsa.
• Enjoy the burritos with chips and some fresh Pico de Gallo.
• Avocado slices or a spoonful of Homemade Guacamole makes them even more delicious.
• Add a sprinkle of cheese before baking for a little more pizzaz.
• Finally, go all out and top the burritos with cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and sliced olives.

Variations

• Replace pinto beans with the same amount of black beans.
• Use chuck roast or pork butt instead of ground beef. Note: For both cuts of meat, either the whole roast can be seared and then slow cooked for shredded meat or the roasts can be cut into cubes, seared and then slow cooked for tender bite size pieces.
• Chipotle powder, cayenne pepper, jalapeño peppers or a higher amount of real chili powder can be added for spicy burritos.
• Use Salsa Verde in place of the jarred salsa for a tangy lime flavor.
• For those who don’t eat beef or pork double this All Purpose Boneless Chicken Breasts recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best beans for making refried beans?

Pinto or black beans make the best refried beans.

Can I use canned beans for these Frozen Bean and Cheese Burritos?

I highly recommend to make the beans from scratch because you can sodium levels. However, if canned beans are used it is wise to rinse them well.

Do I need to soak dried beans before cooking?

There is a significant amount of controversy in the bean world about soaking beans. However, I have personally found the only reason to soak beans it to shorten the cooking time.

Is oil needed for the pan when cooking homemade flour tortillas?

There is no need to place oil in the pan before with cooking homemade flour tortillas or heating premade flour tortillas.

How do I prevent the tortillas from getting too soggy from the filling?

A refried bean mixture that isn’t too wet will help with this. It is important to note that when the refried beans from this recipe are completed they will appear too wet. However, once they sit in the refrigerator overnight they will have the perfect texture. Additionally, cold refried beans will make for much easier assembly.

Do the burritos need to be individually wrapped before freezing?

In all the years of making these freezer burritos we have never needed to individually wrap them. This is because we freeze then in a single layer while they lay flat on the freezer shelf.

However, if your freezer is small, wrapping each burrito in parchment paper will help to ensure that they do not stick together.

How long do Frozen Bean and Cheese Burritos last in the freezer?

We go through these burritos fairly quickly, in that we make a fresh batch almost monthly. With that in mind, I have never seen the total length of time they can last in the freezer. It would be recommended to eat within 3-4 months for ideal freshness.