Can you tell I love cooking for the freezer? When I was pregnant with both members of the A Team, I stocked up our freezer with freezer meals. It made bringing them home so much easier, because we had food prepped and ready for meals that were home cooked and I felt good about the ingredients. You don't necessarily have to use low fat, low calorie items to make some healthy (in my opinion). You can keep it clean and use full fat ingredients that are high quality. Now that said, all things in moderation, regardless. I mean dark chocolate is super healthy in a 1 ounce portion. If you eat a bathtub full of it...well as amazing as that would be, you would probably lose that never-ending war with your waistband for good! But there is something to be said for a bathtub full of chocolate, even if it does come at the cost of wearing a king-size bed sheet as clothing. Because...the chocolate...
Where was I? Oh yes! Freezer meals! So I am happy to keep things stocked up in my freezer that I am aware of what all is in it, they taste way better than most purchased products, and most of the time are much more budget-friendly. And your freezer is the best preservation system ever, because you just throw it in there and walk away. I love my freezer so much, I bought an extra one and filled that one up too!
For the beef and bean burritos, you can get wild with the ingredients if you want to add different items inside, change the beans, do a blend of beef and chirizo, or play up (or down) the heat level. Get wild with it. It's your freezer and your burrito! :)
To get started, you will want to cook up some rice. I chose brown, but you can use white if you would like. I use the 5 minute quick cooking rice, so I cooked up 1 cup of rice to 1 cup of water per the package instructions. Set aside once cooked. While the rice is cooking and cooling, you will want heat a TBSP of EVOO in a pan and add in your onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook these until the onions are translucent and then add in your ground beef and season the mix with salt and pepper. You will want to cook your beef until browned. (I used 1/2 pound of lean ground beef. You don't really need a lot of fat content here, so you could even opt for ground turkey or chicken if you so choose. ) Once beef is brown, stir in tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute.
Add in beans (I used black, but pintos would also be great here.) and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer while mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Stir in corn and allow to continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, stirring on occasion.
While this is simmering, grate up your cheddar cheese. Ok...so I know they sell the cheese in a bag already shredded, and I use it too, but you won't regret grating your own. The taste is better and so is the melting/consistency. And it takes very little time to grate. I grated up about 1/2 of a 1 lb block. You are looking for about 2 cups worth. (Or maybe a little more if you are a cheese lover like myself.)
Once you are done cooking, you are ready for assembly. Lay out a tortilla on a cookie sheet and using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop out a 1/4 cup of the cooked rice and layer it on.
Next layer on the meat mixture. Roughly 3/4 to 1 cup.
Next comes the cheese! About 1/4 cup.
Now you will roll up the burrito. Fold the sides over and keep tucking them as you roll. Place on the cookie sheet, seam side down. Repeat for the remaining 7.
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| Can I not roll a burrito like a boss?? :) |
Once they are all assembled, wrap each one in plastic wrap and place them in a gallon zipper bag. I recommend writing what they are and the reheating instructions on the outside of the bag, so it doesn't become a mystery freezer item!
Also if you so choose, you can eat them just as they are. We ate 2 and froze 6. Serve with sour cream and salsa!
When you are ready to eat, remove the burrito(s) from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. Place on a microwave-safe plate; microwave on high for 3 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet; bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes or until crispy.
These are a family favorite in our house! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of brown rice, cooked (or your rice of choice)
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced (remove seeds and ribs unless you like it hot)
- 1 Tbsp of EVOO
- 3 Tbsps of tomato paste
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 - 15 ounce cans of black beans, drained and rinsed (you could use pintos or a mix)
- 10 ounces of frozen corn kernels ( you could also use canned if its drained, just make sure its whole kernel)
- 8 - 10 inch/burrito size tortillas (we used wheat)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Recipe
- Cook rice according to package and set to the side.
- In a large skillet, heat EVOO and add in onions, jalapeno, and garlic and cook until onions are translucent. Add in ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook until beef has browned.
- Stir in tomato paste, and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add in beans and 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, allowing mixture to thicken and stirring occasionally.
- Add in corn kernels and cook for another 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- To assemble the burritos:
- Layout a tortilla on a cookie sheet.
- Layer on 1/4 cup of rice.
- Next layer on 3/4 to 1 cup of meat mixture.
- Top with 1/4 cup of cheese.
- Fold sides of the burrito and begin rolling the burrito. Keep tucking in sides as you roll. Place on cookie sheet, seam side down and repeat with remaining 7 burritos.
- You can enjoy these now, or you can freeze. If you freeze, wrap each burrito in plastic wrap and then place all inside a labeled gallon sized bag and put in freeze.
- To reheat:
- Remove burrito (s) from freezer and remove plastic wrap.
- Place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
- Transfer to baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.
- Serve with sour cream and salsa!
Enjoy your freezer cooking!!
Love~
Misty
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