Go Back
Freezer beef and bean burrito cut in half covered in salsa and sour cream.

My Mom's Famous Freezer Beef and Bean Burritos

Yield: 20 Burritos
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef, or ground turkey
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper, I use coarsely ground pepper
  • 3 cans (16-ounces each) refried beans
  • 3 cans (4-ounces each) green chiles (mild, medium or hot, depending on preference)
  • 1 ½ cups (340 g) green taco sauce or green enchilada sauce
  • 1 ½ cups (340 g) red taco sauce or red enchilada sauce
  • ½ cup (113 g) salsa, green or red
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 6 to 7 cups shredded cheese, I prefer using a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack
  • 20 (10-inch) tortillas or 30 (8-inch) tortillas

Instructions 

  • In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef and onion with the salt and pepper until cooked through, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain excess grease.
  • Add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese and tortillas) and mix to combine. Heat through, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
  • Let the mixture cool slightly. Spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the filling on each tortilla (depending on the size of the tortilla and how stuffed you want them). Sprinkle about 1/4 cup cheese (or so!) on the filling. Fold in the sides and then roll the burrito closed (see pictures in the post for a visual).
  • I roll all the burritos and place them on a large sheet pan. After they are all rolled, I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then put them in gallon size ziploc bags and freeze.
  • To reheat, unwrap burrito from plastic wrap and microwave for one minute. Poke holes in the semi-thawed burrito with a fork or cut the burrito in half and microwave for 1-minute intervals until heated through. They'll be piping hot! Eat carefully. :)

Notes

Ingredients: the success of this recipe relies heavily on using brands/flavors you like for the refried beans, taco or enchilada sauce, green chiles, spices, etc.
Beans/Chiles/Sauce: I almost always use the La Victoria brand of taco sauce, Old El Paso or Hatch brand of canned green chiles, homemade refried beans or Trader Joe's, Old El Paso or Rosarita traditional refried beans.
Salsa: my favorite salsa is this homemade stuff or Trader Joe's chunky salsa or salsa verde.
Chili Powder: my preferred chili powder is Penzey's but I've used McCormick in this recipe many, many times.